Old School Nicknames

Vintage names have been cool for a while now, but old school nicknames are just starting to come into their own.

The Brits have led the way on the revival of the retro nickname, with their fashionable little Alfies and Evies, Freddys and Teddys — though Teddy just might be a girl.

Especially fresh on this side of the pond are the old school nicknames for boys: We’ve long loved Ned and Joe and Hank, but we are newly fond of such choices as Ray and Hal, Walt and Monty.

For girls, names that are just beginning to awake from a long slumber sound especially fetching: Dottie, Betty, Lou.

Using one of these new old nicknames for your child can be a way to give a fresh spin to a classic name, to distinguish a little girl from her namesake grandma, or to set your Henry apart from the five others on the block.

Here, a roundup of classic and vintage names and their old school nicknames.

girls

Adelaide or Adeline— Addie

Beatrice or Beatrix – Bea or Trixie

Charlotte — Lottie

Dorothea or Dorothy — Dory or Dottie

Edith – Edie

Eleanor or Helen — Nell

Elizabeth – Betty or Libby

Evelyn — Evie

Florence – Flo or Flory or Flossie

Harriet – Hattie

Josephine – Josie

Katherine – Kay or Kitty

Louise – Lulu or Lou

Margaret – Maisie or Peggy

Mary – Mamie or May or Minnie

Mildred – Millie

Sarah – Sally

Theodora – Teddy, Thea, or Dora

boys

Albert — Al or Bert

Alfred — Alfie or Freddy

Arthur – Art

Calvin – Cal

Edward – Ned

Francis – Frank

Harold — Hal

Henry – Hank

James — Jim

John — Jack or Johnny

Joseph – Joe

Louis – Lou

Montgomery — Monty

Raymond – Ray

Robert — Bob

Victor — Vic

Vincent – Vince

Wallace — Wally

Walter — Walt

William — Bill

Woodrow — Woody (but proceed with caution here)

Which are your favorites?

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