Names That Are Variations

Jacob meets Jakob meets Kobe -- and apparently, parents in 2013 are fans. It rose 153 spots to break into the Top 1000, making it one of the year's fastest-rising names.

Adela is a common girls' name throughout Europe — this version is authentically Czech.

Lively Russian choice born by several saints.

A common name among Turkey's Muslim population.

This phonetic spelling of Drew is on the rise for boys, but was also given to 50 girls in 2022.

Erasmus may be out of fashion in the English-speaking world, but in Slovenia, Erazem is a fashionable riser.

A cute variation of the Finnish Maija — which in turn is a variation of Maria.

The modern Icelandic form of Guðmundr, an Old Norse name derived from gud, which meant both "good" and "god," and mund>, "protection." Guðmundur is currently a Top 10 boy name in Iceland.

Two famous women, both with the same surname, feature this name in Scottish history. The first, Lady Grisell Hume Baillie, was an 18th century songwriter. The second, Grisell Baillie, was the first woman to be admitted to the position of Deaconess in the Church of Scotland.

This try-too-hard variation is just begging to be spelled at every turn.

Ulrica has an Old World sound that may not be user-friendly in the modern US.

Made somewhat familiar by the election of Annastacia Palaczszuk as Premier of the State of Queensland in Australia.

A top choice in Turkey, perfect for a botany-enthusiast.

Homophonous with Masha, the Russian nickname for Maria.

Possibly to honor Canadian short story writer Alice -- though Alice is more far accessible and--until very recently-- nearly as distinctive.

Cay is a rare respelling of the retro nickname Kay but one that may gain ground as a name that's both simple and unique. Like Kay, it can be a diminutive for any of the hundreds of Catherine variations that start with a C or of more modern names such as Caylee or Cadence. Or it can stand on its own as a sleek contemporary nickname-name.

This version of the name creates an almost-homonym to Isora, but it adds in the trendy z. The possible nicknames of Ezzy and Zora give this name a little more wearability.