Ultimate Guide to Name Variations Across Different Cultures
Why is “Jacob” pronounced “Yakov” in many Slavic languages? How do you say “Catherine” in Portugal? Why does the simple name “John” look so strange in the Scandinavian languages?
And what might your favorite English name sound like in a different country such as Norway, Finland, Poland, or France?
Let’s have a look.
Related: 10 Fascinating Baby Name Traditions From Around the World
Are Names Different in Different Languages?
Yes.
Why? We’re glad you asked.
Different languages have different phonologies, that is, different sounds and different rules about how to arrange them.
English, for example, allows a word to start with -st, while Spanish often prefers to put a vowel before this combination. This is why we have Steven in English and Esteban in Spanish.
Japanese, on the other hand, uses the -r and -l sounds very differently and doesn’t allow a consonant at the end of a word. This is why you might hear Daniel translated as Danieru in Japan.
And in some Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Norway, the j-sound is pronounced as i, giving us Johannes (pronounced yo-HAN-nes) for John.
This is one reason why the same name may look and sound so different in Switzerland, Russia, the Netherlands, Turkey, and so forth.
Immigration and Name Changes
Sometimes, when people move to a country with a different language from their own native language, they may change their name so that it’s easier for people in their new country to pronounce it.
The Hindi name Ajay, for example, sounds like the English nickname “A.J.” Ibrahim, a popular name in Swahili, is a variation of Abraham. Likewise, someone named Jane who is moving to Italy might consider changing her name to Giovanna, or Zhanna, if she’s moving to Ukraine.
Same Name, Different Languages
Now for the fun part: what do familiar names look like in different languages? You might be surprised by the changes familiar names go through in translation. It might also surprise you to learn that some popular names, like Jacob and James, are actually variations of the same name.
You might notice that we don’t include a lot of baby names that became popular after the 20th century. This is because modern names haven’t had enough time to spread and change across languages.
What is Jacob in other languages? Well, first you need to understand how one name can have many variations depending on culture and country of origin.
Boy Name Variations by Country and Origin
Here are a few of the most popular boy names with different versions and origins from around the world
Aaron: Name Variations
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Exalted
Aaro (Estonian), Haruna (Fula), Harun (Indonesian), Aronne (Italian), Aronas (Lithuanian)
Adam: Name Variations
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Man
Aatami (Finnish), Akamu (Hawaiian), Adamo (Italian), Adao (Portuguese), Adan (Spanish), Adem (Turkish)
Alexander: Name Variations
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Protector
Iskandar (Arabic), Sikander (Bengali), Alexandre (French), Aleksandru (Romanian), Aleksandr (Russian. Nicknames: Alex, Alexei, Sasha), Alejandro (Spanish, Portuguese)
Andrew: Name Variations
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Masculine
Andreas (Danish), Andor (Hungarian), Anaru (Maiori), Andrei (Russian)
Anthony: Name Variations
Origin: Etruscan
Meaning: A Roman family name
Teun (Dutch), Ekaterini (Greek), Anakoni (Hawaiian), Antonio (Italian), Anto (Serbian), Anton (Swedish)
Arthur: Name Variations
Origin: Brythonic (Celtic)
Meaning: Bear
Yase (Chinese), Artur(Czech), Artturi (Finnish), Artur (Irish), Aseo (Korean), Arturo (Spanish)
Charles: Name Variations
Origin: Proto-Germanic
Meaning: Ruler
Karel (Dutch), Karl (German), Carlo (Italian), Charuzu (Japanese), Carolus (Latin), Karol (Polish), Carlota (Spanish)
Christopher: Name Variations
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Christ-bearer
Kristapor (Armenian), Kilikopela (Hawaiian), Kristof (Hungarian), Cristoforo (Italian), Hristofor (Romanian), Crisdean (Scottish Gaelic), Cristobal (Spanish), Cristoffis (Welsh)
David: Name Variations
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Beloved
Daud, Dawood, Dawud (Arabic), Taavet (Estonian), Daibhi (Irish), Tavita (Samoan)
Henry (Harry): Name Variations
Origin: Germanic
Meaning: Home Ruler
Endika (Basque), Henri (French), Hendrik (Dutch), Heinrich (German), Enrico (Italian), Enrique (Spanish)
Jacob (James): Name Variations
Origin: Greek, Hebrew
Meaning: To follow
Jaak (Dutch), Yage (Chinese), Seamas (Irish), Giacomo (Italian), Yakov (Hebrew, Russian), Jakab (Hungarian), Iakobus (Latin), Jaghub (Persian)
John: Name Variations
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Gracious
Yahya (Arabic), Ohannes (Armenian), Vanja (Croatian), Johann (German), Sean (Irish), Yohana (Hindi), Hannes (Icelandic), Giovanni (Italian), Yohanes (Indonesian), Jonas (Lithuanian), Ivan (Russian), Ian (Scottish), Evan (Welsh)
Joseph: Name Variations
Origin: Greek
Meaning: He Will Add
Yusuf (Arabic), Josef (Icelandic ), Seosamh (Irish), Giuseppe (Italian), Jose (Spanish), Issouf (West African), Yossel (Yiddish)
Joshua: Name Variations
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Yahweh is Salvation
Isa (Arabic), Josu (Basque), Yeshua (Hebrew), Jesus (Spanish)
Leonard: Name Variations
Origin: Germanic
Meaning: Brave lion
Lennart (Danish), Lenni (Finnish), Leonardo (Italian), Leonardas (Lithuanian)
Mark: Name Variations
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Consecrated to the god Mars
Marc (French), Maleko (Hawaiian), Markus (Norwegian), Marek (Polish), Marcos (Spanish)
Michael: Name Variations
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Who is like God?
Misho (Bulgarian), Miska (Finnish), Mihalis (Greek), Mihai (Romanian), Miguel (Spanish)
Matthew: Name Variations
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Gift of God
Matevos (Armenian), Mathias (German), Matthieu (French), Matteo (Italian), Maciej (Polish), Matviy (Ukrainian)
Nicholas: Name Variations
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Victory of the People
Nikola (Bulgarian), Niko (Croatian), Klaus (German), Miklos (Hungarian), Niels (Icelandic), Nicolo (Italian), Klavs (Latvian), Nils (Swedish)
Paul: Name Variations
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Humble
Palle (Danish), Bulus (Hausa), Paolo (Italian), Pawel (Polish), Pablo (Spanish), Pavlo (Ukrainian), Phao-lo (Vietnamese)
Robert: Name Variations
Origin: Germanic
Meaning: Bright Fame
Roparzh (Breton), Róbert, Robi (Hungarian), Róbert (Icelandic), Roibeárd (Irish), Roberto, Berto (Italian), Roberts (Latvian), Robertas (Lithuanian), Hob, Hopkin (Medieval English), Hopcyn (Medieval Welsh), Hrōþiberhtaz (Old Germanic), Roberto (Portuguese), Rab, Rabbie (Scots), Raibeart (Scottish Gaelic), Róbert (Slovak), Roberto, Berto, Ruperto (Spanish)
Samuel: Name Variations
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God has heard
Ismail (Arabic), Shmuel (Hebrew), Samu (Hungarian), Sawyl (Welsh)
Theodore: Name Variations
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Gift of God
Toros (Armenian), Teo (Croatian), Tivadar (Hungarian), Fyodor (Russian)
Thomas: Name Variations
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Twin
Tomica (Croatian), Maas (Dutch), Tuomo (Finnish), Tamati (Maori), Tomasz (Polish), Tamhas (Scottish Gaelic)
William: Name Variations
Origin: Germanic
Meaning: Helmet of Will
Guillaume (French), Wilhelm (German), Liam (Irish), Guglielmo (Italian), Guillermo (Spanish)
Vincent: Name Variations
Origin: Roman
Meaning: To Conquer
Bikendi (Basque), Vinzenz, Vinzent (German), Vincenzo (Italian), Censu (Maltese), Vicente (Spanish)
Girl Name Variations by Country and Origin
If you’re looking for unique baby girl names, why not choose a variation from a different culture?
Agnes: Name Variations
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Chaste
Oanez (Breton), Agnès, Inès (French), Agni (Greek), Agnieszka (Polish), Inez (Spanish), Nesta (Welsh)
Alexandra: Name Variations
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Another name for the goddess Hera
Alesya (Belarusian), Sashka (Bulgarian), Sandra (Polish), Alja (Slovene)
Ann, Anna: Name Variations
Origin: Greek
Meaning: After the prophetess Hannah
Anika (German), Anouk (French), Hannah (Hebrew), Nainsi (Irish), Anita (Spanish), Henye (Yiddish)
Catherine: Name Variations
Origin: French
Meaning: Pure
Katya (Bulgarian), Trijntje (Dutch), Ekaterina (Greek), Kalena (Hawaiian), Katre (Lithuanian), Catalina (Spanish), Ina (Swedish)
Charlotte: Name Variations
Origin: French
Meaning: Ruler
Charlize (Afrikaans), Searlait (Irish), Carolina (Italian), Karola (Polish), Carlotta (Spanish), Lottie (Swedish)
Christina: Name Variations
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Christian
Hristina (Bulgarian), Kirsti (Finnish), Kristin (Icelandic), Tina (Italian), Kirsty (Scottish)
Claire: Name Variations
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Bright, clear
Klara (Croatian), Chiara (Italian)
Elizabeth: Name Variations
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: My God is an Oath
Alzbeta (Czech), Lisbet (Danish), Isabeau (Dutch), Babette (French), Liesel (German), Erszebet (Hungarian), Liana (Portuguese)
Emily: Name Variations
Origin: Roman
Meaning: Rival
Mille (Danish), Emmi (Finnish), Emilia (Italian), Milly (Norwegian), Milka (Polish)
Frances: Name Variations
Origin: German
Meaning: French person
Francoise (French), Ziska (German), Francisca (Portuguese), Paquita (Spanish)
Hannah: Name Variations
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Grace, favor
Anja (Danish), Annette (Franch), Anika (Polish), Anisoara (Romanian), Nandag (Scottish Gaelic), Hanne (Swedish)
Helen: Name Variations
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Torch
Ellen (Finnish), Nelly (French), Eleni (Greek), Lena (Hungarian), Ileana (Romanian), Alyona (Ukrainian)
Isabella: Name Variations
Origin: Medieval Occitan
Meaning: My God is an Oath
Zabel (Armenian), Liliana (Czech), Sabela (Galician), Belinha (Portuguese), Ysabel (Spanish)
Jane: Name Variations
Origin: French
Meaning: God is Gracious
Jeanette (Danish), Janine (Dutch), Jenny (Finnish), Siobhan (Irish), Giovanna, Gianna (Italian), Juana (Spanish), Siwan (Welsh)
Julia: Name Variations
Origin: Roman
Meaning: Related to Jupiter
Yuliya (Bulgarian), Lili (Hungarian), Giulia (Italian), Julieta (Portuguese), Julissa (Spanish)
Lily: Name Variations
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Lily flower
Lilliane (French), Liana (Georgian), Lilien (Hungarian), Lilja (Icelandic)
Lucy: Name Variations
Origin: Roman
Meaning: Light
Lucille (French), Lucia (Italian), Lucinda (Portuguese), Luz (Spanish), Liusaidh (Scottish Gaelic)
Margaret: Name Variations
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Pearl
Retha (Afrikaans), Margot (French), Gretchen (German), Mairead (Irish), Maisie (Scottish), Rita (Spanish), Marharyta (Ukrainian)
Mary: Name Variations
Origin: Egyptian
Meaning: Beloved
Mia (Danish), Mieke (Dutch), Mitzi (German), Malia (Hawaiian), Miriam (Hebrew), Mai (Norwegian), Mhairi (Scottish), Mele (Tongan)
Natalie: Name Variations
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Christmas Day
Natalia (German), Nathalie (French), Natacha (Portuguese), Natasha (Russian)
Regina: Name Variations
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Queen
Regine (French), Ina (German), Gina (Italian), Reina (Spanish)
Sarah: Name Variations
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Noblewoman
Salli (Finnish), Kala (Hawaiian), Sarika (Hungarian), Sarai (Spanish), Tzeitel (Yiddish)
Sophia: Name Variations
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Wisdom
Sonja (Danish), Fieka (Dutch), Viivi (Estonian), Soffia (Icelandic), Zosia (Polish)
Stephanie: Name Variations
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Crown, wreath
Stepanka (Czech), Kekepania (Hawaiian), Fanni (Hungarian), Stefania (Italian), Estefania (Portuguese)
Theresa: Name Variations
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Summer
Tena (Croatian), Tessa (Dutch), Therese (French), Thea (Norwegian), Terezija (Slovene)
So Many Names, So Little Time
This is just a sample of the variations on familiar names throughout the world. Want to learn more about baby names in different cultures? Check out our database of baby names by origin!
For more baby name inspiration check out these popular baby name lists:
