Nickname Names

Replaced Patsy as the midcentury's popular, peppy babysitter.

Old-man name, soft as a fraying gray cashmere cardigan, that would be even cuter for a girl.

This spelling pares Will down to the bare minimum — and why not? It is also a Welsh diminutive of William / Wiliam / Gwilym.

Back in Patricia's midcentury heyday, Patty/Patti was the plebeian nickname while Tricia/Trisha and Tish/Trish carried a snobby-yet-insubstantial image associated with then First Daughter Tricia Nixon.

An English diminutive of Isabel or Elizabeth that works best with a longer form on the birth certificate.

Zibby is the adorable, zippy nickname for Elizabeth used for the lead female character in the film "Liberal Arts." Zibby can make a Libby for the 21st century.

A thoroughly old-school nickname for Ambrose — one that lightens up the serious full form.

Marge used to be as common as Maggie or Megan, ranking on its own in the girls' Top 1000 from 1900 until right after World War II, when so many Old School names fell off the list in favor of a new generation cuter, perkier choices.

As seen on SNL, Pat is the ultimate androgynous name. Stick with long form Patrick, and make sure everyone calls him Patrick.

Wheezy short form of lovely name, featured in the movie "Steel Magnolias." Go for Lou or Lulu instead.

Barb is a midcentury nickname name that, like Deb and Sue, feels terminally dates now. But with the revival of Barbie, Barb may not be far behind.

Baby is rarely seen as a given name — or even nickname — these days, although it did rank in the Top 1000 from 1989 to 2003. These instances can be accounted for in two ways. Firstly, infants whose birth certificates are not filled out on time are given generic placeholders for registration, such as Infant, Unknown, or Baby. But more influential during this decade was the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing, starring Jennifer Grey as Frances "Baby" Houseman. It's the origin of the famed line, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

Uncommon choice too reminiscent of "bidet". Try Bridie instead.

Tay is occasionally used on its own, or as a nickname for the now fading Taylor.

Nickname left over from the last generation.

Sydney may be by far the more popular spelling of this name for girls, but it's also predominantly female. Over 1200 baby girls were named Sydney in 2021 vs. 37 baby boys. Contrast that with Sidney, a spelling used for about 150 babies of each gender. That makes Syd the more common spelling for girls of this cute short form.

Old fashioned nickname that some girls just might be able to pull off. You'd just have to be sure your little Fancy was one of them.

Peg is a nostalgic turn-of-the-last-century nickname, sociable but slight. Like near-identical twin Peggy, Peg is in mothballs.