Guilty Pleasure Spellings: What’s yours?

Updated Wed Oct 09 2013

You know, you know, it’s Nameberry heresy. But you just can’t help it.

You like Jayne better than Jane. Prefer Aiden to Aidan, Katelyn to Caitlin.

We were tickled when we saw the forum started by Chrisco called Guilty Pleasure Spellings. You know, those less-than-conventional spellings you prefer to the more classic versions.

We’re not talking about Steven over Stephen or Anne as opposed to Ann: Those are both correct and long-accepted.

But the much-maligned kree8tiv spellings that you know may be tacky or twisted, but dang it: You love it anyway.

I, for instance, love the Irish name Siobhan, but I can’t help loving the phonetically straightforward Shevonne even more, maybe because it embraces its own luscious sound.

What’s your Guilty Pleasure Spelling, and why?

About the Author

Pamela Redmond

Pamela Redmond on Facebook

Pamela Redmond on Twitter

Pamela Redmond's Personal Website

Pamela Redmond is the cocreator and CEO of Nameberry and Baby Name DNA. The coauthor of ten groundbreaking books on names, Redmond is an internationally-recognized baby name expert, quoted and published widely in such media outlets as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, CNN, and the BBC. She has written about baby names for The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, and People.

Redmond is also a New York Times bestselling novelist whose books include Younger, the basis for the hit television show, and its sequel, Older. She has three new books in the works.