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.

Table of Contents

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.

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.

girl writing her letters with mom; variant spellings of baby names
Get new posts sent to your inbox!
Don’t miss out! Subscribe and get all the new posts first.

About Abby Sandel

Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.

Read More About Me

You May Also Like:

What do you think?

40 Comments

  1. At Jimmy Carter’s Presidential library, there’s an old school paper he wrote where he signed his name as “Jimmie.”

    Reply

  2. I used to be really bothered by variant spellings but then I spent a few years reading Nameberry daily and now I am more bothered by name snobbery than unusual spellings. I still cringe, I admit, when I see a name with a very unlikely spelling but then I remind myself that being free to name our children pretty much anything is a great gift of our generation.

    Plus, my Harriet’s middle name is Franceszka and it took me awhile to get over the spelling, but I didn’t want to change it because it is how her great-grandmother spells it. Knowing my reasons make me more open to the idea that other people have their own, equally valid, reasons.

    Reply

  3. My mom chose my nn Lori and my dad insisted on a formal name more appropriate for a lawyer (which I did later become-ha). So I was named Loren. There were always other girls named Lauren and often Lori too, but almost never another Loren (all the others seem to be geriatric men). My crazy mom still insists that Lauren and Loren are completely separate names that aren’t even pronounced the same. I never felt like my version was spelled the right way, even though I prefer the streamlined look of it. The other aspect of my spelling that I appreciate is its similarity to the Spanish Lorena, because I live in Latin America and it’s just easier for people to call me that (with nn Lore, pronounced almost the same as Lori). I have seen how Spanish speakers mangle Lauryn (lah ew reen) so I am definitely glad my parents didn’t choose that!

    Reply

  4. My mom named me Meaghan. She believes it was the original Gaelic spelling. I have to spell it for everybody and some people never get it right. But I’d still rather be Meaghan than Megan.

    Reply

  5. I so appreciate the point about Carolyn and Caroline being different names. So many people think these names are the same. Nameberry even claims the -lyn spelling brings it downmarket!

    I was named after my mom, Linda, and my aunt, Carole, so it really isn’t a phonetic spelling of Caroline. Try telling that to anyone else in the world. Oh well. I appreciate this article, that’s for sure!

    Reply

  6. The first part of my name ends in -ie which is the traditional, feminine spelling form of my name. I had a teacher who marked my English essays for about 6 years, saw my name COUNTLESS times & spelled it -y. EVERY name can be changed

    Personally, I generally prefer original spellings, though there are a few exceptions.I do think that as long as the names don’t break the linguistic phonetics of that particular name i.e Rileigh or Rylee etc,I can live with it. People will know what you are talking about & more importantly – SAY the name correctly.Some names have different pronunciations or spellings based on region or even influential languages. I once saw someone say that she couldn’t understand why her son’s kindergarten teacher spelled her son’s name Zackery as opposed to Zachary. If you think about it , -ck is a logical ending & sound that is very much the same in most of English , -ch is versatile, on the other hand.Personal exposure dictates what is ‘normal’ or ‘right’. Someone I know once said ‘Mikayla’ is elegant & classy while ‘Micheala” looks like Micheal-ah. To her, the other spelling made more sense. This person was highly educated as well

    AT the end of the day, as long as the parent puts in a lot of thought as to what they want to name their children & whatever they do is for pure reasons – it doesn’t matter. Personally, I don’t think you cannot judge someone by the name they choose or how they spell it. Obviously, there are limitations with spelling, but as long as the parent is looking after their child – I couldn’t care what they named their kid or how they spelled it. I think there’s A LOT of snobbism i names & some people think they’re better than others just because they choose a certain name or spell it a certain way

    .Personally, I’d rather associate with the people who spell the name Kaidyn than someone who chooses Charles & thinks they are a better person for choosing a ‘classic’ name. You show your sophistication in how you treat people.As long as people can SAY the names, it’s up to them. SOme alternative spellings might seem more logical to people than others

    Reply

    1. Man, but I was feeling wordy that day ! Yowza! It’s actually embarrassing

      Anyway, I meant that you can’t judge someone because of how their name is spelled.

      Reply

  8. What I like so much about this post is that it is sympathetic towards other peoples’ choices—instead of snobby. Most of us here don’t like the “creative” spellings, which is fine and we don’t have to use them, but I think it’s important to remember that our preferences don’t make us better/smarter/cooler than people who choose differently. Which is exactly what this post did such a great job of saying. So, thank you!

    Reply

  9. Doesn’t matter what your name is, it can go wrong. I get Bevan more often than I get Bevin even though Bevan is the boy spelling and my fiance gets Johnny more than Jonny, also Johnathon more than Jonathan. What can you do? 🙂

    Reply

  10. I grew up with this (sort of). My name is Toni and I constantly have to correct people,” With an ‘i’!” In general, unique spellings drive me nuts, but I’m an offender myself, I suppose. My daughter’s middle name is Caron, pronounced the same as Karen. Why did I pick that? Well, my mother is Carol and MIL is Sharon – viola: Caron! I suppose I could have gone with Karen, and I might have if this was her first name, but then it wouldn’t really have been after our mothers. Also, before I finally settled on it, I was pleased to find out that Caron is a legitimate Welsh name not even related to Karen (it’s a variant of Carys – another name I love.)

    Reply