Gossip Girl Names

The classic strong-yet-friendly nickname name, much used for charming movie characters.

Now that Zoe is getting wildly popular in the U.S. and the U.K. -- one poll puts it at number one in Wales -- parents may start hunting down fresh twists like this.

This short form of Ivan just could join the other Russian nickname names coming into fashion, and it does have the Chekhov connection.

Permanent property of that devilish little Simpson kid.

The Wolfe spelling shifts this name from animal name to surname-name, aggressive to aristocratic. One source suggests that bearers of the Wolfe family name were all fierce and cunning and/or hunters of wolves. An intriguing choice.

Randolph is a timeworn classic that had its last hurrah in the 1940s, when Randolph (born George) Scott was starring in westerns, but then was probably done in by its tricky nickname Randy (which, strangely enough, was itself a Top 50 name in the fifties and sixties).

Although Julien is traditionally the male French form of Julian, musician Julien Baker has taken this variation of the name to the female side of the ledger. Julien is derived from the Ancient Roman Julius which is in turn related to the God name Jupiter or Jove, The most popular forms of the name in modern times have been Julia and Julian, but many variations for both genders, including Juliet, Julianne, and Julius, have become more visible too.

Often stands alone in Israel, but rarely here.

Last cool when Bogie roamed Casablanca.

Calloway is one of those irresistibly jaunty, animated three-syllable surnames, like Sullivan and Finnegan — but this one has the added attraction of jazzy ties to the immortal "Dean of American Jive," Cab Calloway. For a girl, this could be an unconventional route to the cool nickname Callie.

So far out it's almost ready to be let back in.

Brusque and charmless, two things you don't want your son to be.

Spence is occasionally used as a name all on its own and it has more of a sense of completeness than many nickname-names.

Made famous by Gossip Girl character Epperly Lawrence, Dan and Blair's boss at W Magazine.

Keller is a German surname that originated as an occupational name for a cellar or store master. It may be an honorific for deaf-blind author and activist Helen Keller.

Dazzling Japanese name featured in the 2021 reboot of Gossip Girl as the given name of Aki Menzies.