By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 15 pages
of 15
French variation of Adrian, Latin
"man of Adria"
This spelling variation of Adrian was popular in France and Belgium during the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, peaking in 1991 when it reached the Top 20 in France. While it has since declined in use, it…
Diminutive of Briana or Gabriella
"hill, high; God is my strong man"
Sweet and sparky but maybe a little bit stuck in the 90s for some, Bria is a nickname-y style choice with various origins. Unheard of until the 1970s, Bria only started to see substantial use in the…
English variation of Caroline, French
"free man"
The phonetic Carolyn spelling, which was very popular from the 1920s to the '60s, has been steadily on the wane while Caroline herself has stayed strong. Carolyn Keene was the pseudonymous author of…
Modern Greek spelling of Ares or short form of Aristotelis, Dutch variation of Adriaan
"ruin, bane; the best purpose; man of Adria"
With Ares trending upwards, this modern spelling is following in its footsteps, most notably in the UK where it climbed 200 places in a recent year. Also in the charts in France, it can be considered…
English, Dutch, Scottish, Greek
"of the; bow warrior; strong man"
Vander is likely a compound of the Dutch elements "Van Der" which prefix a variety of surnames. Meaning "of the" or "from the", they were traditionally used to denote where a family was from. Van der…
Polish, Slovene, Estonian, Norwegian, and Danish form Alexander, Greek
"defending man"
An international variation of classic Alexander, this form has slightly softer sounds, yet feels just as strong. Popular in Poland, the Netherlands, Norway and Slovenia, but familiar in the UK too,…
Diminutive of Montgomery, Norman, Spanish
"man power; mountain"
Monte, pronounced with two syllables as brother Monty, is an old-fashioned nickname-name that's reclaiming a certain amount of dash and charm. It was recently chosen by actor Guy Pearce--which may…
Latin, feminine variation of Adrian
"man from Adria"
A long-integrated French feminine form of Adrian, now overshadowed by the a -ending version, but still a valid option, with considerable substance and dignity—though these days more parents would…
Latin
"Frenchman or free man"
While Francis in this spelling is more commonly used for boys in English-speaking countries, it has a long tradition as a feminine name as well, especially in Catholic families. About ten percent of…
German and Scandinavian variation of Caroline, French
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…
Arabic variation of Solomon, Hebrew
"man of peace"
Also transcribed as Sulaiman or Sulayman, this is the Arabic form of the biblical Solomon. It holds strong historical and religious significance, most famously associated with Suleiman the…
Short form of Charles, French
Charley is, at this point, an old-fashioned spelling for the most popular short form of Charles, better known these days as Charlie. But Charley is a classic and relates more directly to Charles.…
French diminutive pet form of Francoise
"from France or free man"
With the advent of Pope Francis, all forms of this ancient and saintly name came up for a fresh look. Along with most other -een and -ine (when pronounced like -een) names for girls, Francine has a…
Variation of Carly, English
This nouveau spelling peaked at Number 583 in 2004. In spite of its trend-making K and "ee" ending, Karlee is much less popular than the original Carly.
Carly and company have had a good run, fueled by Nickelodeon's popular series iCarly , as well as Canadian pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen. Now most spellings of the name, including Carlie, Karlee, and…
English feminization of Charles, German and French
Charlene is a Charlotte variation that, along with similar names like Arlene and Marlene, spiked in popularity in the 1940s and fifties, reaching a high of Number 100 in 1949. Most parents today…
Norwegian diminutive of Katarina or variation of Carrie, English
"pure; free man"
Kari and all her many sisters, from Carrie to Carey to Kerry and onward, originated for the most part as short forms of either Catherine Katherine or one of the Charles feminizations such as Carol or…
Supermodel Karlie Kloss lends this spelling variation some style. Having appeared in the US Top 1000 since 1991, it was in trouble of dropping off completely when it ranked Number 992 in 2009. Since…
English, feminine variation of Charles
A Caroline abbreviation that was wildly popular with Mom's generation...or Grandma's. At one time it was a name for baby girls born at Christmas . because of its association with Christmas carols.…
Variation of Luca, Italian
"man from Lucania"
One of the many rising variations of Luca.
