Head over to a baby naming website and suggest naming your baby-to-be Alivia. Or Jaxon.
Some will applaud your choice and add that Alyveah and Jaxin are cute, too. Several will sigh, and ask what’s wrong with Olivia and Jackson.
I’ll admit to a few snarky comments about Konner and Mackynzee. So maybe it sounds like hypocrisy – or blasphemy – to now write that perhaps variant spellings are not the end of the world.
The more I mull it over, the more I think that I may have been wrong to object to spelling variants – at least some of the time. Here’s why:
10. Good luck determining the original. Which came first, Catherine or Katherine?
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 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, the 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.
9. The most popular version might not be closest to the original. So if it isn’t possible to pinpoint the original, why not use the most common? It will save your child headaches, right?
Maybe so. Hailey ranked #25 in 2008 – far more popular than Haylee, Hayley, Haylie, Hailee, Hailie or Haley. But the original version of name is an English surname – making Haley the more authentic pick. Likewise, Caitlin and Aidan are Gaelic heritage choices – but Kaitlyn and Aiden outrank both.
If Jayden is far more common than Jadon, which is the variant? And will Caitlin take any comfort in wearing the “most authentic” version when she’s spelling her name for the umpteenth time?
8. Making a heritage choice can lead parents to choose an apparently unconventional spelling. Let’s say you’re of Scottish descent. Isobel might feel like the better choice, even if she’s awfully close to the chart-topping Isabella.
Our son was named after his grandfather Aleksander, born an ocean away in Poland. That leads to the next point.
7. Honoring a loved one can also encourage parents to make a different choice. Our Aleksander became Alexanderafter immigrating. That simpled up our decision. But what if he’d held onto his k-spelling?
Likewise, what if you’re naming your daughter after one of those Kathrynes from back in the day? Sure, you could update the spelling. But you can also argue that preserving the spelling is part of passing on your loved one’s appellation.
6. Does it really do any harm? I’ve often argued that Madisyn sounds just as common as Madison, so why put your child to the trouble of spelling her name every. single. time. And while I think that’s true, it is also true that Madisyn is just a tiny headache. The world is filled with people named Alison and Krista, Dillon and Stephen who have survived spelling their names.
You can, of course, go too far. Maddasihnne, for example, is an exercise in pointless excess.
5. Could it do some good? If you’re choosing an unusual name, it can seem like a kindness to try to Anglicize or modernize your pick. Zofia is a family name on my Polish husband’s side. Would we maintain the exotic, vibrant Z of Zofia? (Technically it is pronounced differently – ZAWF yah – though I’ve met Poles who use three syllables in the US – ZO fee ah.) Opt for the chart-topping Sophia? Or split the difference with Sofia?
What if you’re naming a daughter after Great Aunt Eithne? Spelling your daughter’s name Enya might save her some confusion – and still honor your beloved aunt.
4. You might honestly think a variant spelling is correct. I don’t mean this to sound snobbish. Television and movies, books and songs often pluck names out of nowhere, and their creators take some license with the spellings. So if you first hear of Damien in a movie, or Lorelai on television, why would you suspect that the name has another spelling?
Or maybe you hear the name Schuyler. That’s certainly not an intuitive spelling. The phoentic Skyler or Skylar seems more obvious. It’s easy to argue that any parent owes their kiddo enough research to know something about a name they plan to bestow. But, of course, plenty of resources online and in print would list Skylar. And Damien. And so on.
3. It could possibly minimize pronunciation issues. Parents sometimes choose Madalyn or Carolyn to emphasize that they want their daughters’ names pronounced with “lynne” at the end, rather than “line” or “leen.”
Doubtless they’re really irritated when their kiddo is called car oh line anyhow. But it is an understandable impulse.
2. It could fit a family tradition. While it can seem a bit much, some families do opt to use the same letter for all of their children’s names. Or some might pass on a pair of initials. While it can lead to oddities like the TLC mega-family’s Jinger Duggar, it can also lead to small variations, like Johnathan to honor a grandfather John, or Dianna – an anagram of my maiden name, something my husband thinks is wildly silly, but I still find appealing.
1. It has meaning. Yes, this is covered under the two related to family names. And the heritage choices. Maybe most of the other ones, too.
You can’t make a name “more unique” by changing the spelling – Ryleigh is too close to the Top 100 Riley to be distinctive on a daughter, and Aydin still sounds common on a son. Better to choose a less-often heard moniker than to monkey with a popular one.
But there are plenty of compelling reasons to opt for an unusual spelling, from heritage choices to family custom to simply falling in love with the spelling Cristina.
Just remember your reasons, and keep your cool when you receive yet another birthday card for your daughter Christina.
It bothers me some that so-called kre8tif spellers don’t say much in any of the naming discussions on any of the websites I follow. Instead there’s a lot of preaching to the choir amongst dedicated name nerds, who also *seem* to be a rather homogeneous group (not that it’s easy to tell on the internet!). While I find the argument for practicality universally compelling, a lot of other reasons for going with an accepted spelling just seem to dance around the fact that unusual spellings are often associated (accurately or inaccurately) with being poor or non-white, and some people then start applying (pervasive, systemic, culturally transmitted) stereotypes to the parents/babies. I’d be lying if I said I never saw a name like “Kyleah” and didn’t automatically think: mom got pregnant as a teenager and never finished high school, and I’ll be surprised if her kids do much better. OUCH! What a horrible train of thought from just a name! But I bet I’m not alone! My point is not that Kyleah’s mom should know that other well-educated, middle-class people like myself will judge her daughter based on her name, or that we name nerds are a bunch of racists; instead my point is that we need to keep an eye on what assumptions we make when we see these unusual choices, and do some reflecting on why they actually bother us.
Thanks, Engloutie. It’s a nice point. I also suspect that many, many of the posters in name forums are young themselves – not parents, but teenagers imagining what their someday children MIGHT be called.
In my case, if I’d had a child at the age of 15 or so? There’s a very good chance I’d have named her Mystina.
Most of the people in those forums are young girls. They are just trying to find out what they like & who they are as ‘nameists”.Also, what I find ironic is how often name nerds say name is trendy or unacceptable or it won’t age well – yet, these names are in the top 100 & so the majority of the population who are ADULTS disagree- they’re using them!Many times, it’s the adults as well, who are changing the names in terms of spelling. I think the teenage theory only goes so far. Much depends on your environment & what you are exposed to
This is interesting. We chose a variant spelling for our youngest son and I don’t think it will adversely affect him (his name is Calum Alasdhair.) My husband disliked the extra l in “Callum” and I admit that now that he is named, the extra L looks wrong to me as well. Alasdhair was for a Scottish friend and obviously we weren’t going to change the spelling even if it isn’t as common as Alistair.
We also do not live in the UK where these names are much more popular–I’m pretty sure that Callum or Calum haven’t even made the top 1000 here in the US. The biggest problem is pronunciation but we already have an Isla so we deal with that on a daily basis anyways. Heck, my family (southern in heritage) cannot even pronounce my oldest son’s name correctly (Liam.) They say LY-am.
That is my preferred spelling of Calum by FAR. The simpler the better.
I have an Isla too and ‘suffer’ for dropping the extra T in the second part of her first name, Scarlet, and also an N in my son’s name Conor, frequently. Still, wouldn’t have it any other way. Conor is the traditional way to anglicise Conchobar in Ireland and that’s just fine with me, “You spelt it wrong” naysayers can jump.
You’re right, Ashley – in the US, you’d have to spell Callum anyhow …
When we decided to name our daughter after my husband’s mother we also decided to retain the way her name was spelt, Roseanna instead of Rosanna. I realise that she’ll go through her life having to spell it out for people (or say, “like ‘rose’ and ‘anna’ smushed together”), but to my husband that way is the right way. Personally, I think I prefer the way Roseanna looks to Rosanna, although I don’t know if I would have gone with a variant spelling were it not for the reasons we chose the name in the first place.
I agree that phonetic spellings and authentic foreign variants are just not comparable. I have no issues with Isobel or Izabela, Anne or Ann, Catherine or Katherine, it is completely different when parents start spelling them out phonetically because they think it looks cute. Its sad that Makayla is more popular than the beautiful Michaela. Alivia just does not look right to me.
I’m a Katherine, and I had a lady write down my name as Kathyreinne once. I corrected her, and she told me her daughter was Kathyreinne, and she thought it just looked so pretty and sophisticated, and that Katherine looked so plain and boring. Blah!
I still want to hear a real reason for the -xs combo so popular in Jaxsyn/Jaxson. What is the point of that s?
I’m a Katheryn. I feel your pain.
Phonetic spellings annoy the crap out of me. Jaxon? Makayla? Yuck. Authentic foreign variants are another story. I like the name Anja, but understand that here in the US that might give some less aware people a hard time. However, Anya looks off to me. That would be a case in which I might go with the less common, stranger looking, yet authentic spelling. I think each name presents a separate problem and solution. My mother’s name is Stacey. We both agree that this is the right way to spell it. When I come across a Stacy I cringe, and Stacie and Staci make me want to cry. Which is right? She often has to spell her name for people. It’s a nuisance. the same goes for my nickname. Spelled one way, it’s a boy’s name. Spelled another, it’s a girl’s name. But many girls spell it differently. I faor the KISS rule and keep it simple – which is not the same as phonetic.
Ah, and see … I love Anya and find Anja extreme! Interesting about your Stacey/Stacy/Stacie/Staci experience. With the exception of Naomi, I have a particular dislike of names that end in -i. As does my sister, poor thing, who wears the name Teri.
Out of curiousity, how do you feel about Sonya vs. Sonja? Personally, I lean towards Sonya, just because there’s this angry, bitter old lady at work named Sonja who just ruined the name for me.
I also work with an Ila, which drives me nuts. I always write her name Isla first, then have to correct it.
I love the Ila spelling although with the surge in Isla awareness now it has the potential to be very confusing. My great great grandparents used Illa on my great grandmother (said EYE la, yes, I know!) as they didn’t have a clue how to spell it. I suppose that happened a lot back then. Both Ila and Isla along with many variations pop up during the 19th century.
I considered Ila for my daughter (more like her great great grandmother’s name) and then Ile (the Gaelic name for Islay) but copped out and stuck with safer Isla.
Loads of Ilas in the cemetery here although you have to wonder how many went by EYE la. Some may well have been EE la.
I have several family members named Sonja, so for me this has always been the traditional spelling. To me it feels slightly ethnic, and reminds me of that side of my family’s heritage.
Sonya doesn’t bother me, but Sonia…Urgh!
I was going to say the same thing, especially about Makayla. My BFF’s daughter is a Makayla, and often she’ll get gifts and cards for “Michaela”, at which point this 8 year old child will either breakout in a hurricane fit of epic proportions, or make fun of the person who spelled her name wrong. I always want to correct her, and let her know that she’s the one spelling her name wrong!
I think there is a huge difference between using a researched, well thought out variant spelling and uniquing up a spelling for giggles. I think names like Isobel, Emilia, Zofia, etc. are all fine, but I just don’t understand the point of names like Jaxen or Cyndi. In my mind, they aren’t commonly accepted variations, and they probably aren’t honoring a family member. They’re just to be ‘unique’, and it drives me insane.
Word.
A pet peeve, the ubiquitous Jorja/Jorjah for Georgia here in NZ and in Australia. There’s NOTHING redeeming or flattering about it. I can’t tell you how disheartening it is to see in many local forums, overwhelming support for Jorja over Georgia ’cause it’s “cooL” and “unique”.
And you won’t stop me from saying this HOR hah either.
I can’t lie, the first time I saw Jorjah Fox, I assumed her name was said “HOR-hah”, like Jorge.
My son is James, and when I was pregnant, one of the other ladies at the OB’s office asked me how I was going to spell it. I just gave her a o_0 face. How the heck else are you supposed to spell James? Then again, she had it down to Hart or Jadon for her son, and she hadn’t decided how to spell Jadon yet.
You’re right – but I once heard of an Alicyn named after an Alfred (or Albert?) and Cynthia – her grandparents, maybe? I’m forgetting the exact details. That one always charmed me …
I can get behind the theory of Alicyn, but it’s almost a Nevaeh problem. If your name, or the spelling of your name, has a permanent asterisk of “it’s spelled this way for my grandparents Alfred and Cynthia”, you become “Alicyn spelled this way for my grandparents Alfred and Cynthia”, not “Alison”. I think this is the perfect sort of name for the middle name. It’s a super out-there spelling, but you don’t have to explain the whole reason every time because it’s in the middle.
My niece is Rebekah, which I find miles nicer than Rebecca. 🙂
I’ve said this before, but at this point I plan on using Isobel as a middle name if I’m pregnant with a girl. I’ve always favored that spelling, and when I saw it in a family tree book, it sealed the deal. I don’t think I would be attracted to the name if it were Isabelle or even Isabel. A less common spelling doesn’t give me pause in the middle name spot.
I grew up with this problem – my name is Rebekah, but I have always ALWAYS had to spell it out for people. My version is actually closer to the Hebrew version (and used more frequently in English Biblical translations), but has obviously become the less popular version. It’s something I live with now, but I can tell you it IS tiring to constantly spell out your name for everyone, especially when they try to “correct” it for you. Oi. And now I’ve gone and married a guy with a last name that has several variations on spelling. What was I thinking? haha 🙂
So that’s just my two cents. Guess it just comes down to the fact that you can’t really win. Ever. haha.
Actually Damien is a “legit” variation; it’s the French form as seen at this link: https://www.behindthename.com/name/damien
With a lot of the names that we are more familiar with the -an ending forms the -en forms are the French variations (e.g. Adrian/Adrian, Lucian/Lucien*, Sebastian/Sebastien). *Lucian/Lucien was a name I suggested for Name of the Day, and it’s coming up next week.
I meant Adrian/Adrien for that one (not the -an twice). My mistake!
You’re right, of course, Kelly! I’m a huge fan of Julien, despite the fact that it would look misspelled to many, and Julian is far, far, far more common.
I’ve always liked Isobel best, and at one point was guilty of loving the name Sofija. I feel like there is a major difference between Kr8tyv spelling and going with an international varient of a name.
I think this article is right on point. Thank You!