Boyish Nicknames for Girls

This tiny but punchy name has multiple origins. It stands strong alone, but could be short for numerous names including Bonnie and Bodhi. In Mandarin Chinese, Bo means "wave".

This old man nickname feels remarkably fresh when applied to girls and can be used as a short form of Lena, Helena, Magdalena, Lennon or Lennox. The pan-European Leni is identical in sound yet feels a little lighter and fresher, and is a fashionable favorite in Germany.

If you're over Allie, consider Alfie. This nickname name has already made a splash as a top 20 pick for boys across the pond. But with the growing trend of scrappy tomboy names, Alfie makes a promising choice for girls too.

Jett is part of a growing trend of boyish nicknames for girls - alongside Lou, Teddy, and co. With a cool girl image, this punkish nature name may appeal. Lisa Ling made Jett an option for girls when she gave it to her daughter in 2013.

Theo has a girls' name is used for only a handful of babies today. As a short form of Theodora, Theo is used much less frequently than Thea or even Teddy. One notable appearance was as the younger daughter in Sofia Coppola's film On the Rocks in 2020.

Most female Rays used to spell their names Rae, but now the Ray Charles, ray-of-sunshine way is cool for both genders.

One of the sweet simple unisex names balanced enough to stand on its own.

Short form occasionally used on its own, with an open and friendly androgynous quality.

Rarely given as a full name for baby girls, but occasionally used as a nickname for names such as Harriet and Henrietta.

Though every Spanish student knows that the male classic is pronounced HY-me, for girls this is a straight homonym for Jamie, a favorite ambisexual 1970s nickname name. Another way to think of it is as a variation of the French "J'aime" (meaning I love).

One of the original unisex Irish surname names, energetic Casey bounced onto the scene in the 1960s, then peaked in the 1980s for both boys and girls. Today Casey is having a resurgence for both girls and boys and re-entered the charts on the girls' side, likely due to the character Kayce Dutton (pronounced like Casey) on the hit show Yellowstone.

The name Jo still evokes the spunky image of the character in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Its literary status makes Jo one of the OG boyish nicknames for girls, ala Frankie, Billie, and Stevie. If you like that form, you can lengthen it to Joey.

Freddie, especially with the ie ending, is one of the old-school boy-names-for-girls that came into vogue at the turn of the last century. Freddie, all on its own, ranked among the Top 1000 girl names until 1958, but in 2021 it was given to just 8 baby girls. Maybe that makes it prime for a comeback, ala Billie?

Charlie and its many forms are on the rise -- including Charley, which relates more directly to the male formal name Charles. Surprisingly, though, while the number of girls and boys named Charlie are nearly even, there are six times as many girls named Charley than boys.

So uncool it's cool! Bertie makes for a boyish nickname for Alberta, Roberta, Bertille, Albertine... or just use it on its own, à la Billie or Frankie. Old school unisex nickname names are back in and Bertie has an undeniable vintage charm; particularly given soundalike Birdie rising in the ranks.

This variation of Corey has a Kardashian-style spelling update -- which might be why it's experiencing a boost in popularity of late. Kori is also a Kikuyu name meaning lamb, one of the many names from that African culture with animal meanings, and a short form of Koral, the Hebrew form of Coral.

Androgynous nickname for Veronica, Rhonda or Rona. Traditionally a male nickname for Ronald, Ronnie s finding new life as a girl's name amid the rising trend of boyish nicknames for girls. With its short, spunky style, Ronnie fits right in alongside other revived vintage picks like Frankie and Scottie.

Jackie Kennedy gave this name a lot of style, but it doesn't seem destined for a comeback the way brother name Jack has. Jackie and Jacqueline both peaked in 1961.

Boyish nickname name that first heard in the Ricki/Terri era but finding new favor among parents who love names like Billie and Frankie, Scottie and Stevie. Sister spelling Andie has also been on the rise in recent years, and when you combine the two, around 700 girls received the slightly retro moniker.

Cosy but cool, Archie has been a favorite nickname for boys in the UK since the 2000s. More recently, it re-entered the US Top 1000 after a 30 year absence and saw a big rise after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle chose it for their son in 2019. As a girl name, it has been occasionally used, albeit rarely.