Names That Are Variations

This Danielle/Monique hybrid offers a new twist on an old favorite.

A highly usable Central and Eastern European name with spiritual overtones. Nazar was among the Top 50 baby boy names in Turkey in 2004 and 2005.

Phonetic spelling of the British Ian that has earned a share of its own popularity; chosen by Bo Bice for his son.

Screen legend Marlon's surname has loads more swagger than his first. But little Brando will forever have to endure jokes connected with the actor.

Jessamy and big sister Jessamine are all but unknown in the U.S., but make distinctive alternatives to overexposed Jessica, Jessie, and Jasmine.

Nayara or Naiara is a Basque name for a Spanish city where the Virgin Mary appeared in medieval times, now a popular girls' name throughout Spain.

Damek, which you might think of as Adam with a Slavic accent, considerably freshens up the original.

With its soft sounds, its unisex appeal, and its nature connection, Rowan has become a very popular name for both boys and girls, given to nearly four boys for every girl. The Rowen variation maintains the same gender split but is much less popular for both sexes, with nearly four times as many babies named Rowan as Rowen.

Thierry, which is very popular in France, would make an interesting import; it's somewhat familiar through designer Thierry Mugler and international soccer star Thierry Henry. It almost sounds like Terry, but not quite.

Ilene might be a phonetic way to spell Aileen or Eileen, though in the end people may have more luck pronouncing the original.

An interesting vowel combination lightens up Graham.

Though every Spanish student knows that the male classic is pronounced HY-me, for girls this is a straight homonym for Jamie, a favorite ambisexual 1970s nickname name. Another way to think of it is as a variation of the French "J'aime" (meaning I love).

What's the difference between Alexander, the usual English spelling of this deeply classical name, and Alexandre, the French version? English speakers might find the proper French pronunciation challenging: a-lehk-SAHN-dreh, but that last syllable is barely pronounced. Americans might an an a or an ee on the end of the name, or simply pronounce it as Alexander, for better or worse.

This form, coming from various elements, has started to take off on its own.

The modern Tyge -- also found in other European countries as Tygo and Tyko -- is a spin on the ancient Greek Tycho or Tychon. A famous 16th century Danish astrologer was Tycho Brahe. Tyge may also be thought of as a short form of Tyger, a spelling variation of Tiger.

Great Irish middle name choice for Shakespeare lovers.

A name that gained some currency through its rhyming relationship to Breanna, though it has been on a downward trend since 1989.

A pretty international form of Helena used in many Slavic languages, also sometimes spelled Yelena.