Names That Are Variations

Panna is a name with many allusions — in addition to those above, a serene and sacred city in India and the Italian word for cream. Panna might make a fresh alternative to Anna or Hannah.

Short form of the Russian Varvara, a feistier version of Barbara.

Has the fusty charm of recently excavated ancient Roman male names like Augustus and Magnus, which might just appeal to the fearless baby namer.

A classic form of George in Slovenia, although up-and-comer Jurij has now eclipsed Jure in popularity.

Federica is the Latin version of Frederica, one of those formerly stuffy female names -- think Josephine and Eleanor -- that feels fresh and elegant again. And Federica has more energy without that first r.

The enduring form of Nicholas in countries that speak predominantly Germanic languages.

Attractive if phonetically confusing; also pronounced exactly the same as the Renault car.

Has followed mother name Maureen off the radar screen.

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

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.

While we still can't see Hilda coming back any time soon, it's conceivable that this Italian version could ride the coattails of Ella, Elena and Ellery to broader popularity.

Rocking out on the porch with buddies Hubert, Norbert, and Osbert.

This fairly obscure saint's name was chosen by Oscar-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden for one of her twins.

Volodymyr, once a name unknown to most Americans, is now on everyone's lips due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy bears a common Ukrainian name for his generation. Currently in Ukraine, the most popular baby names for boys are Maksym (Максим), Ivan (Іван), and Matviy (Матвій). The more fashionable Vlad- name for babies is Vladyslav, although President Zelenskyy may soon be a namesake for an influx of infants named in honor of his heroism.

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

Confessional memoirist Augusten Burroughs is the first literary notable to bear one of this family of names since the confessional saint.

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

Pretty and unusual translation of Bella.

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.

A top choice in Italy.