Let me preface this by saying that I usually don’t like “unique” spellings for names. I’m almost always advocating for the original, most popular, or most straightforward spelling. But… I was reading a wildlife magazine with my kids and there was an article about a male baby cheetah in a rehabilitation center named Astur. I think this spelling is so interesting, feels more masculine, and reminds me of Arthur!
So it got me wondering, are there any names that you prefer with different/less popular/made-up spellings? This is a safe space, no judgment. .
As a general rule of thumb, I’m not keen on kre8iv spellings… but rules are made to be broken, right?
[name_f]Hayley[/name_f] is my favorite spelling of the name, and it’s the one I consider traditional. But my second favorite spelling…? [name_f]Hailee[/name_f]!
[name_f]Katharyn[/name_f] is a spelling I think is so beautiful, too. Off the top of my head, I also like [name_u]Clare[/name_u], [name_f]Alys[/name_f], [name_f]Bonny[/name_f], [name_f]Margaux[/name_f], [name_f]Elouise[/name_f], and [name_f]Caris[/name_f]!
@emeraldsea I really love [name_m]Sylas[/name_m] too! Mostly because the nickname [name_m]Sy[/name_m] feels like it should be spelling [name_m]Sy[/name_m] not [name_u]Si[/name_u].
@Poffin I definitely prefer [name_f]Lyla[/name_f]! [name_f]Lila[/name_f] always makes me want to say [name_f]Lil[/name_f] like in [name_f]Lily[/name_f].
@snowmaiden Wow [name_f]Alys[/name_f] just totally changed that name for me! [name_f]Margaux[/name_f] is so cool too.
@bemiranda [name_f]Louna[/name_f] is such a pretty variation!
@Greyblue Not going to lie, that took me a lot longer to figure out than I’d like to admit What a fun gp! I like [name_m]Kitt[/name_m] better with too t’s as well!
I really like less popular, but not butchered, spellings. For example, I have on my list:
Erik/Erika instead of Eric/Erica
[name_f]Gisele[/name_f] instead of [name_f]Giselle[/name_f]
Both [name_u]Holly[/name_u] and [name_f]Hollie[/name_f]
[name_u]Kasey[/name_u] instead of [name_u]Casey[/name_u]
[name_f]Kassia[/name_f] instead of [name_f]Cassia[/name_f]
Both [name_u]Keely[/name_u] and [name_u]Keeley[/name_u]
Both [name_u]Kieran[/name_u] and [name_m]Keiran[/name_m]
Kimberley/Kimberlee instead of [name_u]Kimberly[/name_u]
Both [name_u]Lane[/name_u] and [name_u]Layne[/name_u]
[name_f]Lianne[/name_f] and Lyanne in addition to [name_f]Leanne[/name_f]
[name_f]Lissette[/name_f] instead of [name_f]Lisette[/name_f]
Both [name_m]Marco[/name_m] and [name_m]Marko[/name_m]
I find that sometimes slightly changing the spelling to a less-common one (but not outrageous) one freshens up the name for me. For example, I find:
And I’m pretty open-minded about spelling variations that even I don’t prefer. For example, I don’t mind [name_f]Eryn[/name_f] over [name_u]Erin[/name_u], or [name_m]Landen[/name_m] over [name_u]Landon[/name_u] even though I prefer the more common versions.
[name_f]My[/name_f] name has spellings that are similar in popularity and I’ve lived my life saying “with a y” and it hasn’t affected me in slightest… so, I think it’s a matter of personal preference, as long as people don’t take it too far and make too many changes. I would find Kynadee instead of [name_u]Kennedy[/name_u] a bit much for my taste, for example.
i really like zoey, luka and margo/margaux! also a few years ago i made up the name elouise - pronounced not like eloise, but eh-loo-EEZ. they’re the only ones i can think of!
other than that, the spellings i prefer would be unpopular on nameberry but only due to most people here being native english speakers. klara (clara), nafsica (nausicaa), tomas (thomas) etc, so i personally don’t think they count
I really like [name_u]Jordyn[/name_u] on a girl and don’t like [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] at all. For [name_u]Jayden[/name_u] vs. [name_u]Jaden[/name_u] it’s the opposite: I can’t imagine [name_u]Jayden[/name_u] on a girl while [name_u]Jaden[/name_u] makes perfect sense (nn Jade!)
I also prefer [name_f]Victorie[/name_f] over [name_u]Victory[/name_u] but that’s more of a variant rather than a spelling, right?
I think most of my preferred alternate spelling are just because of people I knew with that spelling & so now it feels normal to me. Also many gender-neutral names I prefer different spellings for boys&girls for this reason.
[name_u]Jordyn[/name_u] (g)
[name_u]Rylee[/name_u] (g)
[name_f]Laila[/name_f]
[name_f]Mayzie[/name_f] (though I also like [name_f]Maisie[/name_f], just different vibes)
Also I prefer K over C in a lot of names like [name_f]Erika[/name_f], [name_m]Markus[/name_m], [name_m]Lukas[/name_m], etc.
[name_f]Darci[/name_f] is my favorite of [name_u]Darcy[/name_u], and [name_f]Josy[/name_f] is far superior to [name_u]Josie[/name_u] IMO. Miika instead of [name_u]Mika[/name_u] also seems charming!
I didn’t think I had one until I remembered the main character of a book I loved as a kid was named Tamisin instead of [name_f]Tamsin[/name_f] and while I really like [name_f]Tamsin[/name_f] there’s just something so pretty about the version with the extra i.
I think, if names like [name_u]Aspen[/name_u] and [name_f]Astoria[/name_f] are usable, then Astur is too
I’m not sure if this is unpopular, but the H at the end feels “extra” to me … [name_f]Laylah[/name_f] / [name_f]Lailah[/name_f] … Not usually my style of name, but it’s the name of an angel associated with night, conception, and pregnancy [name_m]Just[/name_m] feels like the perfect mix of light and dark, which is totally my style.
[name_f]My[/name_f] daughter's name
I named her [name_f]Drucilla[/name_f], but I think most people prefer Drusilla… Tho it’s hard to say because most people don’t care for the name either way
I like [name_m]Caiden[/name_m] and [name_m]Mattias[/name_m] most over any other spelling. I have a soft spot for [name_u]Braeden[/name_u] (this spelling only) because of a book I read.
I prefer [name_f]Rebekah[/name_f] over [name_f]Rebecca[/name_f] and [name_u]Blaire[/name_u] over [name_u]Blair[/name_u].
What a fun gp! I like [name_m]Kitt[/name_m] better with too t’s as well!
[name_m]Just[/name_m] feels like the perfect mix of light and dark, which is totally my style.