If you love popular baby names, but they feel a bit overused, consider a fresh alternative.
Take Olivia for example. Olivia has been the No. 1 girl name in the United States for five consecutive years, which means your little Olivia could end up being one of 10 in her class. But you can still get a similar vibe if you find a similar sound.
“Looking to the ending of a name rather than the beginning of a name is good rule of thumb when choosing a substitute,” name expert Laura Wattenberg tells TODAY.com. “The ending typically carries more of the style.”
According to Wattenberg, Olivia dupes include, Lavinia, Ophelia and Isadora. Wattenberg also notes that Beatrix and Beatrice, like Olivia, have a “romantic flavor.”
For Liam, the top boys’ name in the U.S., Wattenberg suggests Owen, Ian, Finn, Roman, Eamon and Niall. Wattenberg’s picks replicate the “smoothness” of Liam.
If you like Emma…
“Alma and Clara have the same qualities as Emma. They’re simple and classic,” Wattenberg says. “Lucy and Alice have a different sound, but carry the essence of Emma.”
If you like Charlotte…
Wattenberg describes Charlotte as a “very traditional, classic female sound without an A ending.” Dupes include Josephine, Pennilyn and Celeste.
If you like “gentle but serious” Sophia…
Try Victoria, Isabel, Althea or Octavia.
If you like “old-fashioned” Evelyn…
You could go with Vivian, Hazel, Scarlett, Esther, Eleanor, Violet, Lillian or Dorothy. Wattenberg raves that Dorothy is a “yet to be rediscovered name that has the advantage of many different nicknames.”
If you like Isabella…
Arabella, Anastasia, Alessandra or Raffaella could work instead.
If you like “smooth and biblical” Noah….
Eli, Jonah, Boaz, Ari and Simon give a similar vibe.
If you like “antique but fun” Oliver…
Tobias, Cyrus, Jasper, Phineas, Alistair abd Benedict all have a familiar feeling.
If you like Elijah…
Isaiah, Tobias, Micah, Malachi, Simeon and Judah could work too.
If you like Theodore, a formal style name with many nicknames….
Try out August, Augustus, Benedict or Frederick.
Jessie Paquette, a professional baby-name consultant and founder of Dream Baby Names, also shared some of her picks:
If you like Amelia…
Emeline, Adele, Aurelia
If you like like Ava…
Aviva, Ada, Ivy
If you like Mateo…
Marco, Bruno
If you like Lucas…
Logan, Declan
If you like Harper…
Harlow and Piper
If you like Eliana…