Three Letter Girl Names

We're hearing Kat more and more being used by Katherines who are tired of Kathy, Kate and Katie. Katti or Kattie is another possibility.

Although it's rarely given in its own right, Ale is a very common nickname for Latinate variations of Alexandra, including Alejandra and Alessandra.

Fei would make a great way to honor Chinese roots in the US, thanks to its similarity to the fast-rising Faye.

Doe is a soft and gentle-eyed middle name possibility and, like Fawn, one of the few animal names open to girls.

The quirky nickname Tig is exceedingly rare, but historically has been used as a short form of Antigone. Today, many people are familiar with the name via comedian Tig Notaro. Notaro was born Mathilde — she was dubbed Tig by her brother Renaud when he had difficulty pronouncing her given name.

Modern, mini nickname for Rebecca, much fresher than Becca or Becky.

Ala is the Igbo earth goddess whose symbol is the crescent moon. In a very different vein, Ala can be a diminutive for Alicja or Alexandra or really any other name with an A at both ends and an L in the middle. Ala is also an Arabic name meaning "excellence, supremacy"; could be confused as a homonym for Allah, or as part of a phrase like a la mode.

Kim was the coolest name... of the 1960s. Kim was popularized by actress Kim Novak, and its energy is still maintained by rapper Lil' Kim, but it holds lil' or no appeal for new babies. Parents who like Kim's short, sweet sound might look to a choice such as Sam, Lou, or Belle.

Sam as a name standing on its own was given to only 18 girls in 2021, versus over 400 boys. But as a short form it's appealing and down-to-earth for both sexes, and heard far more often: There were over 2500 baby girls named Samantha in the US in one recent year and more than 8500 boys named Samuel, so you will hear the name Sam a lot more often than you might guess judging by the numbers for this short form. Like the wildly popular Charlie, Sam is a nickname that works equally well as a girls' name as a boys'. All forms considered, Sam is still one of the most popular names that start with S.

Fiery but slight middle name choice; much more apt to be a redhead's nickname. Instead, check out other names that mean red: Rory, Rowan, Ruby.

Zoe is one of those popular names that's inspired many spelling variations, and Xoe is one of the new ones. A simple name sure to attract a lot of attention.

Variant spelling of Nyx, the name of the Greek goddess of the night. It also coincides with the English word "nix, a corruption of German nichts "nothing".

A girl named Liz on her birth certificate could feel deprived of her full identity. Call her Liz, but name her Elizabeth -- or at least Lizbeth or Eliza.

One of the sweet simple unisex names balanced enough to stand on its own. Ali can either be used as a shortening of Al- beginning names and is also an Arabic name in its own right.

Much-used midcentury diminutive, now fallen far from favor even as a middle name.

May be the most modern, stylish Catherine nickname: more unusual than Kate or Cate, with an animal and word name edge. Cat Power is a trendy folksinger.

So airy, it's almost not there.

As Theo and Thea get more popular, so do Teo and Tea, short forms of the Latinate variations of Theodore and Matthew -- which include Dorotea and Mattea. But like Theo and Thea, Tea can stand perfectly well on its own and blends seamlessly into any Anglophone or European culture, if that is your aim. Some may argue that the Tea version is the prettiest and it's certainly the sleekest.

Traditionally a masculine diminutive of Moses, Moe could work equally well as a short, sweet, gender-bending nickname for girls – perhaps from Ramona, Moana or Monroe.