Nickname Names

This is a name you get stuck with, not (we hope) one your parents choose for you.

This familiar Irish surname, best known as the name of the mononamed Welsh female singer, is extremely rare as a first name in the US but could make an original Irish choice.

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.

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

Gertie has a certain homespun charm, summoning to mind butter-yellow braids and denim overalls, summoning mind the adorable character played by little Drew Barrymore in E.T. Is the world ready for the return of Gertie and Gertrude? Maybe?

A warm and cuddly nickname name, although he famously "kissed the girls and made them cry" in the old nursery rhyme.

Short form of Alfred that had fallen out of favor, but could come back alongside Alfie and other clunky old-style nicknames like Gus and Ike.

In its mid-20th century heyday, Deedee -- or Didi or Dede -- was not infrequently used as a name in its own right. It's a cute, or maybe cutesy, short form of names like Deanne.

An informal nickname for names such as Julia, Juliette, and June.

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

All varieties of Hob are antiquated nicknames for Robert, though this one is saddled with the "Calvin and Hobbes" cartoon association.

Of all the names with repeating sounds, Dede isn't the first we'd use (Lulu or Coco, maybe), but it certainly isn't the last — we much prefer it to Dodo or Fifi.

Suzie (and Susie) was the one of the It Nicknames of midcentury America, right up there with Debbie and Kathy.

Now that Theodora (and Dorothea) are back, the adorable Teddi might work again for a baby girl.

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.

Early is a word-turned-name, pleasantly suggesting the start of a bright new day. Of the new word and day names, Early is one of the best.

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.

Toby is an early unisex name with a Shakespearean pedigree; when used for a girl it retains its tomboyish quality.