Turtle Names

Marty is one of those Old Man nicknames that's just starting to sound cute again.

This cosmological name has a zippy feel that might work well for the galactic parent looking for the perfect name for their own little star.

Popularized for girls after Kirsten Dunst portrayed high school cheerleading captain Torrance Shipman in the 2000 movie Bring it On. Tori is an easy nickname.

A medieval German saint's name which remained popular in Germany until the middle of the 20th century. It is still in relatively wide use in other European countries, including Poland and Hungary. With other Bert names – like Robert and Albert and even Gilbert – appealing to lovers of strong, traditional boy names with a slightly clunky charm, Norbert could be one of those so-out-it's-in choices that everyone knows, but almost no one is using.

Brother for Biff and Bud. McFly rocker Tom Fletcher transformed this from midcentury short form to modern cool name when he used it for his newborn son.

Tippi is best known as the nickname of actress Tippi Hedren, star of Hitchcock's "The Birds" and "Marnie." Hedren's real name was Nathalie Kay; her father dubbed her Tippi. Although the name will inevitably be reminiscent of Hedren, it could make a cute short form for a name such as Tiffany or Philippa.

Laguna Beach is a famous California spot -- though there's "goonie" teasing potential.

Stormy is on the rise following the birth of Kylie Jenner's daughter Stormi, although the starbaby's spelling has taken over the lead.

Minty isn't a fresh word name — it's an old-fashioned nickname for Araminta, the romantic smoosh name coined by playwright William Congreve in 1693.

Scandinavian names are fashionable these days, and Torsten is one that is used only occasionally: About 20 baby boys were named Torsten in the US last year.

The ultimate artist's name would make an unforgettable impression. It's the first name of famed Italian director Antonioni.

Though it sounds like a modern invention, Champ actually has a long history as a first name. It hit the Top 1000 several times just before and after the turn of the 20th Century.

Zippy is a cute nickname that livens up the Biblical Zipporah. Too cute? Your call.

A South American dance style whose name derives from Latin tangere "touch". It's also a popular orange-flavored fizzy drink in the UK, as well as the word for the letter T in the NATO phonetic alphabet.

Bean is a unisex word name with a cute and quirky feel. Early reader series Ivy and Bean features a young girl named Bean, short for Bernice Blue. It has appeal as a casual nickname or middle name, but it's harder to imagine as a given name.

Sean and Robin Wright Penn chose this name for their son to honor their friend Dennis Hopper; others might associate it with the painter Edward. Couldn't be more spirited.

Hurley is a possibility as a unisex surname-name ending with the "lee" sound. It is perhaps most associated with British actress Elizabeth Hurley, and is much rarer than Harley, because the "ur" sound is currently out of fashion (and the word "hurl" may put some off).

Wellington is a tony-sounding English surname turned baby name by pregnancy guru Rosie Pope, who calls her son Wells for short. It's also the middle name of one of the Sweet Home sextuplets, Blu Wellington.

Albertine and Alberta are old-fashioned feminizations ala Geraldine and Roberta. This is the kind of name that sounds very dowdy until a hip celebrity chooses it, at which point we don't know how we missed its coolness all this time.