Respellings Names

A familiar name written a new way. Respellings are where invented meanings cluster most thickly elsewhere on the internet, because a new spelling reads as a new name that must have come from somewhere.

Rankings for

61 names, most popular first in the United States

Very Rare Rare Uncommon

Girls Boys Unisex

Debra Debra is a girl's name, the phonetic respelling of Deborah, from the Hebrew for bee.
Girl Hebrew #4,475 in US
Lynda Lynda means lime tree, from Spanish and Germanic roots that disagree — the pretty reading comes from the Spanish linda, and the tree from a Germanic element, and neither is settled.
Girl American #4,568 in US
Michele Michele is a girl's name, the single-l spelling of Michelle, from a Hebrew question meaning who is like God.
Girl French #4,760 in US
Kayler Kayler is a modern American unisex name whose origin is disputed.
Unisex Disputed #4,789 in US
Marsha Marsha is a phonetic respelling of Marcia, and the name underneath is dedicated to Mars — the same god who gives his name to March, when the Roman year and the campaigning season both began.
Girl English #7,529 in US
Janis Janis fell further than any name in this sweep — 3,217 American births in 1947 down to 10 in the most recent year on record, which is a fall of more than 99 percent.
Girl American #10,064 in US
Traci Traci is the most narrowly recorded name in this sweep — every one of its 52,406 births is American, it charts in no market in the current year, and its entire history runs from 1945 to a 1970 peak and down.
Girl English 52,435 births
Shelia Shelia is Cecilia with two letters swapped and four languages in between — Cecilia became the Irish Síle, Síle was written Sheila in English, and Sheila was misspelled into Shelia often enough to become its own name.
Girl Irish 47,946 births
Meagan Meagan means pearl at four removes — Welsh Megan shortens Marged, which is Margaret, which is the Greek margarites, which is probably a loan from further east than Greece.
Girl Welsh 45,226 births
Yoann Yoann is a French respelling of one of the most widely borne names in history — John, whose forms include Ian, Sean, Juan, Ivan, Giovanni, Jens and Hans, all from one Hebrew sentence.
Boy French 43,069 births
Kailum Kailum is a rare boy's name whose origin is disputed.
Boy Disputed 329 births
Emagene Emagene is a vintage American girl's name, a phonetic spelling of Imogene that was used mainly in the early twentieth century.
Girl English, Gaelic 206 births
Claragh Claragh is a girl's name, an Irish-styled respelling of Clara, from a Latin word meaning bright or clear.
Girl Latin 103 births

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