Attitude Nicknames for Girls

Tavi has been catapulted into the spotlight by teenage fashion blogger Tavi Gevinson. This cute name, previously not on anyone's scope, could be a way to honor an ancestral David or a short form of the luscious Octavia or could stand as a perfectly stylish name all on its own.

Freddie, especially with the ie ending, is one of the old-school boy-names-for-girls that came into vogue at the turn of the last century. Freddie, all on its own, ranked among the Top 1000 girl names until 1958, but in 2021 it was given to just 8 baby girls. Maybe that makes it prime for a comeback, ala Billie?

Fresher and more exciting than Vicki or Tori.

The protagonist of Toni Morrison's novel, the simple-yet-sensual Sula relates to the Old Testament Shulamit. Alternatively, it might be a short form of Ursula.

Lizzie was commonly used as an independent name in the last half of the nineteenth century. Today Lizzie is still one of the most stylish short forms of Elizabeth, but few U.S. parents put it on the birth certificate.

A vintage short form of Roberta or Barbara, Bobbi fits into the boyish nicknames for girls renaissance.

As a name, Prim is generally short for Primrose – as in the sweet younger sister of heroine Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. But a word of warning: it also coincides with the English word "prim", meaning "disapproving, overly correct".

Slavic diminutive of Anna

A feminine multicultural nickname name perfectly able to stand on its own.

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

We're hearing Kat more and more being used by Katherines who are tired of Kathy, Kate and Katie. Katti or Kattie is another possibility.

Though this may be thought of as a short form of the legitimate name Jetta, that one's gone to the cars. This sounds more modern if a bit supersonic. In the Netherlands, it's in the Top 100, originating as a short form of -ette ending names such as Henriette and Mariette.

This jazzy French diminutive of Isabelle was first made famous by the title character of Raymond Queneau’s novel Zazie dans le métro, which was adapted into a film in 1960. It could also work as a nickname for Elizabeth or Susannah.

Now that Theodora (and Dorothea) are back, the adorable Teddi might work again for a baby girl. Teddi fits the rising trend of boyish nicknames for girls - alongside picks like Leni and Charlie.

Before Beatrice there was Beatrix, which leads naturally to the short form Trix. Trixie is a wise-cracking gum-snapping waitress but Trix is sleek and mischievous -- tricks, get it?

Yes, it's a word name, but Busy is also a rare pet form of Elizabeth. And yes, actress Busy Philipps was christened Elizabeth--she was given the nickname because she was such an active child. She must have been happy with the name, because she also gave her daughters adorable unique baby names, Birdie and Cricket.

Somewhat surprisingly, this old-school David nickname is now used for baby girls in the US more than 80% of the time. In fact, Davie is really heating up for baby girls, in the same style as Frankie and Scottie and Stevie.

This cutesy nickname is best known as that of Imogene Threadgoode in the movie Fried Green Tomatoes.

Bernie is an old school unisex nickname name, on the order of Bobbie or Willie. But with Billie and her tomboyish crew coming back, it's time to get Bernie on your radar! Bernie has a certain vintage charm and is boosted by the funky clunky Bernadette long form.