Names That Are Variations

Yancy has two separate American origins — first as the Native American term for "Yankee," and second as the Americanized variation of the common Dutch surname Jansen. Jan being the Dutch form of John, Yancy could work to honor anyone in your life with a John-related name.

Kalel first entered the US Top 1000 as a one-off appearance in 2009, then reentered in 2013. It's possible that some parents see it as a spelling variant of the classic Arabic name Khalil, meaning friend. Or maybe some—Nicolas Cage, we're looking at you—were inspired by the birth name of Clark Kent, AKA Superman, Kal-El. Cage was long associated with attempts to remake a big screen story about the Man of Steel. He and wife Alice Kim gave the name to their son in 2005.

As an Arabic name, the normal transcription is Na'ima, with an apostrophe. It was a Top 200 name in France in the 1970s and '80s, and ranked in the US Top 1000 from 2005 to 2008.

Wilder not quite wild enough for you? Wylder offers a less wordy looking alternative that looks cool and on-trend, but also has a preppy, last-name vibe. Though this spelling is currently less popular than Wilder, it did enter the US Top 1000 in 2020 and is given to around 400 babies each year - about half the number that are given the Wilder spelling.

Mattheo is another way to say Matteo, one that gets you to either Matt or Theo

Peppy cheerleader name of the 1960s and 70s that's sure to evoke the Four Seasons song of that name.

Stormi is like Sunni, with angst. If naming your child Storm or Stormy is asking for trouble, naming her Stormi -- as Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott did -- is asking for trouble of several different kinds. But we're sure she'll be adorable and as celebrity baby names go, this one is nearly normal.

An older form of Everett that stays closer to its Germanic roots. Distinguished Everard is the name of several historical figures and literary characters, including a minor hobbit in The Lord of the Rings. Yet, even now that Ever- names are the height of style, Everard hasn't been seen on the charts for decades.

Taru is both the Finnish word for "epic," making it a translation of the Swedish name Saga, and a pet form of Tarja, the Finnish form of Daria.

Alexandra is a name with many international variations, elaborations and short forms, and Alexandrine is one of the more unusual. Another, Alexandrina, was the first name of Queen Victoria.

Valencio is an energetic, valiant-sounding name, the male form of Valencia.

Emira is one of those pan-international names that feels pleasant enough but seems so unrooted to any one culture that it might as well be made up.

Fewer letters does not always mean easier—the traditional spelling is the one most people will recognize.

A surnamier take on Isla. Isley may be derived from the German occupational surname Eisele (of the same pronunciation), or be related to the Old English word hesli, meaning "hazel grove."

The Hawaiian variant Iakona modernizes Biblical favorite Jason.

Common in France, but could be confused with the feminine Maxine here.

A familiar and usable last name turned first. Or you could look at it as a homophone of the verb howl, which gives it a wilder feel.

Another culture's slant on Mark, sometimes associated with former president of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos and his shoe-collecting wife, Imelda.

This variation of Aviana adds a second n, possibly to make the connection to Anna clearer. On the popularity charts, it first entered the US Top 1000 in 2011 and was one of the fastest-rising girls' names of 2016, entering the Top 500 for the first time.