Crazy Nicknames for Girls

Spunky old vaudeville era nickname name suddenly sounds new again.

Bouncy vintage pet form of names like Dorothy and Dolores.

Dodie was the more common form of this name, as in Dodie Smith, author of The Hundred and One Dalmatians.

Prudy does not improve on Prudence.

Actress Leelee Sobieski's real name is Liliane, after her French grandmother -- a better choice for any baby-namer.

Commonly heard in the eighteenth century, but could cause middle-school titters today. Consider Letty or Tessie instead.

A pet name that's usually unrelated to a person's given name. Musician Bootsy Collins was born William Earl.

Elf is an adorable nickname for the otherwise-clunky Elfrida or Elfrieda. Elf was used for the tragic sister in Miriam Toews' novel All My Puny Sorrows.

Too close to Potty.

Weather inspired choices from Sunny to Stormi are currently in vogue, and Hazy could be a contender to replace 70s star Misty. Referring to fog and dry, dusty air, "haze" is an atmospheric phenomenon in which the visibility of the sky is obscured, in turn evoking imagery of hazy, summer days. Alternatively, it might be used a diminutive of popular Hazel, inspired by the likes of Daisy and Maisie.