Names That Are Variations

The current wife of Donald Trump, Slovenian model Melania Knauss, brought this pretty version to the fore. Saint Melania was an heiress who freed thousands of enslaved people.

Everlyn is one of the countless new spin on Evelyn and sisters, this generation's answer to Caitlin and Michaela. Evelyn, recently in the US Top 10, has been around as a name for a long time, once used for boys too. Ever and Everly are newer inventions, and Everlyn borrows something from them all. Nearly 70 baby girls were named Everlyn in the most recent year counted.

Familiar through the similarly pronounced TV Warrior Princess, but the original Xena spelling is cooler.

As attractive and straightforward as Kir may be, you may wish to go with the Irish spelling Keir (of different origins), due to Kir's association with the French cocktail.

Nelle, pronounced as the one-syllable Nell though some may think it's Nellie or Nella, is the elegant form of the name used by author Nelle Harper Lee, who wrote To Kill A Mockingbird. With whatever spelling, Nell/Nelle is a charming old-fashioned nickname name -- it was originally short for Ellen, Eleanor, or Helen -- that never took off the way sisters Molly and Maggie did.

Zevi is an alternative transcription of the Hebrew name Zvi or Tzvi, the latter of which is a Top 100 pick in Israel. It's a cool, sharp-sounding name which would make for a great distinctive alternative to Levi.

This once obscure name was propelled to fame by Britney Spears, and by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith in the 2000's. It skyrocketed into the US Top 10 for boys, but it also saw significant use for girls.

Ariyah jumped into the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013, probably because some American parents see it as a creative spelling of the popular Aria or Arya. But it's also an authentic Hebrew name in its own right, a feminine form of the Biblical Aryeh, heard in modern Israel..

The Jodie spelling might be even more obscure, at this point, than the fading original, except actresses Jodie Foster and Jodie Sweetin have kept it in the public eye.

Interesting multi-cultural option.

A euphonious and lovely name with a dark-eyed, long-flowing-haired image, Raphaela is, like Gabriella and Isabella, beginning to be drawn into the American mainstream.

While the biblical Javan, the son of Japheth, is spelled with two a's, the -on version is by far the favorite in contemporary America. Variant spellings and pronunciations abound. This name has ranked in the US Top 1000 since 1976, though it's in danger of falling off.

This spelling variation of the popular girls' nickname ranks behind the more traditional form—Allie (Number 255). This spelling could be hurt by the word name ally, which bears a different pronunciation.

Iain, this authentic Gaelic form of John, has been well used in Scotland since the early twentieth century, used concurrently with the shortened Ian spelling, but is rarely seen in the US.

A Top 100 name among boys, but a rare option for a girl. The French female form is Axelle (emphasis on the "elle").

This classic Spanish name is well-used throughout Latin America and easily crosses cultures, ranking in the US Top 1000 for over a century. Vicente is notable as the name of Vicente Fernandez, the king of mariachi.

This Hebrew version of Ethan, also a place-name in southern Israel, works well here. Eitan is a Top 10 name in Israel.

This chic Ukrainian form of Helen is relatively unknown outside of its native country, but it definitely has international appeal. Olia or Olenka are the usual Ukrainian diminutives, but tomboyish Oli or Leni could work too.

Roronoa was created for the pirate-themed anime series One Piece. Roronoa is the Japanese pronunciation of l'Ollonais, the name of notable pirate Francois l'Ollonais. The historical pirate was born Jean-David Nau in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France. His adopted surname is derived from his hometown.

Manly almost to the point of macho.