Franken-Names II--The Mutations

Yeah, no points for originality for me this year. But, although they're not generally my own style, I do find combination-names interesting. As a result, this year's Halloween post is a simply a sequel to last year's.

Franken-Names II--The Mutations
*suspenseful music*
In a bizarre development, names have not only evolved that are hybrids of two established names, but are the monstrous amalgamations of word and suffix...of name and random sounds.

Just joking...mostly. Taking words and slightly tweaking them to sound more "name-like" has been going on for about as long as language has existed, no matter how much it's usually looked down upon now. And elaborating/combining established names is definitely nothing new.
Some of these names are quite established, and it'd be interesting to see which of the newer ones survive & become "traditional" in a couple generations. But, I do freely admit there're many I hope are never given to any child ever again!
These were all given to at least 5 girls last year.

• Abrianna
• Adiana
• Alexiana
• Aliana
• Aliciana
• Alyla
• Amberly
• Amberlyn
• Analia
• Analicia
• Anasofia
• Andelyn
• Andriana
• Andrielle
• Angelette
• Angelise
• Annabeth
• Annalee
• Annalisa
• Annalise
• Annalynn
• Annamarie
• Asialynn
• Asianna
• Aubria
• Aubrianna
• Aubrielle
• Aubrina
• Aubryn
• Audria
• Audriana
• Audrielle
• Avalee
• Avalyn
• Aviana
• Avrianna
• Bailyn
• Blakelyn
• Brandalyn
• Brantley
• Brecklyn
• Breelyn
• Breeza
• Brianda
• Briasia
• Bricelyn
• Britley
• Britlyn
• Brynlynn
• Caliana
• Cambrielle
• Caralee
• Carlianna
• Charlianne
• Chaselynn
• Chazlynn
• Christasia
• Coralyn
• Corianna
• Cortasia
• Dakayla
• Daneen
• Danilynn
• Darielle
• Darlene
• Davianna
• Dayleen
• Daylin
• Doreen
• Dreama
• Emberly
• Emberlyn
• Emlyn
• Emmalise
• Evalee
• Evalette
• Evalyse
• Everlyn
• Eviana
• Faithlynn
• Faylinn
• Gabrianna
• Gracelyn
• Graelyn
• Hazelyn
• Icelynn
• Ivyonna
• Jacelyn
• Jadalee
• Jadelyn
• Jakayla
• Jakaylee
• Janasia
• Janelyn
• Janessa
• Jayana
• Jaydence
• Jayliana
• Jazlyn
• Jennalee
• Jennalise
• Jennalyn
• Jennavecia
• Jerilyn
• Jerriona
• Jessalyn
• Jilliana
• Joelliane
• Jolene
• Jolette
• Jolisa
• Jolynn
• Josanna
• Joshlyn
• Joycelyn
• Joyden
• Joyelle
• Joylynn
• Kadelyn
• Kaisley
• Kalinda
• Kambryn
• Karianna
• Karielle
• Kaselyn
• Kashley
• Kashlynn
• Katiana
• Katilyn
• Kayana
• Kaybree
• Kaydree
• Kaylee
• Kayleen
• Kayleena
• Kayliana
• Kendalyn
• Kenlyn
• Kenyanna
• Kimberlyn
• Kimbree
• Krislyn
• Kristalyn
• Lakely
• Lakelyn
• Laken
• Lauralynn
• Layliana
• Loriana
• Loveleen
• Lovelynn
• Lovette
• Lydianna
• Lynelle
• Lynlee
• Macilynn
• Madilee
• Makaylee
• Makaylin
• Makendra
• Makyla
• Marilyn
• Markayla
• Marvela
• Mayla
• Maylee
• Maylin
• Miabella
• Mianna
• Milliana
• Myalynn
• Nakayla
• Nashly
• Natalina
• Natalynn
• Nevaehlynn
• Novalee
• Novalynn
• Oliviana
• Paitlyn
• Queena
• Rayanna
• Reginae
• Rocklyn
• Royelle
• Shaelyn
• Shayden
• Shaylee
• Shaylene
• Sherilyn
• Shylee
• Shylynn
• Skyla
• Skylee
• Skyleen
• Skylynn
• Skyra
• Soliana
• Sophianna
• Sophina
• Starla
• Starlene
• Starlynn
• Summerlyn
• Takayla
• Tamryn
• Taralynn
• Terriana
• Tesslyn
• Timberly
• Timberlyn
• Torianna
• Travionna
• Weslyn
• Zakayla
• Zaliyah

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Bree

Bree-names are big right now. From the fairly-established Aubrey, Brianna, & Gabriella, to the modern Cambria, Brielle, & Bria, and even new inventions, like Aubrianna, Abriella, & Mabree, Bree is a nickname we're likely to keep seeing more and more of. But if you're not willing to use a top 100 name, or a recent innovation, what's left?

• Briallen (bree-AHL-len, Welsh)--"primrose"
• Bricia (BREE-see-ah, Spanish)--origin uncertain; prob. a  form of Bridget or of Bricius/Bryce
• Brighde (BREE-jeh, Scottish)--form of Bridget
• Brigida (BREE-zhee-dah, Portuguese; BREE-hee-dah, Spanish)--yet another form of Bridget
• Briseida (bree-SAY-dah, Spanish)-form of Briseis
• Brisen (BREE-sen, Welsh)
• Brîska (BREE-skah, Kurdish)--"glitter"
• Brizo (BREE-zoh, Greek)
• Bryndis (BRIN-dees, Norwegian)
• Fabrizia (fah-BREE-tzee-ah, Italian)
• Sabriye (SAH-bree-eh, Turkish)--"patient"

Bi-cultural Names--Scandinavian/English (Girls)

Spelled the same, with (usually) slight pronunciation difference:

• Agnes--English, AG-nes; Scandinavian, AHNG-nehs
• Alexandra--English, al-eks-AN-drah; Scandinavian, ah-leks-AHN-drah
• Amanda--English, ah-MAN-dah; Scandinavian, ah-MAHN-dah, ah-MAN-dah
• Andrea--English, AN-dree-ah; Scandinavian, an-DREH-ah
• Anita--English, an-EE-tah; Scandinavian, ah-NEE-tah, an-EE-tah
• Anna--English, AN-nah; Scandinavian, AHN-nah
• Anne--English, AN; Scandinavian, AN-neh, AHN-neh
• Annika--English, AHN-nik-ah; AN-nik-ah; Scandinavian, AHN-nee-kah
• Antonia--English, an-TOH-nee-ah; Scandinavian, ahn-TOHN-yah
• Beatrice--English & Scandinavian, BEE-ah-tris
• Camilla--English & Scandinavian, kam-IL-lah
• Caroline--English, KEHR-oh-line, KEHR-oh-lin; Scandinavian, kah-roh-LEEN
• Cecilia--English & Scandinavian, seh-SEEL-yah
• Charlotte--English, SHAR-lot; Scandinavian, shar-LOT
• Edith--English, EE-dith; Scandinavian, EH-dit
• Elise--English, eh-LEES; Scandinavian, eh-LEE-seh
• Ella--English & Scandinavian, EL-lah
• Elsa--English & Scandinavia, EL-sah
• Eva--English, AY-vah, EE-vah, EV-ah; Scandinavian, EH-vah
• Emma--English & Scandinavian, EM-mah
• Gabriella--English, gab-ree-EL-lah, Scandinavian, gah-bree-EL-lah
• Greta--English, GRET-ah; Scandinavian, GREH-tah
• Heidi--English, HYE-dee; Scandinavian, HAY-dee
• Helena--English, HEL-en-ah, hel-AY-nah, hel-EE-nah, Scandinavian, hel-EH-nah, hel-EE-nah
• Ida--English, EYE-dah; Scandinavian, EE-dah
• Ingrid--English & Scandinavian, EENG-grid
• Irene--English, eye-REEN; Scandinavian, ee-REHN, ee-REH-neh
• Iris--English, EYE-ris; Scandinavian, EE-ris
• Isabella--English, iz-ah-BEL-lah, Scandinavian, ee-sah-BEL-lah
• Jessica--English, JES-sik-ah; Scandinavian, YES-sik-ah
• Johanna--English, joh-AN-nah; Scandinavian, yoh-HAHN-nah
• Josephine--English, JOH-sef-een; Scandinavian, yoh-sef-EEN
• Judith--English, JOO-dith; Scandinavian, YOO-dit
• Karina--English & Scandinavian, kah-REE-nah
• Kristin--English, KRIS-tin; Scandinavian, KRIS-tin, KRIS-teen
• Kirsten--English, KER-sten, KEER-sten; Scandinavian, KEER-sten
• Laila--English, LAY-lah, LYE-lah; Scandinavian, LYE-lah
• Laura--English, LOHR-ah, LAW-rah, Scandinavian, LOW-rah
• Lena--English, LEE-nah, Scandinavian, LEH-nah
• Linda--English, LIN-dah; Scandinavian, LEE-dah
• Lisa--English & Scandinavian, LEE-sah
• Lucia--English, LOO-shah, loo-SEE-ah; Scandinavian, loo-SEE-ah
• Maria--English & Scandinavian, mah-REE-ah
• Marie--English, mah-REE; Scandinavian, mah-REE, mah-REE-eh
• Marina--English & Scandinavian, mah-REE-nah
• Martha--English, MAR-thah, Scandinavian, MAR-tah
• Mia--English & Scandinavian, MEE-ah
• Nora--English & Scandinavian, NOH-rah
• Olivia--English & Scandinavian, oh-LIV-ee-ah
• Paula--English, PAW-lah; Scandinavian, POW-lah
• Regina--English, reh-JEE-nah; Scandinavian, reh-GEE-nah
• Rita--English & Scandinavian, REE-tah
• Rosa--English, ROH-zah, ROH-sah; Scandinavian, ROH-sah
• Ruth--English, ROOTH; Scandinavian, ROOT
• Sandra--English & Scandinavian, SAN-drah
• Susanna--English, soo-ZAN-nah; Scandinavian, soo-SAHN-nah
• Sylvia--English & Scandinavian, SIL-vee-ah
• Tyra--English, TYE-rah; Scandinavian, TEE-rah
• Vera--English, VEER-ah, VEHR-ah; Scandinavian, VEHR-ah
• Veronica--English, veh-RON-ih-kah; Scandinavian, veh-ROH-nih-kah
• Victoria--English & Scandinavian, vik-TOH-ree-ah
• Viola--English, vee-OH-lah, VYE-oh-lah; Scandinavian, vee-OH-lah
• Vivian--English, VIV-ee-an; Scandinavian, VIV-ee-ahn
• Yvonne--English, ih-VON, ee-VON; Scandinavian, ih-VON

One-two letter difference:

• Agatha--English, AG-ah-thah; Agata--Scandinavian, ah-GAH-tah
• Carla--English, KAHR-lah; Karla--Scandinavian, KAHR-lah
• Carol--English, KEHR-ohl; Carola--Scandinavian, kah-ROH-lah
• Christina--English, kris-TEE-nah; Kristina--Scandinavian, kris-TEE-nah
• Clara--English, KLEHR-ah; Klara--Scandinavian, KLAH-rah
• Dorothy--English, DOHR-oh-thee; Dorothea--Scandinavian, dor-oh-TEH-ah
• Eleanor--English, EL-en-ohr, EL-en-er; Eleonora--Scandinavian, el-eh-oh-NOHR-ah
• Ellen--English, EL-len; Elin--Scandinavian, EL-in
• Elizabeth--English, eh-LIZ-ah-beth; Elisabeth--Scandinavian, eh-LEE-zah-bet
• Erica--English, EHR-ik-ah; Erika--Scandinavian, eh-REE-kah
• Esther--English, ES-ter; Ester--Scandinavian, ES-tehr
• Hannah--English, HAN-nah; Hanna--Scandinavian, HAHN-nah
• Henrietta--English, hen-ree-ET-tah; Henriette--Scandinavian, hen-ree-ET, hen-ree-ET-teh
• Kaia--English, KYE-ah; Kaja--Scandinavian, KAH-yah
• Karen--English, KEHR-en; Karin--Scandinavian, KAH-rin
• Katrina--English, kah-TREEN-ah; Katrine--Scandinavian, kah-TREE-neh, kah-TREEN
• Leah--English, LEE-ah; Lea--Scandinavian, LEH-ah
• Lily--English, LIL-ee; Lilly--Scandinavian, LIL-lih
• Mary--English, MEHR-ee; Mari--Scandinavian, MAHR-ee, mah-REE
• Matilda--English, mah-TIL-dah; Mathilde--Scandinavian, mah-TEEL-deh
• Maya--English, MYE-ah; Maja--Scandinavian, MAH-yah
• Michaela--English, mih-KAY-lah; Mikaela--Scandinavian, mih-KYE-lah
• Monica--English, MON-ih-kah; Monika--Scandinavian, MOHN-ee-kah
• Sarah--English, SEHR-ah; Sara--Scandinavian, SAH-rah
• Sonia--English, SOHN-yah; Sonja--Scandinavian, SOHN-yah
• Sophia--English, soh-FEE-ah; Sofia--Scandinavian, soh-FEE-ah
• Teresa--English, teh-REE-sah; Therese--Scandinavian, teh-REHS

Larger difference, but still recognizable:

• Bridget--English, BRID-jet; Birgit--Scandinavian, BEER-git
• Emily--English, EM-il-ee; Emelie--Scandinavian, EM-el-ee
• Katherine--English, KATH-er-in; Katarina--Scandinavian, kah-tah-REE-nah
• Margaret--English, MAR-gar-et; Margit--Scandinavian, MAHR-git
• Raquel--English, rah-KEL; Rakel--Scandinavian, RAH-kel

Same Name?!?--Agatha

Oh, that tricky 'th'. Agatha is mostly recognizable from language to language, but that last syllable sure is variable.
With only 51 girls named Agatha in 2011, it's probably not a name we can expect to see a lot of anytime soon. I can imagine it's still a bit too musty for most, but if the 100-year rule holds true, maybe Agatha will surprise us.

Original Greek form: Agathe [Αγαθη] (ah-GAH-thee)
English form: Agatha (AG-ah-thah)

Other forms:

• Agafya (ah-GAH-fyah)--Russian
• Agata (ah-GAH-tah)--Czech, Italian, Polish, Scandinavian, Spanish
• Agathe (ah-GAHT)--French
• Agathe (ah-GAH-teh)--German
• Agda (AHG-dah)--Swedish
• Ågot (AW-goht)--Norwegian
• Ágota (AG-oh-tah)--Hungarian
• Águeda (AH-geh-dah)--Portuguese, Spanish

Greetings from Southern California!

Well, technically, I've been here over a week already (and leave pretty soon), but I just ran out of posts.

As I giggle over my Midwestern husband's attempts to pronounce local place-names, it has dawned on me just how many of those place-names are actually people-names (or would at least not be completely strange on a person).
So, in a little change of pace, I'm looking at a map. And anyone with Google, or other fellow locals, can probably tell fairly well where I grew up. :p
I can't guarantee that all these places are gorgeous & picturesque (most do have some lovely points, though), but people name their kids Camden, Brooklyn, Jersey, & London--does it really matter?

• Avalon
• Bonita
• Santa Catalina Island
• Santa Clarita
• San Clemente Island
• San Elijo Lagoon
• Lake Elsinore
• Glorietta Bay
• Point Loma
• San Marcos
• Lake Morena
• Murrieta
• San Onofre State Beach
• Palomar Mountain, Observatory
• Pomona Valley
• Ramona
• Serra (various places, in honor of missionary Junípero Serra)
• Solana Beach
• Sonora Desert
• Torrey Pines
• Santa Ysabel
• San Ysidro

Bi-cultural Names--Scandinavian/English (boys)

Yes, I'm cheating. There's so much overlap/similarity between the names used in the Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland), and such inconsistency on which name is used where (at least from English/American sources), that it seems better to lump them all together. (and FWIW, I only included names with documented use in at least 2 of the aforementioned nations)

Spelled the same, but (usually) with slight pronunciation difference:

• Axel--English, AK-sel; Scandinavian, AHK-sel
• Albert--English, AL-bert, Scandinavian, AHL-behrt
• Alexander--English, al-eks-AN-der; Scandinavian, ahl-eks-AHN-der
• Alfred--English, AL-fred; Scandinavian, AHL-fred
• August--English & Scandinavian, AW-gust
• Carl--English & Scandinavian, KAHRL
• Christian--English, KRIS-chen, KRIS-tyen; Scandinavian, KREES-tyahn
• Daniel--English, DAN-yel; Scandinavian, DAHN-yel
• David--English, DAY-vid; Scandinavian, DAH-vid
• Elias--English, eh-LYE-ahs; Scandinavian, eh-LEE-ahs
• Erik--English & Scandinavian, EHR-ik
• Finn--English & Scandinavian, FIN
• Gabriel--English, GAY-bree-el; Scandinavian, GAH-bree-el
• Gunnar--English, GUN-nar; Scandinavian, GOON-nar
• Herman--English, HER-man; Scandinavian, HEHR-man
• Hugo--English, HYOO-goh; Scandinavian, HOO-goh
• Jacob--English, JAY-kob; Scandinavian, YAH-kob
• Jonas--English, JOH-nas; Scandinavian, YOH-nahs
• Jonathan--English, JON-ah-than; Scandinavian, YOH-nah-thahn
• Kai--English & Scandinavian, KYE
• Kevin--English & Scandinavian, KEV-in
• Linus--English, LYE-nus; Scandinavian, LEE-nus
• Marcus--English & Scandinavian, MAHR-kus
• Martin--English & Scandinavian, MAHR-tin
• Otto--English & Scandinavian, OT-toh
• Philip--English & Scandinavian, FIL-ip
• Robert--English, ROB-ert; Scandinavian, ROH-bert
• Roger--English, ROJ-er; Scandinavian, ROH-gehr
• Samuel--English, SAM-yel; Scandinavian, SAHM-wel
• Sebastian--English, seh-BAST-yen; Scandinavian, seh-BAHST-yahn
• Simon--English, SYE-mon; Scandinavian, SEE-mon
• Thomas--English & Scandinavian, TOM-ahs
• Tobias--English, toh-BYE-as; Scandinavian, toh-BEE-ahs
• Vincent--English, VIN-sent; Scandinavian, VEEN-sent

One-two letter difference:

• Aaron--English, EHR-on; Aron--Scandinavian, AH-rahn
• Antony--English, AN-toh-nee; Anton--Scandinavian, AN-tahn
• Christopher--English, KRIS-toh-fer; Christoffer--Scandinavian, kris-TOF-fehr
• Edward--English, ED-ward; Edvard--Scandinavian, EHD-vahrd
• Edwin--English, ED-win; Edvin--Scandinavian, EHD-vin
• Frederick--English, FRED-er-ik; Fredrik--Scandinavian, FREH-drik
• George--English, JORJ; Georg--Scandinavian, yeh-OHR [Sweden], gee-OHR 
• Harold--English, HEHR-ohld; Harald--Scandinavian, HAH-rahld
• Henry--English, HEN-ree; Henrik--Scandinavian, HEN-rik
• Isaac--English, EYE-zak; Isak--Scandinavian, EE-sahk
• Jasper--English, JAS-per; Jesper--Scandinavian, YES-pehr
• Lucas--English, LOO-kas; Lukas--Scandinavian, LOO-kahs
• Matthias--English, mah-THYE-as; Mathias--Scandinavian, mah-TEE-ahs
• Oscar--English, OS-kar; Oskar--Scandinavian, OHS-kahr
• Osmond--English, OZ-mund; Åsmund--Scandinavian, AWS-mun
• Oswald--English, OZ-wahld; Osvald--Scandinavian, OHS-vahld
• Patrick--English, PAT-rik; Patrik--Scandinavian, PAH-trik
• Paul--English, PAWL; Pal--Scandinavian, PAHL
• Peter--English, PEE-ter; Peder--Scandinavian, PEH-der
• Ralph--English, RALF; Ralf--Scandinavian, RAHLF
• Reuben--English, ROO-ben; Ruben--Scandinavian, ROO-ban
• Richard--English, RICH-ard; Rikard--Scandinavian, RIK-ahrd
• Solomon--English, SOL-o-mon; Salomon--Scandinavian, SAH-loh-mon
• Steven--English, STEE-ven; Stefan--Scandinavian, STEH-fahn
• Theodore--English, THEE-oh-dohr; Theodor--Scandinavian, TEE-oh-dohr
• Victor--English, VIK-tor; Viktor--Scandinavian, VIK-tohr
• Walter--English, WAHL-ter; Valter--Scandinavian, VAHL-tehr

Larger difference, but still recognizable:

• Andrew--English, AN-droo; Anders--Scandinavian, AHN-dehrs
• Francis--English, FRAN-sis; Frans--Scandinavian, FRAHNS
• John--English, JAHN; Jan--Scandinavian, YAHN
• Michael--English, MYE-kel; Mikkel--Scandinavian, MEEK-kel
• Neil--English, NEEL; Njal--Scandinavian--NYAHL
• Nicholas--English, NIK-oh-lahs; Niklas--Scandinavian, NIK-lahs
• Oliver--English, OL-ih-ver; Alvar--Scandinavian, AHL-vahr
• William--English, WIL-yam; Vilhelm--Scandinavian, VIL-helm

The Long of It

Quite a ways back, I did a post on mini-names (which could probably use an update, or maybe a sequel). In general, American names are getting simpler, especially boys. Although Alexander is still pretty popular, parents are much more likely to skip the full name and just go with Alex or Xander than they used to be. For girls, the frilly, princess-y name trend (especially the newest influx of -annas & -ellas) ensures that there's still lots of long names in use, but a lot of the older appellations are now too "stuffy".

Boys:

• Algernon (AL-jer-non, English)
• Aloysius (al-oh-IH-shus, English)--form of Louis
• Antonius (an-TOH-nee-us, Latin)--original form of Anthony
• Apolinar (ah-poh-lee-NAHR, Spanish)
• Aurélian (oh-rayl-YAWN, French)--from Latin, "golden"
• Archibald (AHR-chih-bahld, English)
• Barnabas (BAHR-nah-bus, English)
• Bartholomew (bar-THOL-ah-myew, English)
• Benedict (BEN-eh-dikt, English)--from Latin, "blessed"
• Cornelius (kohr-NEEL-yus, English)
• Demetrius (deh-MEE-tree-us, Latin)
• Ebenezer (eb-en-EE-zer, English)
• Ferdinand (FER-dih-nand, English)
• Frederick (FRED-er-ik, English)
• Gioachino (joh-ah-KEE-noh, Italian)--form of Joachim/Joaquín
• Jedidiah (jed-ih-DYE-ah, English)
• Korbinian (kohr-BEE-nee-ahn, German)
• Leberecht (LEH-beh-rekht, German)--"lives rightly"
• Lysander (lye-SAN-der, Greek)
• Matthias (mah-THYE-as, English; mah-TEE-ahs, German)--form of Matthew
• Montgomery (mont-GOM-er-ee, English)
• Mortimer (MOHR-tih-mer, English)
• Nicostrato (nee-koh-STRAH-toh, Italian)
• Peregrine (PEHR-eh-grin, English)--from Latin, "traveller"
• Reginald (REJ-in-ahld, English)--form of Ronald
• Roderick (ROD-er-ik, English)
• Silvanus (sil-VAH-nus, Latin)--original form of Silas
• Sylvester (sil-VES-ter, English)
• Taliesin (tal-ee-ES-in, Welsh)
• Teodosio (teh-oh-DOHS-yoh, Spanish)
• Thaddeus (THAD-ee-us, English)
• Zacchaeus (zak-KEE-us, English)--from Hebrew, "pure"

Girls:

• Adelinde (ah-deh-LEEN-deh, Germanic)--"noble and mild"
• Alastríona (al-as-TREE-on-ah, Irish)--feminine of Alastar/Alexander
• Amaryllis (ah-mah-RIL-lis, English)--from Greek, "sparkling"
• Augustine (oh-goos-TEEN, French)
• Bernadette (ber-nah-DET, English)
• Calanthe (kah-LAN-thee, English)--from Greek, "beautiful flower"
• Celandine (SEL-an-deen, English)
• Chrysanta (krih-SAN-tah, English)--from Greek, "golden flower"
• Clementina (klem-en-TEE-nah, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)
• Coriander (KOH-ree-an-der, English)
• Demetria (deh-MEE-tree-ah, Greek)
• Dezirinda (deh-zee-REEN-dah, Esperanto)
• Dominique (doh-mee-NEEK, French)--feminine of Dominic
• Emerentia (eh-meh-REN-tsee-ah, German)--from Latin, "praiseworthy"
• Federica (feh-deh-REE-kah, Italian)
• Felicitas (feh-LEE-tzee-tahs, German)--from Latin, "good luck"
• Gennadiya (gee-NAH-dee-ah, Russian)--from Greek, "noble"
• Karesinda (kah-reh-SEEN-dah, Esperanto)
• Katarzyna (kah-tahr-ZHEE-nah, Polish)--form of Katherine
• Katelijne (kah-teh-LYE-neh, Dutch)--another form of Katherine
• Kazimiera (kah-zee-MYE-rah, Polish)
• Liselotte (LEE-zeh-lot-teh, Danish, German)
• Marjolaine (mahr-zhoh-LEHN, French)--"marjoram"
• Millicent (MIL-lih-sent, English)
• Octavia (ok-TAY-vee-ah, English; ok-TAH-vee-ah, Latin)
• Seraphina (sehr-ah-FEE-nah, English)--from Hebrew, "fiery one"
• Temperance (TEM-per-ants, English)--"self-restraint"
• Willemina (wil-leh-MEE-nah, Dutch)--feminine of William/Willem

Y, oh Y?

Y is apparently a magical letter. It makes any sound you want, can turn boring names unique, and even transforms masculine into feminine!
I'm being facetious, of course, but our modern preoccupation with the letter Y astounds me. It's one of the rarer letters in normal American English words, but one of the most common in American names. The number of sounds it can legitimately make contributes, I'm sure, but it's hardly omnipotent. So how did we get to this point?

Well, to start off with, Y is the only letter that can function as both a consonant and a vowel. It was originally two separate letters (three if you count the thorn, but that's a different topic, and was pretty much limited to early typesetting)--a consonant that sounded just like our modern consonantal Y, and a vowel that doesn't exist anymore in English, rather like the German ü.
When English was switched from the Anglo-Saxon runes to the Latin alphabet, they were merged into one letter. Odd, but it does rather make sense--the consonantal Y is technically a semi-vowel [IPA: /j/], and the old vocalic Y [IPA: /y/] is pretty much the closest vowel sound to a consonant! Sometime in Middle English, the Y's vowel sounds shifted and merged with the I-sounds, and by the time spelling was standardized, they were considered interchangeable.

So, a rule of thumb--if it can be spelled with an I, it can be spelled with a Y (please note, that this doesn't necessarily mean that it should; changing a name's spelling is not something that should be done without lots of consideration, IMO).

What sounds can a Y make?
"ee" [IPA: /i/] like in lyric or baby (open syllables = long vowel)
"eye" [IPA: /ai/] like in style (silent e = long vowel) or sky (open syllable = long vowel)
"ih" [IPA: /ı/] like in myth (closed syllable = short vowel)
"eh/uh" [IPA: /ə/] like in martyr or Sibyl (closed syllables = short vowel, often reduced to a schwa, varies by region/dialect)

On top of that, it can, of course, form digraphs with most of the other vowels:
"ay" [IPA: /ei/] like in bay or fey
"eye" [IPA: /ai/] like in buy [rare] or Maya [in imported words/names]
"ee" [IPA: /i/] like in key
"oy" [IPA: /oi/] like in boy
Notice that, with the exception of the schwa, all the IPA representations include the letter I! More confirmation that the Y is basically a pretty I.


So, modern naming/spelling conventions aside, the Y is not a universal vowel. I realize that most people, at least intuitively, can tell when a Y doesn't work, but gosh, I've seen some doozies lately!
Now, if only I could explain why a Y-substituted boys' name is somehow feminine. That one still escapes me. :p

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Ed/Eddie

I admit, I love most of the Ed-names. There's just something about them. Edward is easily the most common,  but there are lots of ways to get to Eddie and the more archaic nicknames of Ned & Ted.

• Edelmiro (eh-del-MEER-oh, Spanish)--from Germanic, "noble and famous"
• Eder (eh-dehr, Basque)--"handsome"
• Edgar (ED-gar, English)--from Germanic, "blessed spear". Other forms include Edgard (French) and Edgardo (Spanish)
• Edis (EH-dees, Norwegian)--form of Giles/Aegidius. Older form is Edias. 
• Edison (ED-ih-son, English)
• Ediz (eh-DEEZ, Turkish)--"high"
• Edlef (ED-lef, Germanic)--"blessed wolf"
• Edmar (ED-mar, Scandinavian)--from Germanic, "wealthy and famous"
• Edmund (ED-mund, English)--from Germanic, "blessed protector". Other forms include Edmond (French), Edmao (Limburgish), Edmondo (Italian), & Edmundo (Portuguese & Spanish)
• Ednar (ED-nar, Norwegian)--masculine of Edna
• Edric (ED-rik, English)--from Germanic, "blessed ruler"
• Edsart (ED-sart, Frisian)--from Germanic, "brave sword"
• Edur (eh-door, Basque)--"snow"
• Edwin (ED-win, English)--from Germanic, "blessed friend"