Names That Are Variations

This form of Narges is popular in India, where it is commonly associated with Nargis Dutt. Dutt is considered one of the greatest Indian actresses of all time.

The Finnish form of Peter was most common in its culture of origin in the 1950s and '60s.

A common choice for baby boys in Slovenia. Bine is identical in sound to the Yiddish feminine name Bina.

Nickname form Gaber is currently the more fashionable variation in Slovenia.

Lowdy is a variation of Loveday, a name given to babies in medieval England who were born on days when adversaries would come together to resolve their conflicts amicably. Loveday continued to be used in Cornwall long after it died out in the rest of England and is considered a traditional Cornish name despite its Anglo-Saxon roots.

Phonetic spelling brought to light by actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

This modern Dutch name is far more popular in the Netherlands than its English equivalent Quinta is in the USA. But with the viral popular of Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson, that could change quickly. Quinty and Quinta are both wonderful, underused names.

Perhaps a tad too close to vellum to be successful in English-speaking countries. However, a good choice for those wanting to honor their Nordic heritage.

A top name in Eastern European countries including Croatia and Bosnia, where it is a transcription of Jacob.

A nice beachy name, but one that would require constant explanation.

This variant of Jocelyn adds an extra n but not much else. It's declining numbers over the past five years indicate it may be best to stick with the popular and traditional Jocelyn, which currently ranks at Number 133 in the US.

Popular Irish name brought here by singer Sinead O'Connor, could make a striking choice for a child with deep Irish roots.

In its native Germany, Gerhard was very popular a hundred years ago and is now rather old-fashioned. It isn't much used by English speakers either, but has a certain clunky charm about it.

Substituting the V for the W sounds almost comedic to the American ear.

Wylei exists because Corey Parker decreed it so: He gave his newborn son this variation of the classic surname more conventionally spelled Wylie or Wiley. The problem with the Wylei spelling is that it makes you think the name may have a different pronunciation, with an ay versus an ee sound at the end. This is one of those creative inspirations that will make the child's life more difficult for years to come.

We don't think a boy would want to be called a sham.

Kaitlynn seems to be trying too hard to make its pronunciation plain. At this point, everyone knows that the name however you spell it is pronounced like Kate plus Lynn, so why go all the way to Kaitlynn? This spelling has been stumbling down the charts since its peak in 1998 and may not be around much longer.