Spelling Your Baby’s Name: Why Variant Spellings are Great

Can we talk about variant spellings?

Head over to Reddit or pretty much any names discussion group to talk about spelling your baby’s name. Maybe you like Wrenlee instead of Wrenley or Rowen over Rowan.

Some will applaud your choice and add that they like Wrenlie and Rowyn, too.

But plenty of others will sigh. Why not stick with Wrenley and Rowan?

Others are quick to defend Isobel, noting that it’s an authentic Scottish spelling. But they’re not so forgiving of Aydin.

Variant spellings are not the end of the world, and there are perfectly valid reasons to choose them when spelling your baby’s name.

Let’s talk about it.

THE IDEA OF AN ORIGINAL SPELLING IS (USUALLY) A MYTH

Which is the original spelling: Katherine or Catherine?

It’s a trick question. The name – like so many – comes from the Greek. The original wasn’t just written in a different language – it was written in a different alphabet. K and C are equally valid translations. If a name predates the English language – and a great many do – there may not be a definitive version.

In our spellcheck world, it is difficult to remember that widespread literacy is quite new, and standardized spellings are even more recent. In 1880, Catherine, Catharine, Cathrine, Katherine, Kathryn, Katharine, Kathrine, Katheryn and Kathryne all appeared in the US Top 1000. Go back far enough and you’ll find people who spelled their own name differently in different records.

Pre-widespread literacy, spelling didn’t matter. In the era of handwritten records, it wouldn’t have been possible to enforce a correct spelling. And now?

It’s a little late.

THE MOST POPULAR VERSION MIGHT NOT BE CLOSEST TO THE ORIGINAL

If it isn’t possible to pinpoint the original spelling, why not use the most common? It will save your child headaches, right?

In some cases, yes. But spellings evolve in real time.

Hailey ultimately became the most popular version of that surname name, a very popular choice for girls earlier in the 21st century. It outranked Haylee, Hayley, Haylie, Hailee, Hailie, and Haley. The original version? Probably Haley, an English surname name.

Likewise, Caitlin and Aidan are Gaelic heritage choices – but Kaitlyn and Aiden evolved to be the most popular choices.

If you’re uncertain about spelling, it’s always safe to choose the dominant spelling of a name – the most popular at that moment. But there’s never a guarantee that the most popular spelling won’t change over time.

HERITAGE CHOICES ARGUE FOR UNCONVENTIONAL SPELLINGS

Parents hoping to honor their Scottish roots might opt for Isobel over Isabelle.

If you’re naming your son after his grandfather Aleksandr, it’s worth considering whether you’re sacrificing too much by spelling his name Alexander instead.

Niamh and Fionn might cause some hassle when others try to pronounce them for the first time, but they’re clearly honoring Irish roots. If that matters, then these variant spellings offer a distinct advantage.

HONORING A LOVED ONE MIGHT MEAN CHOOSING AN UNCONVENTIONAL SPELLING

Maybe you’re naming your daughter after a great-grandmother called Kathryne. Keeping the spelling might feel right.

Other families preserve certain letter combinations in their name. Imagine an Ellyn named after family name Ellyson.

DO VARIANT SPELLINGS REALLY DO ANY HARM?

Sure, Madisyn and Madison are both very common names for teenagers and young women right about now. Madisyn has to spell her name every single time.

But the world is filled with people named Alison and Krista, Dillon and Stephen. They have survived spelling their names. That suggests that there’s plenty of space for Bryson and Brycen, Lucie and Lucey.

Can you go too far? Of course. Bhrysohn looks like pointless excess and Loosie is pretty out-there. But such examples are rare, and that’s not the level of variant spellings that most of us are considering.

Those subtle shifts, though? They might make a common name feel like it’s tailor-made for your child.

A VARIANT SPELLING MIGHT DO SOME GOOD

Maybe Schuyler is, technically, the correct spelling of the Dutch surname. But isn’t Skylar or Skyler so much more familiar? Simplifying the spelling helped make it wearable.

It’s not always that dramatic. Maybe you love the idea of Zofia, a subtle twist on Sophia that gives you the nickname Zoe and lets your daughter stand out from so many girls named Sophia, Sofia, and Sophie.

SOMEONE MIGHT BELIEVE THE VARIANT SPELLING IS CORRECT

That’s not meant to sound snobbish. If you first encounter Damien or Ezrah or Alijah or Evalyn, why wouldn’t that seem right? Gilmore Girls gave the world Lorelai. If the fast-talking mother-daughter duo is your inspo, maybe you’d never look up the name to discover Lorelei was once more common.

Also worth noting: dominant spellings change. So maybe you first encounter the name Lillie in a 19th century novel. Never mind that Lily is the most common form in use today. It’s Lillie that you’ve always wanted to name your daughter.

A VARIANT SPELLING MIGHT MINIMIZE PRONUNCIATION ISSUES

We all know a Caroline who prefers her name pronounced like Carolyn. Spelling it Carolyn might not help every time, but it probably does prompt some people to use the preferred pronunciation.

It’s worth noting that this doesn’t always work. Ask any Ondreya or Alivia, and odds are that they do sometimes have to correct others. But it’s not an unreasonable choice. After all, it’s the argument behind trading Aisling for Ashlyn.

IT COULD ACCOMMODATE A FAMILY TRADITION

Maybe you’re Mary and your partner is Glen. Somehow naming your daughter Bryn with just four letters looks better than Brynn – especially if Bryn joins Jack, too.

One of the more outlandish examples? Ginger-with-a-J, Jinger Duggar, the fourth daughter in the reality television family, and one of many J-named siblings.

Patterns are made to be broken, and yet … often those visual patterns or shared initials are surprisingly meaningful for parents and children.

THE VARIANT SPELLING HAS MEANING

Maybe the tenth and final reason is just a catch-all for the nine reasons given above. But it could be more, because when it comes to names, meaning is hard to explain.

Let’s you’re Jordyn. Naming your son Aydin-with-a-Y feels like a connection between you and your child.

Can variant spellings be a hassle? Sure. But for most of us, we choose them for good reasons, with thought and care. And that’s worth celebrating.

First published on October 28, 2009, this post was revised on February 27, 2014, and again on November 18, 2025.