Nickname Names

This Nova-offshoot is hot in the Netherlands, where it was recently one of the fastest-rising names of the year. It could eventually see great success in the US as well, and was given to 46 American girls at last count.

Could be a short form of Sylvia, Olivia, or any other similar name. Or a vivid Italian word name.

Actress Tilda Swinton injected this dated nickname name with some modern charm.

After a long time in limbo, Prudence is now so clunky it'a cool, and it's starting to make a comeback, along with other Puritan virtue names like Mercy, Patience, and Constance.

Sander is a more conventional form of Zander or Xander, heard frequently on its own in Europe. It is now a Top 20 name in Norway, and is also popular in Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. 

Theo has a girls' name is used for only a handful of babies today. As a short form of Theodora, Theo is used much less frequently than Thea or even Teddy. One notable appearance was as the younger daughter in Sofia Coppola's film On the Rocks in 2020.

Sixties-style nickname which is also the name of a small biting insect, particularly prevalent in Scotland.

The quintessential midcentury nickname, famously found in Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman."

Gabe ranked in the Top 1000 from 1880 until 1905, when it fell into obscurity. There are fewer than 100 boys named Gabe, just plain Gabe, each year in the US, compared with over 10,000 named Gabriel. Our advice: Go with the crowd and choose the angelic long form, and then call him Gabe if you want to.

Old-time nickname that may follow in the fashionable footsteps of cronies Jake and Sam.

Although we prefer Drew to the old Raggedy Andy, Andy has overtaken Drew as a name in its own right. About twice as many baby boys are named Andy, just Andy -- though about eight times as many parents go with the full Andrew.

Most often associated with Rolling Stone Jagger, Mick is also used as a generic, and derogatory, term for an Irishman.

If Lulu and Lula and Lou all work for girls, why not Louie? We're predicting a rise for baby girls in the wake of all the Lou names trending.

Kenny might be all South Park to some, but it has been in steady use in the US since the 1930s.

In many minds this one belongs to Barbie, but with such positive meanings and international connections, can Ken make the transition to usability again?

Pugnacious and spunky like the young Mickey Rooney and the original Mickey Mouse, but virtually never given to babies today.

Another old-school nickname getting new attention thanks to TV's Mad Men. Names like Fred, Pete, and George have been out so long it's time for them to come back in. It reentered the US Top 1000 in 2015 following a two-year absence from the list. It currently ranks Number 199 in England and Wales.

Letty is a sweet vintage gem, playful and cosy and more unexpected than Lottie, the popular pet form of popular Charlotte. Originally used as a nickname for Letitia or Lettice, it could also work for Scarlett, Juliet, Violet, Leighton, Arlette, Loretta, Colette, or Liberty.

Tully is an Irish surname just waiting to be adapted as a first. Cute and lively, and reminiscent of Tilly or Tali, it's got a long history and a range of possible meanings, depending on which root you use.