Names That Are Variations

An old Estonian cognate of Theodoric. The common nickname is TIit, so probably best avoided in the US.

Only about 1 percent of babies named Christian are girls, but that was nearly 50 baby girls in the US last year so the name is not unknown. The Kristian variation makes it more reminiscent of Kristen or Kristin, but that might also introduce confusion.

Estonia borders Russia, which has a strong influence on the popular baby names. Mihhail comes from Mikhail, the Russian form of Michael.

Popular short form Anže has eclipsed Janez in Slovene popularity.

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Barrett made this lovely and unusual flower name familiar to English speakers. Giacinda is the Italian version.

Cuff and Cuffee were borne by enslaved people in the US and Caribbean in the 18th and 19th centuries. They are Anglicized forms of Kofi, the Akan name for boys born on Friday.

In the heyday of Chris- names, the Kirsten variation was always more common than Kirstina, and that's still the case today.

Classical choice in Iceland, where it ranks within the Top 25.

The Phillis spelling of this once-popular name lives on thanks to Phillis Wheatley, the first African-American to publish a book of poetry, in the 18th century.

Peaked in the Czech Republic in 1939.

Good choice if you want to avoid connections with the Canadian province, but the confusing spelling is probably not worth the hassle.

Ephraim is one of many Biblical names ripe for revival, and Epriam is an interesting variation as well.

As Anouk, a name that's newly popular in The Netherlands, this spelling is borne by Belgian supermodel Anouck Lepere.

Famous Indigenous lawyer Lowitja O'Donoghue brought this name into prominence in Australia. She now has a research institute named for her. We think this fresh take on Lois has wide appeal.