Little Doesn't Mean Less

Cool short form of Alexander, fresher than Alex and less trendy than Xander... for now.

Short, sweet, and clear, Lia is used throughout Europe, across America, and in some areas of Asia and Africa, making it a truly international and versatile choice.

Liv combines the succinct charm of a nickname—people might assume it's short for Olivia—with the solidity of being a classic stand-alone Scandinavian name with a life-force meaning. It was brought into the public eye (in the English speaking world that is) due to the fame of actress and Aerosmith daughter Liv Tyler.

Lou is usually a short form of Louise, Louisa, or Lucy in English-speaking countries, when Lou is used for girls at all. But in France and Germany, it's a fashionable choice all on its own, sure to gain even more widespread style credibility since Heidi Klum and Seal chose it for their daughter.

Lynn was a Top 100 girls' name in the US from the 1940s through the 60s, and shortened form Lyn's popularity followed the same trajectory. Today, Lyn is far more often found as a name suffix, in popular names such as Evelyn and Brooklyn down to hundreds of invented choice from Timberlyn to Summerlyn. Big sister Lynn was given to only about 50 baby girls in one recent year, and Lyn to only six. While we don't foresee an imminent comeback, Lyn and Lynn could definitely rise in the coming decades via the Hundred Year Rule.

Mae, a sweet and springlike old-fashioned name, hadn't been on the national charts in forty years, but finally made it back in 2010. Mae is derived from May, the month name that was chosen for its connection to Maia, the Roman goddess of growth and motherhood.

Mia is an appealingly unfussy multicultural name that has enjoyed a meteoric rise up the charts and is now firmly among the ten top girl names. Mia has surpassed its mother name Maria as the Number 1 girls' name starting with M.

An exceedingly friendly every-guy nickname that could rise alongside the likes of Ike, Sid, and Ned.

Ned is a gently old-fashioned Nancy Drew-Bobbsey Twins-era short form for Edward that sounds cooler than Ed and is enjoying a small style renaissance.

This nouveau name of Keanu Reeves's character in The Matrix has not enjoyed the same burst of popularity as its female counterpart, Trinity, but it definitely sounds, well, newer. Neo Rauch is an interesting contemporary German artist.

This can make an unusual yet simple middle name choice, especially for anyone with family ties to Wales.

The original Pip was the main character in Great Expectations (full name Philip Pirrip). Cute for a tike, maybe too cute for an adult.

What child wouldn't like a name that was a synonym for cool?

Short and feminine, Ria has a rhythmic flow.

Rio is a reductive ranchero place-name with an attractive Tex-Mex lilt. No Doubt's Tom Dumont has a son named Rio Atticus.

Macho-er than thou.

Rue has gone from Golden Girls actress to Hunger Games heroine to a fresh alternative to beloved middle name Rose. This botanical name is also a coincidental double word name, meaning "regret" in English and "street" in French. Despite these unfortunate secondary meanings, Rue has real potential to be one of the most popular new middle names for girls.