Names That Are Variations

Graziella, an Italian form of Grace, is another Latin version that adds spice. Consider Graziella as a distinctive alternative to either Grace or Gabriella.

Shaquille O'Neal came almost as close as he could to a Junior when he selected this name for his son.

Julisa is an unusual variation of the Latin American Julissa or the international ancient Julia, taken from Julius.

Muslim name very popular in North Africa.

A rarer variant of Viridiana. Saint Veridiana is the patron saint of snakes.

A strong choice for a Muslim child with Russian ancestry. The name is primarily heard in the Caucasus.

Lilyana is variant of "Lillian" or "Liliana", which are elaborations of the flower name "Lily".

This variation on Moses got a boost from Moises Alou, a Dominican-American baseball player who spent 17 seasons in the National League.

Anno is an extreme rarity: a simple, familiar-sounding name with deep history that is completely unknown in the US and rare in its native Germany. Anno is the name of a saint also known as Hanno, a 10th century archbishop of Cologne also known as Hanno of Worms.

As the ancient saint's name Cassian becomes more widely known and more popular, variations will proliferate. Kasian is one but creates pronunciation questions.

With more parents turning to biblical names like Ezekiel and Isaiah, this could prove a quasi-unique alternative in a similar -- if more Orthodox -- vein.

Some creative spellings work, and then some just don't. We think this one falls into the latter category.

Diminutive of Tomás in Portuguese, in which Tomás is the common transcription of Thomas.

Slavic twist on a classic.

An old name still occasionally heard in the U.K., but still and perhaps forever a foreigner in the U.S. Can be spelled Ranulf.

Chirpy form of Leonard that's common in its native Slovenia.

Kenia debuted on the US Top 1000 list in 1992. Even though it currently ranks higher than original spelling Kenya, this is a hard sell as it alters the spelling of the African nation.

Fanchon is a sweet and affectionate Gallic choice.

Though it makes the name more distinctive, we'd advise dropping the 'z'.