Boyish Nicknames for Girls

Briefly cool in the 1950s, but now gone the way of Ricki and Nikki. More contemporary: Mikie or Mikey.

Not one but two Spice Girls are named Mel, which led to it briefly being more popular for girls than boys in the 90s and early 00s, but it has now fallen out of favor for both sexes.

With echoes of Marty McFly, Martie is a charming retro nickname name which might derive from Martina, Martha, or even Marceline or Matilda.

An early and still quintessentially androgynous name, now supplanted by thousands of fresher options.

Vinny or more usually Vinnie, believe it or not, used to a more common nickname for girls than it is now. Along with Ollie, Bertie, and Gussie. it was a 19th century version of a gender neutral name.

If Caroline is too classic and Callie too cutesy, Cal might work as a cool alternative. Well established and currently in the Top 1000 for boys, it has potential as a gender neutral option too.

Win might be an upbeat short form for a girl named Winifred or the new-fangled Winslet, or can stand on its own. The Welsh name Wynn feels more complete and sounds the same.

Sounds a bit like a shortening of Rafael or a condensation of Rafaela, but Rafa is a name in its own right.

Harrie is one adorable short form of Harriet, an under-appreciated classic. Another adorable short form, Hattie, is over three times as popular as the original.

Boyish diminutive of Augusta, Augustina or August for a girl.

This grandpa-esque nickname traditionally short for masculine names like Osmond, Oscar, or Oswald is starting to get traction on its' own, thanks to its cool, zippy sound. In the Top 1000 for boys in the UK and the US, 2023 saw it given to almost 600 American babies — 70 of which were girls.

See TERRY.

Boyish short form of Regina, which is so clunky it's cool.

This zippy diminutive name has been rising up the charts in recent years as a cool unisex choice. The Ozzy spelling is currently more popular all round, however for girls the Ozzie spelling isn't too far behind. It was given to around 50 American girls in 2023, while Ozzy was chosen for 70.