Romancing the Name: Melissa to Melisande
Let’s say you have a dilemma: There’s someone dear to you who would make a great namesake, but who has a not-so-great name.
Or there’s a name you’ve always loved that has become a bit too popular over time.
One solution you might consider is finding a foreign variation of the name that adds a little pizzazz to it, while still retaining the family connection. No reason why Great-Aunt Florence can’t inspire a little Fiorella, or Grandpa Henry can’t bond with his relatedly-named Enrico. (Granted, the idea might take a little getting used to on the part of the honoree.)
It doesn’t take much to change a conservative straight guy or Plain Jane kind of name into a Latin lover or a French flirt. Sometimes it’s only a matter of adding one final vowel to give it that extra bit of exotic flair–say going from Leonard to Leonardo–or dropping a letter, as in making Flora into Flor; while others require some more elaborate translating. In any caseo Romance language cognates can definitely make a name more romantic, and the possible variations are almost endless..
Here, first, are some pairs with minimal differences, where the relationship between the two names is fairly obvious:
GIRLS
ADRIENNE — ADRIANA
BEATRICE — BEATRIZ
CHARLOTTE — CARLOTTA
CLAIRE — CHIARA
EMILY — EMILIA
ESTELLE — ESTELLA
FELICE — FELIXA
FLORA — FLOR
FRANCES — FRANCESCA
GENEVIEVE — GENOVEVA
JACQUELINE — JAQUETTA
LEONA — LEONIE (LAY-oh-nee)
LOUISE — LUISA
LUCY — LUCIENNE, LUCIA, LUCIANA, LUZ
LYDIA — LYDIE
MELISSA or MILLICENT — MELISANDE
NAOMI — NOEMI
NICOLE — NICCOLA
PATRICIA — PATRIZIA
PAULA — PAOLA
PEARL — PERLA
RACHEL — RAQUEL
SYLVIA — SILVIE
VERONICA — VERONIQUE
VICTORIA — VITTORIA
VIOLET — VIOLETTA
BOYS
ADRIAN — ADRIANO
ANTHONY — ANTONIO
CALVIN — CALVINO
CONRAD — CORRADO
FREDERIC — FREDERICO, FEDERICO
ISAAC — ISAACO
LAWRENCE — LORENZO
LEONARD — LEONARDO
LUCAS — LUCA
LUCIANO — LUCIANO
MARK — MARCO
MATTHEW — MATTEO
MICHAEL — MIGUEL
OLIVER — OLIVIER
PAUL — PAOLO
PHILLIP — PHILIPPE
SAMSON — SANSONE
TERENCE — THIERRY
THADDEUS — TADDEO
And now some where the connection isn’t quite as clear-cut:
GIRLS
CYNTHIA — CINZIA (CHIN-zee-a)
FLORENCE — FIORELLA
HYACINTH — JAQUETTA
JADE — GIADA
JEWEL — BIJOU
MICHELLE — MIGUELA
BOYS
CYRIL — CIRO
ELIJAH — ELIO
HENRY — ENRICO
HERMAN — ARMANDO
JAMES — DIEGO
JULIUS — GIULIO
LOUIS — CLOVIS
ROLAND — ORLANDO
STEPHEN — ESTEBAN, ETIENNE
WILLIAM — GUILLAUME