It isn't just Nevaeh anymore.
Wordplay names, especially reversed spellings, are on the rise with namers of all styles. Aidan and Nadia, for instance, is a top-10 pairing for male/female twins. Semaj, created from James, is a top-1000 name for boys…and in the top 2000 for girls, too.
But like month and season names, this style is self-limiting. Not many names sound as good backwards as they do forwards. To spare you sleepless nights mulling over non-starters like Dennis, Lana and Star, I've combed through 4000 names (the top 2000 for boys and girls) to find the plausible backwards name pairs. All names in the left column rank in the top 2000; I eliminated pairs like Alaya and Ayala that are too close to consider using in the same family.
Adair / Riada
Adela / Aleda
Adiel / Leida
Aidan / Nadia
Ajani / Inaja
Alani / Inala
Alec / Cela
Alex / Xela
Alexi / Ixela
Ali / Ila
Allen / Nella
Ameer / Reema
Amin / Nima
Amir / Rima
Amirah / Harima
Anali / Ilana
Ani / Ina
Arden / Nedra
Ares / Sera
Ari / Ira
Aric / Cira
Ariel / Leira
Ariyah / Hayira
Aven / Neva
Avi / Iva
Axel / Lexa
Ayah / Haya
Aydan / Nadya
Flor / Rolf
Halie / Eilah
Hayes / Seyah
Iman / Nami
Issac / Cassi
Ivan / Navi
Kavon / Novak
Lina / Anil
Mac / Cam
Mara / Aram
Miah / Haim
Mika / Akim
Mikah / Hakim
Miles / Selim
Naima / Amian
Nala / Alan
Nate / Etan
Naya / Ayan
Noa / Aon
Noel / Leon
Nola / Alon
Nova / Avon
Nya / Ayn
Om / Mo
Semaj / James
Siri / Iris
Zaid / Diaz
