Names That Are Variations

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.

Russian form of Eli mainly used today by families with Russian Jewish heritage.

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

As commonly heard in Rome, Italy, as Steve is in Rome, New York. With the accent on the first syllable, Stefano has a lot of charm.

Rylie is a spelling variation of the more-popular traditional Riley. In the US Top 1000 since 1997, it has peaked in 2004, 2008, and 2016 when it nearly reached the Top 300. It fell significantly in 2023, however, its popularity has always been bumpy. Riley, Rylee, and Ryleigh all rank above Rylie but when you combine all the spellings, it feels like a Top 20 name.

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.

Pavel may be widespread in the former Soviet Union, but it has a somewhat impoverished image here.

Popularized in Scotland by Tam O'Shanter, the hero of one of Robert Burns' most famous poems, it's associated in the U.S. with the plaid cap he gave his name to.

This popular boy name is occasionally used for girls, too. (Seven of them in 2022.)

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.

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

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

Eiro is to Eirik as Eero is to Eric.

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.

This lovely name is all but unknown outside Italy but fits perfectly in with the fashions for vowel-starting names that are elaborately feminine. Might make a distinctive alternative to Angelina or Arianna. Downside: People will inevitably mistake it for Adriana.

Even though the pronunciation of Ceara and the more usual Ciara is KEER-a, most Americans would tend to mispronounce this spelling variation as Sierra.

Last popular in this country from the 1920s to the 1950s, it now seems more modern than the English Theresa.

Spelt Xanthos in Greek, this alternate name for Apollo has a noble sound (pronounced ZHAN-thus) and can always be shortened to Xan.

Julietta feels newly fresh and friendly thanks to the growing familiarity of Juliet and French sister Juliette.

Better to stick with the Neil spelling in the US, where the word "nil" also means "zero." But this is a Top Ten name in Catalonia.