Names That Are Variations

The prefix La- was historically used by the Free Blacks of New Orleans in the nineteenth century to indicate paternity. Thus, someone named Lashawn was the son of Shawn, a phonetic spelling of Sean, the Irish variation of John.

Stick with the original.

One of many modern spellings of Jocelyn, this one used by actress Samantha Harris for her daughter.

Often spelled Gauthier, this could make a distinctive way to honor Grandpa Walter, but first syllable pronounced 'goat' might be a problem.

Trevor with a New York accent.

This variation of Madelyn has the trendier -nn suffix and ranks lower than the single -n ending.

Onetime superstar name (Number 4 in the seventies) that's now in steep decline. Today's feminine is more likely to be some form of Michaela...or Makayla.

Italian form of Jeremiah, commonly used among Medieval Italian Jews.

Ricki has also been used, but like Vikki and Nikki, Rikki has also had its day.

This invented spelling is much less popular than its biker counterpart. Regardless, it is on the rise and has been in the US Top 1000 since 2012.

Zakhar would make a fresh way to honor a Zachary, particularly if you have Russian heritage.

Makes a Biblical favorite new and interesting.

Intriguing David alternative, though American tongues will have trouble wrapping themselves around three vowels in a row.

Although Ashanti is a much better known name via the female hip-hop singer, Asante is also an appealing way to honor Asante or Ashanti heritage. It's the name of a people and language based in Ghana.

Tammuz is the Semitic variation of Dumuzid, a name from Sumerian mythology. Tammuz is the name of fourth month on the Hebrew calendar, corresponding with June and July on the Gregorian calendar.

In the Top 1,000 since 1996, a less expected alternative to Omar.

This alternative spelling of Jordan is more popular for girls, but also given to a significant minority of boys. For both genders, it reached its peak popularity in 2010, about a decade after the original Jordan peaked. Today, the gender gap is rapidly closing as Jordyn falls in popularity for girls but remains stable for boys. For babies born in 2022, Jordyn was 90% female, 10% male.

Gala makes the name more festive.

Traditional Alexander meets spunky Zander, and confuses everyone it encounters. Just stick with the timeless classic to avoid a lifetime of irritations.