Updated November 2026
Across 8 pages
of 8
Finnish, short form of Johannes
"God is gracious"
A cute Finnish mini-name originating from Johannes.
Dutch short form of Suzanne or Susan, Hebrew
"lily"
Suze can be a diminutive of Susan or Susanne.' Suze also exists as an independent Dutch name, pronounced SHU-sha, While Suze is one of the fastest-rising girl names in the Netherlands, no baby girls…
Dutch short form of Sebastian, Latin from Greek
"man of Sebastia"
Bastiaan is a common Dutch form of Bastian, a short form of Sebastian that stands on its own. While the double A is not intuitive for English speakers, the name is widely used in the Netherlands. Bas…
Hungarian or Slavic short form of Alexandra or Sarah; Cherokee
"goose"
Sasa is a simple name with complex origins. In the Cherokee language, it means goose. It might also be a Hungarian or other Easterm European short form of Sarah or Alexandra, ala Sasha. Some sources…
Word name or short form of Pepper, English and Latin from Sanskrit
"the pepper plant"
Peppy is undeniably cute, but we bet that after a while the jokes aren't.
English diminutive of names ending in deen, dene or dine, or short form of Deanna
"valley; divine"
Best associated with the Judy Blume novel of the same name, Deenie is a retro feeling nickname choice. Deenie is gaining fresh style traction along with similar boyish nickname-names for girls:…
Estonian short form of Adeele, Germanic
"noble"
Originally used as a diminutive for Adeele — the Estonian form of Adele — Teele is also used as a stand alone name and even has its own Name Day in Estonia, celebrated on December 16. Gentle but…
Celtic, Short Form Of aoibheann
"beautiful, radiant"
One of many Irish names that, despite pronunciation challenge, are beginning to be taken into consideration here as authentic Celtic versions of familiar English names.
Hebrew, short variation of Bathsheba
"daughter of an oath"
This biblical place-name for the region now known as Yemen started to feel fresh again as the name of the heroine of Zoe Heller's Notes on a Scandal , played on screen by Cate Blanchett. Sheba is…
English word name or variation of Kay, diminutive of Caitlin, Catherine, etc.
"small island; pure"
Cay is a rare respelling of the retro nickname Kay, but one that may gain ground as a name that's both simple and unique. Like Kay, it can be a diminutive for any of the hundreds of Catherine…
Old English short form of Jean or Janet
It feels like a slenderized modern version, but Jennet actually has deep roots. Could this plucky name rescue Janet and Jenny from their datedness?
Anglicization of Ciorstag, the Gaelic nickname for Christine, or short form of Kirsten
Actress Kirstie Alley popularized this short form that's been off the popularity register for a decade.
Scandinavian, short form of Odelia
Ada, yes. Ida, maybe. But Oda, a Scandinavian version of Odelia, not really. To English speakers, it sounds too much like "odor".
Hebrew short form of Raziah
"the Lord's secret"
Raz, like many similar names, is used for both girls and boys in modern Israel. Simple, sleek, memorable.
Scandinavian short form of Christina
"annointed, Christian"
The Steen, Steena, and Stina nicknames for Christina are much more common in Scandinavia than in the English-speaking world, which prefers the Chris variations.
Word name or short form of Axel
Ax makes a somewhat threatening short form of the popular Axel, given to more than 3000 baby boys last year. It can also be used on its own, though it usually isn't. There were, however, seven baby…
English, originally a nickname for a short person
Nothing but a hound dog.
Word name or short form of Ignacio
Not unless you want your son to grow up to be just like a wacky Jack Black character.
Persian
"short spear"
This is most familiar here as a musical name, via Indian Parsi conductor Zubin Mehta, but it certainly could be used by others.
Hebrew, Short form of Zachary
"the Lord has remembered"
Zakk is an ekstra-kinetic spelling of a short form that's more and more often standing on its own, also as Zac, Zak, Zach, and Zack. This version is largely associated with musician Zakk Wylde.