Names That Are Variations

Valter

German and Scandinavian variation of Walter

Vill always sound as if you're pronouncing Walter with an affected accent.

Venedictos

Greek variation of Benedict

Though this one would be sure to inspire confusion, Ven- names can be an intriguing alternative to the Ben- group.

Vidor

Hungarian variation of Hilary

Would make an interesting, cinema-related choice: King Vidor is in the Guinness Book of Records as the film director with the longest career, beginning in the silent era..

Vittorio

Italian variation of Victor

"conqueror"

Was there ever a name that rolled more appealingly off the tongue? Vittorio calls to mind the glory days of Italian cinema, featuring names like Vittorio de Sica and Vittorio Gassman.

Vilhelm

German variation of William

The way Wilhelm is pronounced anyway, so a pointless spelling variation.

Viljo

Finnish variation of William

Inventive nickname option, but with built-in pronunciation problems.

Viliam

Czech variation of William

Substituting the V for the W sounds almost comedic to the American ear.

Gautier

French variation of Walter

"ruler of an army"

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

Wilhelm

German variation of William

"resolute protection"

This dignified German form of William belonged to two German Emperors and Kings of Prussia, as well as a host of other important historical figures. These include composer (Wilhelm) Richard Wagner,…

Wolfe

Anglo-Irish surname and variation of animal name

"wolf"

The Wolfe spelling shifts this name from animal name to surname-name, aggressive to aristocratic, much like Wilde does for Wild. Some sources suggests that the original bearers of the Wolfe family…

Xanthus

Latin, from Greek, variation of Xanthos

"golden-haired"

Spelt Xanthos in Greek, this alternate name for Apollo has a noble sound (pronounced ZHAN-thus) and can always be shortened to Xan.

Xzavier

Spelling variation of Xavier

With the trendiness of both X and Z , this spelling has it all. However, there's no real need for the added letter, unless you're looking for extra Scrabble points.

Ximenes

Spanish variation of Simon

The J spelling -- both are pronounced as if they started with H -- is more common, but the X has more flair.

Yakov

Russian variation of Jacob

"supplanter"

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

Yann

French/Breton variation of John

"God is gracious"

This might be a better choice than the similarly pronounced Jan, to avoid gender confusion.

Yannis

Greek variation of John

As common in Greece as John is here.

Yitzhak

Hebrew variation of Isaac

Has taken on a musical tone via the great violinist, Itzhak Perlman.

Yonah

Hebrew variation of Jonah

"dove"

This form of the stylish Old Testament name is too close to the feminine Yona.

Zachalie

French variation of Zachary

This is one you will get tired of explaining.

Zako

Hungarian variation of Zachariah

If for whatever reason you're wed to the whole Zachary concept, this variation -- either as a proper name or a nickname -- is one way to make it new.