Side-Steps

Otherwise known as the "Instead of [this], try [that]" game.

If there's one thing I am authorized to advise parents on, it's popularity. If you combine the two spellings, there were nearly 40,000 other Sara/Sarah's born the same year as me. That would put us in the number three spot overall (behind Jennifer and Jessica). There are good points to giving your kid a popular name: less possibility for teasing in school, less likelihood that the name will be misspelled or mispronounced (assuming you avoid the illiterate spellings of Emilee and the like), and the guarantee that your kid will have a good name-- with one exception, the 10 most popular names are charming and lovely.

But the downsides to popular names should be equally considered: being dated to a certain age group or era, going through the school years as Emily W., and the annoyingly stupid parents who misspell names in misguided attempts to "stand out" and "be creative" (Emilee, Emmalee, and Emely are all included in the current top 1000 names). If these concerns hit a note with you, be proactive. Study the birth announcements in your area. Visit the Social Security Administration's baby name database (http://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/popularnames.cgi). Find out just how common your name of choice is in the country and in your state and city.

So say you love a Top 10 name, like Hannah. You can't imagine a name you could love more than Hannah. But you flinch at the idea of your daughter being one of three Hannah's in her class. Here's where sidesteps come in. I've gone through the ten most popular names for girls (boys will come tomorrow) and selected less popular alternatives that have the same sound or the same background. There are two levels at play: the slightly less popular category-- Allison instead of Madison, for example-- and the very unique-- replacing Madison with Magdalena. Take a spin through the alternatives, and see if you can't find another name that hits the same spot as America's reigning favorites.

Emily/Emma
Sidestep: Amelia, Emilia, Camille, Camilla
Sideleap: Amalia, Amelie, Emmeline, Imogen, Gemma
Amalia is a German name pronounced ah-MAH-lee-ah.
Delicate beauties Amelie and Emmeline are both French, pronounced ah-me-LEE and EM-e-leen, respectively. Amelie was, of course, made better-known by the popular French film.
The distinctive and gorgeous Imogen is a Shakespearean name popular in Australia and England and pronounced IM-o-jen.
Gemma is the Italian word for gem that's fairly popular as a name in Great Britain; it's said JEM-ma.

Madison
Sidestep: Allison, Madeline
Sideleap: Matilda, Magdalena
Magdalena comes from the Biblical figure Mary Magdalene, and it can be said mahg-de-LE-nah or mahg-da-LAY-nah. I prefer the latter, but either is gorgeous and eye-catching-- and legitimately feminine, unlike (the surname and Wisconsin town) Madison.

Isabella
Sidestep: Annabel, Gabriella, Eliana, Arabella
Sideleap: Isadora, Adela, Sibyl
Isadora, which is perplexingly unheard of in the United States, has its roots in the male name Isidore. It's utterly delightful, so jump on it now before it becomes an American phenomenon.
Sweet Adela was big at the turn of the century, but fell out of use in the 1950s. It's closeness to current trends and popular nickname root (Addie) leave it bursting with hit-name potential.
Sibyl is a name used in Greek mythology; it's pronounced SIB-ul. A long, fascinating history, and a memorable alternative to the overused Isabella/Isabelle crowd.

Ava
Sidestep: Eva, Eve, Ivy, Ada
Sideleap: Maeve, Isla, Aviva, Avril
Maeve, while getting some well-deserved popularity love, is still unheard of in some parts of the country. It's the Anglicized version of the Irish name Medb, and it's pronounced mayv. Freaking wonderful, and a great way to ground a more frilly first name.
Isla is hugely popular in Scotland, and will probably be making it's American debut soon; it's said I-lah, like the first beginning of the word island.
Aviva is a high-spirited Jewish name pronounced ah-VEEV-ah.
Avril, made famous by the musician Avril Lavigne, has Scottish roots in the name Averill. It's also the French word for April.

Abigail
Sidestep: Tabitha, Rachel, Leah
Sideleap: Abital or Avital, Abijah, Berenice
Abigail is a strong, dignified Biblical name with the cute nickname Abbie. Tabitha is a strong, dignified Biblical name with the adorable nicknames Tabby and Tibby (used by a character in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series). And as a bonus, Tabitha has been falling in popularity for years. Why not go for it?
Abital or Avital are pretty much unheard of, but they also have Biblical words. Abital was the wife of King David in the Old Testament (say it AB-i-tal). Avital is the Hebrew version.
Abijah was used for both men and women in the Old Testament and has a surprisingly modern look. It's said a-BIE-jah.
Berenice has gotten a sad-sack old lady vibe from the related name Bernice. Forget that. The true Berenice has a quietly devilish spirit, especially with the original pronunciations: ber-e-NIE-see in English, and be-re-NEE-che in Italian.

Olivia
Sidestep: Evelyn, Lydia, Sylvia
Sideleap: Lavinia, Olympia, Ophelia, Niamh
Ah, Lavinia. Used in Roman mythology and Shakespeare, but left by the wayside today. I'll chalk that up to parents' ignorance of this gorgeous classic. It's literary and smart, but offers the cute Liv as a nickname.
Olympia is daring and takes no prisoners. A powerful and unforgettable choice.
The poor Ophelia, another Shakespearean name, has the same soft, lady-like feel as Olivia, but is guaranteed to stand out in any classroom.
Anglicized as Neve, Niamh is an Irish name pronounced neev. I suspect that, like Maeve, it will soon be appearing in full-force on our shores. Spry and pretty, a real winner.

Hannah
Sidestep: Anne, Hazel, Lana
Sideleap: Annika, Hannelore, Harriet, Janet
Dutch Annika shot to popularity over here a few years ago, and boy, was that ever well-deserved. It's happy sound and abundance of nicknames (Ani, Niki, and Nika right off the bat) should make it a hit for years to come.
Some clever person in Germany smushed together Hanne and Eleonore and we reap the benefits in the versatile Hannelore. The pronounciation (HAH-ne-lo-ruh) gives you the nickname options of Hannie and Lory, if the full name is a mouthful for your little girl.
Lumped with the yucky old lady names like Hilda, Harriet has the hidden comeback potential of names like Hazel. It's dashing and memorable for a woman, and the nickname Hattie is as delightful (moreso, I say) as Hannie.
Janet: Damnit, Janet! Jan Brady. Baby boomers. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's been used for centuries, and deserves to be used for generations more. It has character, quiet dignity, and lends an individualist, "I don't care what anybody thinks" air to parents daring enough to use it. Jan is a sweet-but-not-cutesy nickname choice.

Sophia
Sidestep: Sophie, Fiona, Sabrina, Selena
Sideleap: Silvia, Estella, Sonya
My beloved Silvia is the original spelling of Sylvia, and one of the most lilting, gorgeous names of all time. And as a bonus, you get backbone, the wonderful Silvie as a nickname, and a great history (used in mythology and Shakespeare).
I'm not sure why Estella doesn't appear in the top 1000. It has a perfect meaning (star), a lady-like appearance, and a popular nickname (Stella, and for that matter, Ella and Ellie). Jeez, people! Get on it.
Sonya is a Russian pet form of Sophia, and it's worth considering as a nickname or a stand-alone.

Samantha
Sidestep: Susannah, Simone, Martha
Sideleap: Simona, Amarantha, Tamsin, Shoshannah
Simona is the feminine form of Simon used in Italy and Romania, among other countries, and gets you a little closer to Samantha's lush, girly sound. It also gives you the options of Sam as a nickname.
Amarantha is totally over the top, but, hey, sometimes you want that in a name. It's derived from the amaranth flower.
The equally-neglected Thomasina was contracted to form the spunky Tamsin. It's pronounced just the way it's spelled, and given some time, will charm you out of your wits.
Shoshannah is the Hebrew version of the Biblical Susannah. It's soft, exotic, and very pretty. Hannie or Shoshie are adorable on a little girl, too.

Tomorrow: The Boys!