1798 Four Letter Girl Names

Babs is an old-fashioned nickname for Barbara, itself an old-fashioned name that was hugely popular in the 20th century but that's not (yet) on its way back in. If you really want a vintage-y nickname name with a lot of attitude that bucks the current friends, go for Babs instead of Betty or Bea.

Coby enjoyed a spike of popularity in the late 90s and early 2000s, along with similar names like Cody and Corey. The unrelated name Kobe, however, enjoyed a spike of its own in 2020, the year the basketball legend Kobe Bryant passed away. Kobi also rose that year for both boys and girls, and today is given to both in equal numbers.

A striking French and Spanish short form of Veronica or Véronique.

The Italian form of Hilda is rarer but sweeter than its mother name, which still isn't ready for revival in the US.

Nuri might be a nickname for the place name Nuria, popular in Spain and Portugal as a honorific for the Virgin Mary. Nuri is also a usually-masculine name heard in the Middle East, but to the Western ear it might work for girls or boys.

Cyan is an attractive color names, but for a girl, better go all the way to Cyane, the name of a Sicilian nymph who lived in a blue pool.

Sprightly and engaging nickname for human, full name for pet. Author Jojo Moyes and dancer/singer Jojo Sliwa have propelled the name into the public eye.

A nickname for names such as Nina, Nicole, and any others containing the "ni" element. Olivia Rodrigo's character Nina "Nini" Salazar-Roberts in the High School Musical series has made it fresh for a new generation.

Ties to the unfortunate Mama are now unraveling, leaving Cass or Cassie to stand on its own as a fresher sounding Cathy or Kate. With gender-neutral names abound and the growing trend of boyish nicknames for girls, Cass may be on the up and up.

A name with something for everyone: for romantics, it's a beautiful Indonesian island; for teckies, it's a computer programming language.

To most English speakers, Nana is the dog in Peter Pan, the daughter played by Emma Stone in Crazy Stupid Love, and another name for Grandma.

Isla is a contemporary gem, so why not Isle? As an English word name, it takes you straight to the literal definition — a small island — which could have an appealing, aspirational ring to it, for those wanting to raise independent children.

The açai palm is a tree native to Brazil that produces açai berries (the base of those trendy smoothie bowls). Since US birth certificates don't allow for diacritical marks, we are unsure if people are naming their children after the fruit (pronounce ah-sah-EE) or omitting the cedilla and pronouncing it a-KYE.

Many variations of Jessica, including Jessie and Jessa, are used on their own, but Jess is an exception, given to only a handful of baby girls last year. But Jess is certainly the name that many Jessicas are called.

These days, it's more likely you'd call your daughter the popular Belle or Bella.