Names That Mean Variant

Ellar Coltrane, the star of Richard Linklater's acclaimed 2014 movie "Boyhood," is an outlier, namewise. Most others with his first name are girls, and there aren't even many of them -- the last time the Social Security Administration registered the name at all was in 1956, when six girls were named Ellar. Still, with Gaelic names being trendy, and the "El-" sound on the rise, it has some potential.

Although a variant of the operatic Zerlina, Zerline has her own theatrical tale. She is the star character of the opera Fra Diavolo by Daniel Auber. Zerline, daughter of the innkeeper of Terracina, is in love with an impoverished soldier, Lorenzo, but her father wants her to marry the rich old Francesco. Various tragedies and events occur. In the end, Zerline is free to marry her beloved Lorenzo.

Name that's virtually unknown here but has a lovely meaning and a simple sound and spelling.

A rare name even among Basque speakers (fewer than 20 women in Spain are called Elixane), this beautiful name has drawn some attention via Elixane Lechemia, the French pro-tennis player.

One of the most unusual of the biblical iah-options, this was the name of a long-reigning king of Judea, and just might appeal to the parent looking for a quasi-unique Old Testament choice. And it avoids the negative Dickensian aura of the other New Testament U-name, Uriah.

Not as common as brother Sergio, but still quite frequently heard in the Hispanic community, as in Bolivian singer Sergia Llanos.

The Hawaiian version of ultra-classic Adam could make a cool choice for parents seeking something that feels fresh but still has roots in tradition. It also means "to blush" in Japanese.

A pretty and unusual name with a multi-cultural feel--Hebrew, Greek, and a dash of Russian.

A common first and last name in France and, especially, Belgium, more often spelled Thibault.

An uncommon variant of the classic name David that was brought to the fore by actor and rapper Daveed Diggs, one of the original stars of "Hamilton" on Broadway. He has said that his parents chose that spelling because his dad "liked the look of it."

Another of the many -aiden names. Several spellings have charted in the US Top 1000 in recent years, but now most of the -aidens are fading. Braiden is no exception, dropping down the charts each year since its peak at Number 468 in 2010.

Made most familiar by Miah Persson, a famous Swedish opera singer.

Variant of Marisa

Variant of Maria

One of the many Hawaiian versions of biblical names to come out of King Kamehamaha IV's 1860 edict requiring his citizens to adopt Western-style names.

A unisex name in Hawaii, where it can signify either Asher (for boys) or Adela (for girls), Akela was also the name of a character in Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book.

Very popular in Catalonia, in part because of its use by a number of pro athletes. English speakers, though, may interpret it as a "yoonek" spelling of Alex.

Latisha peaked in popularity in the US in 1979, reaching #221.

When King Kamehamaha IV of Hawaii mandated that residents of the island nation take on Western-style names in 1860, they adapted many traditional English first names to the unique Hawaiian orthography; this is the local version of Susannah.

An unusual Hawaiianization of the fashionable erstwhile "grandma name" Flora, Polala is one of those unique baby names with crossover potential.