Names That Are Variations

Jovan, the name of the supreme Roman deity, seems more extraterrestrial now -- and it's also firmly attached to a perfume label. Some parents may see it as a variation of Giovanni, the Italian for John. It is in fact the Slavic variation of John and may be an original way to honor an ancestral John.

The chic Euro spelling of Henry is rising along with the original form.

Josue - usually written as Josué - is a French, Spanish, and Portuguese variation of Joshua that has been in the US Top 300 since 1990 and in the Top 1000 since the 70s. While it remains popular in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, in its native Spain, France, and Portugal, it has fallen slightly out of style.

The lovely Shakespearean Juliet is finding renewed interest as a baby name today, and Julieta is along for the ride, especially among Spanish families.

Eissa, a name found frequently as both a last and a first in Arabic lands, is the Arabic form of Jesus. Also spelled Isa, Issa, and Esa, Eissa came to greater prominence when it was chosen for their newborn son by singer Janet Jackson and her husband Wissam Al Mana, who is Qatari.

A multicultural unisex choice that peaked for girls at the same time as Amy. Ami is also the French word for "friend."

This name may be a variation of the more-popular Bryson, but it has appealed to enough parents to make it a widely used name in its own right.

A Julian translation that would be easy to wear — Yulian strikes the proper balance between unusual and familiar. Yuli is a common nickname in Russia.

With the rise of both international names and those that start with the letter V, this sharp alternative to Vera may become more familiar in the English-speaking world.

Although Gracia is the literal Spanish translation of Grace and is used as the Grace equivalent in Spanish-speaking countries, where it's pronounced grah-see-a, it's also a long-time if unusual Grace variation pronounced gray-sha. You might consider Gracia if Grace is getting too commonplace for you.

A fresh Dutch take on George, although you’re likely to get pronunciation errors upon first meetings.

This variant of Gianna has been in the US Top 1000 for most of the 21st century and hit a peak in 2010 at Number 568. The original spelling outranks the trimmed down version by far.

One of the most familiar German names, with an upright Prussian image. Friedrich might just have been out for long enough to start coming back in.

With Angelina becoming so popular thanks to Ms. Jolie, this could be a new twist—but everyone will always misunderstand it as Angelina. While it currently ranks at Number 951 in the US, it's Number 352 in France.

Inessa is a truly multi-cultural name, heard in Spain, Germany and Russia, and is related to the names Agnes and Ines/Inez.

Possibly a derivative variation of Yara, a popular name in Spanish-speaking countries meaning butterfly, Yareli was given to more than 400 baby girls in the US last year.

Spelling variant of Catalina, currently on the rise in the US.

Zoe is one of those popular names that's inspired many spelling variations, and Xoe is one of the new ones. A simple name sure to attract a lot of attention.

Letizia is a pretty Latin variation of Letitia; it's one of those Italian names for girls that makes the more familiar version feel less prissy and more appealing. Letizia was the first name of Napoleon's mother.

Alain gives the midcentury Alan a bit of gallic dash.