By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 169 pages
of 169
Polish variation of Gaetano, Italian
"from the city of Gaeta"
Slovene variation of Ludwig, German
"famous warrior"
Scandinavian variation of Ludwig, German
Unlikely to catch on in the Anglophone world, where parent name Ludwig still conjures up images of Beethoven. But Ludvig actually ranks among the top boy names in Norway and Sweden, while German form…
Slovene, Macedonian, and Slovak variation of Timothy, Greek
"honoring God"
Central European form of Timothy, falling in popularity in Slovenia.
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.…
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.
Spelling variation of Henry
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.
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.
Slovene variation of Sigmund, German
"victorious protection"
Žiga is a former Top 10 name in Slovenia, where it peaked at Number 3 in 2010.
Hungarian and Slovak variation of David, Hebrew
"beloved"
Finnish variation of Esther, Persian
"star"
A vintage Finnish name most common in the early 20th century.
Estonian variation of George, Greek
"farmer"
Estonian cognate of Yuri, the Russian form of George.
Hungarian variation of Betty, English
"pledged to God"
Betty alternative most frequently found in Hungary.
Hungarian variation of Christian, Greek
"follower of Christ"
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…
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.
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.
Hungarian variation of Katherine, English from Greek
"pure"
Hungarian form of Katherine.
Scandinavian variation of Þórdís, Old Norse
"thunder goddess"
The modern form of Þórdís.
