Names That Are Variations

Patrice is a more modern-sounding and polished unisex alternative to Patricia.

See ZELLA.

Tavora is an attractive option, based on the name of a mountain in northern Israel. But the meaning of Tavora and brother name Tavor is less than optimal.

Written as Genève, it's the authentic name of Switzerland's capital. The English version, Geneva, is more common as a baby name in the US.

While this version of the name has never made it into the US Top 1000, it is nonetheless slowly on the rise. In 2015, 162 girls were given this name. The related Hattie is the highest it's ever been, currently at Number 488. This spelling could also supply an accessible nickname to the rising Jewish appellation Hadassah.

A venerable name closer to MELISSA than the original MILLICENT.

Goodwin — which is mostly seen as a last name — comes from the long-forgotten given name Godwine. Godwine was a relatively common name in medieval England. It later traveled to Germanic regions in the form of Godwin.

Now that Jacob has been the top boys' name for several years, this may come to the fore, the way Michaela did after Michael's long reign at Number One. For now, it's one of the more unusual girl names starting with J.

This version of Malia (as in Obama) peaked at Number 296 in 2009, though it has lost ground since then.

The -ee suffix is decisively feminine, so it's no surprise that male usage of this name lags behind female usage.

Kameron has become a very popular spelling for boys -- as are the condensed Kamron and Kamren.

This Dutch version of Eleanora, related also to the other Dutch name Noor, is one of the more common girls' names in the Netherlands.

The Irish Gaelic form of Cecilia, which is the origin of the Anglicized version Sheila, which subsequently became very popular across the English-speaking world.

Maliah is a spelling variation of former First Daughter's name Malia and has seen some use since it first appeared on the US Top 1000 in 2009.

Myron still has ways to go before sounding stylish again, but this Eastern European variation has a more contemporary look.

A variation made famous by Australian Aboriginal tennis champ Evonne Goolagong.

The Italian form of Hilda is rarer but sweeter than its mother name, which still isn't ready for revival in the US.

Senja is the Finnish form of Xenia as well as the Indonesian word for "dusk."

Rhythmic form of popular name, chosen by actor Stanley Tucci for his son.

Hyman was commonly used by first-generation Jewish immigrants to Anglicize Chaim, but similarities to terms like heinie and hymen have taken it out of the realm of modern possibility. The original Chaim would be preferable to Hyman.