Stephen King Character Names

Although we prefer Drew to the old Raggedy Andy, Andy has overtaken Drew as a name in its own right. About twice as many baby boys are named Andy, just Andy -- though about eight times as many parents go with the full Andrew.

Ralphie is one of those short forms that have been out of style for so long it just might have a chance of coming back in, if you can get past seeing it as a desperate attempt to cute-ify a stodgy old man's name.

Literally meaning "lady" in Italian, Donna was the perfect ladylike housewife mom name on The Donna Reed Show in the fifties and sixties. And there were plenty of namesakes: Donna was in the Top 10 in 1964. These days we'd be more likely to associate it with the emanciatpated clothes of Donna Karen than as a baby name.

Medieval name without much of a future.

Most Bills today are dads...or grandpas. The younger Williams are usually nicknamed Will, or called by their full names.

The classic strong-yet-friendly nickname name, much used for charming movie characters.

Arnie is a nerdy-tipping-into-cute nickname that may rise again, if not for this generation of babies then for their babies. Look for it in the nurseries of 2050.

A name that defines itself, a bit more curt in the harder K version.

One of the old-school nicknames -- think Ray, Vince, Frank -- that's on the brink of coming back into style. Name him Stanislav or Constantine and he'll have a groovier long form to fall back on.

Unlike Jake or Sam, few parents put Mike on the birth certificate.

Much-used midcentury diminutive, now fallen far from favor even as a middle name.

Fiery but slight middle name choice; much more apt to be a redhead's nickname.

More commonly spelled JUDD, this is a strong but sensitive short form that can easily stand on its own.

A warm and cuddly nickname name, although he famously "kissed the girls and made them cry" in the old nursery rhyme.

Chris is one of the longest-running and still most appealing unisex short forms, still used nearly equally for boys and girls. Though no longer fashionable, Chris still feels crisp and appropriate for both sexes.

Thad is a tad too slight to stand alone as a name, though as a short form of the imposing Thaddeus it's as serviceable as Ted or Ed.

Richie was once a popular enough nickname for Richard that it made the Top 1000 all by itself. It's seriously out of style now -- though still a better choice than Dick or even Ricky.