Names That Are Variations

An ancient Roman name that has never made it into the modern world.

For lovers of that romantic city.

With a meaning like "elf power," Alfreda could find some appeal among fantasy enthusiasts. "Freda" makes for a pleasant nickname.

Traian derives from Traianus, a Roman emperor and military genius who conquered ancient Dacia, which corresponds to modern-day Romania and Moldova. Popular a generation ago, Traian is best known throughout the wider world via the presidency of Traian Basescu.

One of the earliest of the relaxed, unisex names, now relegated to oldies rock stations.

Adds some thorns to the smooth texture of Lily.

We like Matti in theory, but in practice it’s likely to get confused for the girlish Maddie.

Coby enjoyed a spike of popularity in the late 90s and early 2000s, along with similar names like Cody and Corey. The unrelated name Kobe, however, enjoyed a spike of its own in 2020, the year the basketball legend Kobe Bryant passed away. Kobi also rose that year for both boys and girls, and today is given to both in equal numbers.

Madalyn is a variant of the French name Madeleine — one of several which have graced the US top 1000 in recent years.

Foreign variations of Mary are definitely the way to go; this one has a nice Dutch-girl feel. It also works as a cultural crossover name, e.g. between European languages and Japanese.

One of the few Italian forms less attractive than the original, this time because it will forever be mistaken with the feminine version.

Variation of Derek.

The soignée French member of this family of names.

Netta ranked in the US Top 1000 in the 1880s, when it was often used as a short form of names such as Jeanette, Annette, and Antoinette. In Jewish families, Netta was typically seen as a variation of the Hebrew name Neta.

An intuitive and attractive Finnish choice.

The Italian form of Hilda is rarer but sweeter than its mother name, which still isn't ready for revival in the US.

You’re most likely to find this Theodore cognate in Eastern Europe, where it ranks among the top names for boys in the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland, and Romania. The nickname Teo is a real winner.

Classic Finnish name also found in neighboring Estonia.

Sanni derives from Sanna, a variation of Susanna used in Scandinavia.

Aiden/Aidan is just beginning to wander into the girls' side of the name popularity list, but it's so huge for boys in all its spellings that it will be a long time before it can be called a unisex name.