Names That Are Variations

Ivanna / Ivana both come out of the name "John" by way of the Russian variant Ivan. Whereas Joanna feels dated, Ivanna feels cosmopolitan and fresh. Ivanka (of Trump fame) is a diminutive version of Ivanna.

After being one of the hot upscale surnames of the nineties, Garrett has left the Top 100 and this streamlined spelling is dawdling near the bottom of the Top 1000.

One time joke name, à la Lily Tomlin's bossy telephone operator, Ernestine is ready for a possible reevaluation, like cousins Josephine and Clementine..

Personification of pep.

As Sophia gets more popular, parents search out more unusual spins, and the Z makes this qualify.

Dael is cooler than Dale -- but why? Vowel switch gives an old nature name a hipper look.

This creative spelling of Jade adds in the trendy y, but it remains much less popular.

This Hebrew version of Jubal, a traditionally masculine name, is used for both boys and girls in modern Israel.

Leonida is the modern Italian form of the name of the ancient Spartan king. Though names that end in a or the a sound are usually feminine, there are several examples popular in recent years -- Luca, Joshua, Noah -- that make this more plausible for a boy.

A popular choice in France, although Noam is more user-friendly for Americans.

When President LBJ's daughter Linda Bird changed the spelling of her name to Lynda, she set a trend for spelling adventurism that's still rippling through the name world today.

The Irish Gaelic form of Cecilia, which is the origin of the Anglicized version Sheila, which subsequently became very popular across the English-speaking world.

Esmael is an uncommon name with deep cultural roots.

Orson is being rediscovered and Orsino is every bit as attractive.

Phyllida, a "Masterpiece Theatre"-style appellation, seems far fresher and more unusual than Phyllis. It's green-related meaning makes it one of the prime names that mean new beginnings.

Pronounced klaus, this spelling of the name is associated in this country with the major Pop Art sculptor Swedish-born Claes Oldenburg, known for his colossal public sculptures of everyday objects such as lipsticks and binoculars, and the "Happenings" performance art of the 1960s. Variations include CLAUS, KLAUS, KLAES, and CLAAS.

The Russian form of the medieval name Cyprian lends itself to the nickname Kip.

When pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable, Emari is considered a variation of Emery, a stylish unisex name common among baby girls. But in most cases, Emari is used as an alternate spelling of Amari, which emphasizes the second syllable. Both Amari and Emari are pretty evenly matched between the sexes, each with a slight edge for boys.

Timon has strong associations with The Lion King, making it a tough sell for American parents. Attractive Polish variation Tymon, with the emphasis on the first syllable, preserves the strength of the original while eliminating the meerkat connection.

Rarely heard in the US, but borne by Jorma Taccone an actor featured on the TV series Girls., who was named after the Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen. Taccone--who plays Booth Jonathan on the show-- has been quoted as saying, "I grew up in Berkeley and my parents were hippies, obviously, since my name is Jorma.