Names That Are Variations
Across 139 pages
of 139
Timotej
Slovene, Macedonian, and Slovak variation of Timothy, Greek
"honoring God"
Central European form of Timothy, falling in popularity in Slovenia.
Doon
Spelling variation of word name Dune or Scottish surname
"brown or dark"
Photographer Diane Arbus named her daughter Doon, inspired by the sand dunes she walked among when pregnant. Used this way, Doon might be considered a nature name, a refashioning of the word dune.…
Clarus
Masculine variation of Clara, Latin
"bright, clear"
One of the few masculine names to derive from a feminine name — in this case, Clara. Clarus is the name of a French saint, the patron saint of tailors.
Henery
Spelling variation of Henry
Erno
Finnish variation of Ernest, English from German
"serious, resolute"
Cooler than Ernest and less Muppet-like than Ernie, the Finnish Erno may be the best way to honor someone with an Ern- name.
Quao
American variation of Yaw, Ghanaian, Akan
"born on Thursday"
Borne by early enslaved people in America and the Caribbean who were born on Thursday. This follows the traditional West African day naming tradition.
Žiga
Slovene variation of Sigmund, German
"victorious protection"
Žiga is a former Top 10 name in Slovenia, where it peaked at Number 3 in 2010.
Dávid
Hungarian and Slovak variation of David, Hebrew
"beloved"
Gaspard
French variation of Jasper, Persian
"bringer of treasure"
Jasper is an internationally-popular name that takes many forms, among them Casper, Gaspar, and the French version Gaspard. Virtually unknown in the US, Gaspard is one of the Top 100 Boy Names in…
Esteri
Finnish variation of Esther, Persian
"star"
A vintage Finnish name most common in the early 20th century.
Jüri
Estonian variation of George, Greek
"farmer"
Estonian cognate of Yuri, the Russian form of George.
Boski
Hungarian variation of Betty, English
"pledged to God"
Betty alternative most frequently found in Hungary.
Krisztián
Hungarian variation of Christian, Greek
"follower of Christ"
Kilian
German variation of Cillian, Irish
"war strife; church"
This German spelling of the classic Irish Cillian is heard throughout Europe — it's a popular choice in France as well.
Nimród
Hungarian variation of Nimrod, Hebrew
"we shall rise up, we shall rebel"
Nimrod appears in the Old Testament as a Babylonian leader, a famous hunter, and a great-grandson of Noah, and while a Looney Tunes cartoon from the 40s may have tarnished its strong, rebellious…
Jannis
Frisian, Dutch variation of Johannes
"God is gracious"
In Germany, Jannis outranks its parent name, Johannes. Virtually no American babies were given the name in the last year on record.
Ainhara
Puerto Rican variation of Ainara, Basque
"swallow (bird)"
Many Puerto Rican girl names with an extra H are variations of Basque names, such as Nahiara, a form of Naiara, and Ainhara, which comes from Ainara. There is a popular Spanish Instagram influencer…
Basile
French variation of Basil
"regal"
Herby and aristocratic Basil remains a tough sell, but we’d like to introduce you to Basile, the delightful French version. It retains all of Basil’s charm, but sheds some of the pesto linkage.…
Kaspian
Polish variation of Caspian
"white"
Sebulon
Finnish and Scandinavian variation of Zebulon, Hebrew
"exaltation; little dwelling"
You lose the zippy Z with the Nordic form of Zebulon, but the softer nickname Seb is nice.