Names That Are Variations

In addition to being the appellation of an ancient grain goddess, this name was also borne by two mythic Irish figures, one of whom was betrothed to legendary chieftain Finn MacCool, the other the brave sixteenth century pirate Grainne Ni Mhaille— known in English as Grace O'Malley-- whose name passed into poetry as a symbol of Ireland.

Kristofer and all his cousins (and kousins) is an ancient name that was hugely popular from the 1970s through the 1990s, spawning a wide number of variations. Americans will be familiar with this phonetic spelling with an exotic spin.

Gentle but solid, Camden is currently in the US Top 200, and subsequently, alternative spellings have made an appearance. Kamdyn shares the popular K initial of Kaden, Kannon, and Kairo, the trendy Y of Landyn, Zayne, and Chosyn, and the surname-feel of Kennedy, Radclyffe, and Lyons,

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

Mary has hundreds of variations around the world, and this German form, pronounced Ma-RYE-keh, is virtually unknown in English-speaking lands. A possible alternative to Mariah?

The popularity of Mila has no doubt influenced the rise of Mylah, which can also be viewed as a feminization of Milo.

Malea, for familiar to Americans spelled Malia as in Malia Obama, is a Top 100 name in Germany and Switzerland. In the US, only about 40 baby girls were named Malea last year, versus 1100 named Malia.

An unusual and straightforward name with an attractive Scandinavian accent; a royal name in Norway.

Natale is the handsome gender-neutral Italian spin on Natalia or Natalie or Noel, traditionally given to babies born on Christmas Day. English speakers might stumble over the pronunciation -- Natalie? Natal? -- but they'll catch on. Babbo Natale is the Italian name for Santa Claus. Natalino is the adorable short form.

Petronilla is an ancient saint's name that relates to the Roman family name Petronius, thought to mean yokel or woodpecker, though some connect it with Petra or Peter, meaning stone. With the resurgence of so many ancient Roman names, the elaborate and pretty Petronilla or its French form Petronille seem more usable these days than they have in centuries.

A jauntier, more accessible form of Siegfried.

Seppo has two separate Finnish origins. The first is as a nickname for Sebastian, a name used widely across Europe. The second version is derived from the Finnish word seppä, meaning "smith."

Haris is in the top 50 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and makes a good choice for the globetrotting child. It would make for an excellent and not overused Arabic-English crossover choice.

Betty alternative most frequently found in Hungary.

This spelling of the popular surname ranks just inside the Top 1000.

With Natalie and Natalia in the US Top 100, it is not a surprise for spelling variations to gain popularity. Nataly was given to nearly 300 baby girls in 2023 and was one of the fastest-rising girl names that year.

Amada is an unusual Spanish name that's becoming more famous thanks to Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes, who named their second daughter Amada Lee and their first Esmeralda Amada. Amada was also the name of two characters played by Mendes and, not coincidentally, her grandmother's name. In 2015, it was used for only 21 girls while brother name Amado was used for twice as many girls, but we predict the name will become more popular thanks to its new star power. Related names include the Latin saints' name Amatus, the musical Amadeo, and even Amy and Amanda.

Charlie in all its forms has been a popular gender neutral name since the early 2000s and is now given almost equally to girls and boys. While it did once lean more (statistically) masculine, it has been used on girls too since the before the 20th century.

Karoline is the form of the classic Caroline commonly used in Germany and throughout Scandinavia, where it is popular. It's an acceptable if not traditional spelling variation, given to nearly 100 baby girls in the US last year, versus almost 3000 named Caroline.

Along with Aureliusz, Aureli is a Polish form of Aurelius, a Ancient Roman name meaning golden, and made most familiar in the form of emperor Marcus Aurelius.