Names That Are Variations

This could be a fresh way to honor an ancestral Walter.

Orsola is chic in Italy in a way that Ursula is not in the U.S. And English speakers will inevitably hear this chic, sleek name as Ursula, condemned to purgatory as the name of the hideous sea-witch who terrorized Disney's Little Mermaid.

Mendel is an Old World Jewish name that is also the surname of the founder of genetics.

Right in step with the two-syllable irish surname-names now on the rise.

See ZOE.

A spelling that would definitely attract a lot of attention -- and a certain amount of confusion as well.

Common transcription of Maria throughout Europe.

Julia is a name that's ancient and hallowed enough to not only have many variations, but for its variations to have variations. Juliana has been consistently used in the US and Europe, sometimes spelled Julianna. Yuliana or Yulianna is the Russian version. That Y at the beginning makes the name sound distinctly more exotic in the US.

Unusual Mary variety with literary underpinnings, most famously as a character in J.M. Synge's Riders to the Sea. You may have to do constant explaining of the spelling and pronunciation, but if you're looking for a distinctive and attractive form of Mary, you've found it.

Mariska Hargitay honored her Hungarian heritage when she used Miklos as one of the middle names for her son August in 2006.

Lexus, an automotive newcomer, has recently entered the Top 1000 -- more because of its association, we fear, with the status symbol car than its relation to the name Alexis. If you love this name, do your child a favor and make it Alexis or at least spell it Lexis.

In Turkey, Izel is used for baby boys in the Jewish community. As a feminine name, it's a variation of the Yiddish Eidel.

An attractive Finnish name with the potential to cross borders.

Unusual and appealing, Laurenza might make a perfect honor name for an ancestral Laura or Lawrence. Count Laurenza among the unknown-yet-usable Italian names for girls.

What a difference a couple of letters make: Old World version of most popular name never quite made it out of the shtetl.

Maliah is a spelling variation of former First Daughter's name Malia and has seen some use since it first appeared on the US Top 1000 in 2009.

While Yusuf is the more popular Arabic form of Joseph, Yousef is the Persian variant and is sometimes used as an Arabic transcription. Currently in the Top 500 in the UK and the Top 1000 in the US, it is still a familiar choice.

Made famous by actress Idina Menzel, of "Rent" and "Wicked" fame.

Pretty and unusual translation of Bella.