Nickname Names

Reduces and lightens up the Job connection even further, sounding like a lively, Jody-like nickname name.

A Robert nickname out of use for hundreds of years, but now sounds cooler than Bob or Rob for a modern boy.

More modern nickname for Victoria than Vicky. Better known as Tori spelling.

Mickey is a nickname-name redolent of the mid-20th century and best-known as a mouse name. While this spelling works for either gender, the girls' version is more often spelled Micki.

Thad is a tad too slight to stand alone as a name, though as a short form of the imposing Thaddeus it's as serviceable as Ted or Ed.

Shell has been used as a short form of Shelley for all genders and Sheldon for boys. That was then: Now, Shell can be a beachy nature name and word name turned baby name.

Cute, old-world nickname virtually unknown outside of the Jewish community.

Out of fashion alongside the full form - Geraldine. But with boyish nicknames for girls rising, maybe Geri isn't so far out.

Short form of Harvey, variation of Harve.

Lissy may be this generation's answer to Missy. It's rare to see Lissy on a birth certificate, but if you pay attention, you may notice it as a nickname for names such as the classic Elizabeth or hot traditional choice Felicity.

Davy and Davey are certainly short forms that are frequently used but rarely wind up on the birth certificate. And why, since David is such a handsome, classic, yet short and simple name on its own?

Bobbsey Twins-era nickname name that could find new life via Nan, heroine of The Nanny Diaries. Nan was also the nickname of Annabel St George, the protagonist of Edith Wharton's novel "The Buccaneers".

Jaunty Jancey hails from the United Kingdom, where it appeared in England as a surname and in Scotland as a nickname for Janet. It's extremely uncommon in the US, given to fewer than five baby girls in the most recent year on record. You'll be hard-pressed to come across another Jancey in your life, so if unique names are a priority for you, this jolly and accessible choice belongs on your list.

Although Krishna is popular in India, only this diminutive variation made the US Top 1000 in 2013. It also features in the UK Top 1000, appealing in its simplicity, ability to work in multiple languages and spiritual significance.

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

Cosy is a, well, cozy name, whose only downside is people forever making that dumb joke. Cosy can be short for Cosima or Cosette but can certainly stand on its own as a word name. Another plus: Sounds like Posy, Josie, and Rosie.

The charming Hitch played by Will Smith in the eponymous movie put this into the lexicon. Also known as the nickname of director Alfred Hitchcock and writer Christopher Hitchens, who titled his autobiography "Hitch."