Vintage Nicknames for Boys

An exceedingly friendly every-guy nickname that could rise alongside the likes of Ike, Sid, and Ned.

Tolly is an antique short form that is not only jolly but makes Bartholomew usable in the modern world, when Bart is too Simpsonesque. For the adventurous nicknamer, Tolly might even be a novel short form of Oliver.

The cool clipped Des may be the part of the name wave of the future, with midcentury names like Des and Vic and Stan riding back into style on the heels of big brothers Max and Sam and Ray.

Mose is the German variation of Moses, a widely familiar name thanks to the character in the Old Testament. Mose is also used a nickname for Moses.

Whether it's an Asian surname-name or short for Channing, has a sound and feel that's both simple and stand-out.

This short form of classic Victor is popular in its own right in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Si is an intriguing antique nickname for Simon and Silas, and we’ve also heard it as a short form of names that contain the "sigh" sound, like Josiah and Osiris.

The old-school cool nickname Hap is a (mostly) bygone short form of classic H names for boys like Henry, Harold, and Harrison. Several notable Haps — including former New Jersey senator Hap Farley — were first nicknamed Happy, later shortened to Hap.

A nickname for Malcolm that at one point ranked independently on the US Top 1000. It still exists as an affectionate pet form, but you’re unlikely to hear a Malcolm introduce himself as Mal.

The male nickname Elzie originated as a short form of Eliezer. Neither are coming back into fashion anytime soon.

In the 18th century, Lafe was the common short form of the French surname name Lafayette. A notable bearer was Lafe McKee, who acted in over 400 films during the first half of the 19th century.

A forgotten nickname for Columbus, which itself is becoming ever rarer. Radio comedy program Lum and Abner, which ran for over two decades beginning in 1931, featured a character named Columbus "Lum" Edwards.

Hoke is a surname name with a Southern feel, thanks to Morgan Freeman's character in the Oscar-winning movie Driving Miss Daisy. Parents may have passed this name by because of the similarity to hokey and hokum, slang for exaggerated or contrived. But there's at least one distinguished bearer: Chicago journalist Hoke Norris, famous for his coverage of the Civil Rights movement.

Once a birth order name, now might work as a cool x-ending nickname. But be warned that it sounds very close to an unfortunate slang term.

So far out it's almost ready to be let back in.

This quirky Old Testament name has potential, as parents are digging deeper into the Bible to find names for their children. It has also been used as a nickname for Obediah.

Appealing, lively, and distinctive.

Efficient feel.

This is a Scottish pet form of John, the equivalent of Jack in England. Has long been used as a generic name for a Scotsman, here it's a generic name for a--well--jock.

Many emotional, virtuous word names are coming back into style, but Happy feels unlikely to be revived. This could be because it doesn't have a solid history of being popularly used (in comparison to Joy) and because it's such a familiarly used word in day to day life (unlike Valor).