Cute Boy Names

A cutesy short form of Jordan that's never been overly popular. Pro Bowl wide receiver Jordy Nelson is one famous bearer.

Archie, Albie, and Alfie are coming back into style, so naturally, we think Alvie could be next. Alternate spelling Alvy was used by Woody Allen for his character in Annie Hall.

Tim is a boyish short form very rarely given on its own.

Richie was once a popular enough nickname for Richard that it made the Top 1000 all by itself. It's seriously out of style now -- though still a better choice than Dick or even Ricky.

This nickname name might be cute for a niño, but one of the full names ending in tino would make a more mature statement.

A Leave It to Beaver/old comic-strip name, vacationing for years with the Griswolds in WallyWorld, but now back as WALL-E?

A bit slight to put directly on the birth certificate, but Dom is a pleasant nickname for a boy or a girl.

Cameron is still more popular as a boy's name than a girls and this simple, snappy short form works well for either sex.

Shortening Francisco somehow makes it sound even cooler. Cisco is also the name of a digital security company.

Short for Samuel or long for Sam, Sammy is a sweet midcentury nickname name that we can see coming back.

Hodge is a medieval English nickname for Roger, which was brought to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Roger isn't ready for a comeback yet, but we'd love to see the resurgence of Hodge, which never was a common choice in the US.

Nicky is a forever-cute short form of Nicholas once used as a full name but now relegated to nickname (no pun intended) status.

Flash Gordon makes this a superhero name, but Flash might just appeal to modern parents looking for one of the new active boys' names, ala Ace and Breaker and Ranger. We'd recommend something more pulled-together as a proper name with Flash as a nickname or middle name.

Sixties-style short form that sounds cool again -- though the unscrupulous Pete on "Mad Men" is not a character to emulate.

Sharp and preppy.

This upbeat, friendly surname name has appeared on television's Battlestar Galactica a handful of cartoons, and on a literary note, a character in Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Sports fans might think of Boomer Esiason, the NFL quarterback turned color commentator. He's not the only athlete to answer to the upbeat nickname.

This classic Robert nickname is starting to sound sweet again, along with ultra-retro Bobby.

This snappy nickname may remind some of the 1985 Chevy Chase movie of the same name.

Just the kind of old-fashioned nickname coming back into style.