Better strictly as nicknames

One of the first breakaway unisex baby names, Terry, used independently since the days of Terry and the Pirates, is still used for boys though it's faded away for girls.

Terry hit the Top 30 in the fifties; it was seen then as a cool, sleek gender neutral name, but it's long since lost that edge. Today's Terry would probably be Tess or Tessa.

A short, bright name which originates as a short form of names including Tiana, and Tatiana. Not as popular as Mia – a plus if you're seeking a short and pretty but less common name. In Spanish and Portuguese tía/tia is a word meaning "aunt". In Haida culture in indigenous Canada, Tia is a goddess of peaceful death.

A more modern nickname for Victoria than Vicky, Tori is used fairly frequently on its own, kept in the public eye by singer Tori Amos and actress Tori Spelling. Still, it's far from fashionable, sinking in the polls significantly since reaching a peak of Number 142 in 1994.

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.