Names That Are Variations

This is an old Irish name associated with such heroes as the seventeenth century chieftain, scholar and poet Manus O'Donnell. In this country, though, parents would not find Manus as pleasing or impressive as Magnus.

An alternative to the highly popular Aubrey.

Like other "ee" names, Bailee is starting to lose its shine, slowly slipping down the charts.

A super quirky and upbeat choice, if it can ever shake off its ubiquitous-guy Woody Allen identity.

French given and surname.

Benuel is an Amish name that has only ever appeared on the Pennsylvania charts.

Top 50 pick in Slovenia, where it is a form of Aeneas, the mythological son of Venus. Anej peaked in Slovenia in 2007, when it ranked Number 15.

Airini is the Maori transliteration of the name Eirene, whcih comes from the Greek goddess of peace. A notable bearer of this name is nineteenth century Maori rights activist Airini Donnelly.

Serafin and Seraphim are much less known and used in the US than the feminine forms Serafina and Seraphina, but just as appealing. An out-of-the-box Spanish option with a deep history and an animated meaning.

More user-friendly than the original.

Brings to mind phrases like "I vanda new bike" or "I vanda go home".

Kesey is a possible literary hero name honoring Merry Prankster Ken Kesey, whose characters flew over the cuckoo's nest. Kesey rhymes with easy.

Often used in England, but here likely to be confused with the feminine Nicole. Nicol Williamson was a Scottish-born actor once described by playwright John Osborne as "the greatest actor since Marlon Brando".

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.

A common form of Muhammad in Turkey, where the spelling Muhammed is also used. In the US, Mehmet is commonly known as the first name of Dr. Oz.

Samiah and her sisters are feminine variations on the male name Sami (which of course is also a female name, usually a short form for Samiah or Samantha). Spellings include Samia and Samiya.

A pretty and fresh-sounding variation of the Christmasy classic Noelle. Several spelling variations were used for a handful of babies in recent years, including Noeli, Noellie, Noely, and Noelie.

Spanish spelling of the Hebrew classic that might prove confusing to non-Spanish speakers.