Names That Mean Form

If you think there are too many Zachs around, you can use this historic nickname for Zachariah instead, though it does have a somewhat feminine feel.

Ursa might be a good choice if you're looking for a bear name for your daughter but want to avoid the She Witch curse placed on Ursula by Disney's The Little Mermaid. Too bad, because Ursula is a classic and lovely name, but Ursa has less baggage.

Nearly unknown outside the British Isles, this old Scottish variation has a sleek surname feel that can make an excellent update of the flagging Christopher.

Armando takes the flat-footed Herman and makes it romantic. This is another of the Latin names we expect to be seeing more of.

Milly and her more popular sister Millie are adorable Old Lady nickname-names springing back to life. Nearly 100 baby girls were named Milly, just Milly, last year, and Millie is in the US Top 500. Milly is the Molly of the new generation.

Pronounced like Sunny, Suni is the nickname of astronaut Sunita Williams. Suni is also the nickname of US Olympic gymnast Suni Lee, whose full name is Sunisa.

Auggie, a variation of the more common Augie, is an adorable and, at this point, fresher sounding short form than Gus of the rising August and all its variations, from Augustine to Augustus.

A gallicized spelling of Mazhe, itself a Breton version of Matthew, which is currently popular for baby boys in France.

Simple, friendly, distinctive name heard in several cultures. The a ending may feel more feminine in the US than Ole, though both variations are acceptable in Scandinavia.

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.

This spelling variation of Marsaili simplifies and sleekens one of the most distinctive Scottish names for girls.

Truly original yet not strange name ripe for the plucking by the adventurous baby namer. Aurelius works too.

The Spanish form of Andrew is popular enough in the US to rank near the Top 200. As Andrew, Andy, and Drew feel less fresh, Andres is still up-and-coming, with a global feel that could travel well anywhere. Andres has been used in the US dating all the way back to when name data began to be kept, and has never fallen out of the Top 1000. Despite this, it has only been since the 90s that Andres has cracked the Top 200. Andre is a similar-sounding alternative that has French and Portuguese roots.

Charli may be the new Charlie, which is the cooler Charlotte. British singer-songwriter Charli (born Charlotte) XCX, creator of the hit album Brat, and TikTok star Charli D'Amelio popularized the Charli spelling.

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.

Related to the Russian name Nikolai, this is a fresh and worldly form of a popular favorite.

Mica is not the same name -- though it sounds the same -- as Micah, but the h makes it feel more masculine.

The quintessential friendly fifties name, nearly epidemic in its day. Now many grownup Debbies have reverted to the full and lovely form of their name, which modern parents often avoid because of the name Debbie ringing too loudly in their ears.

Raf is a raffish short form that many a cool boy would love to call his own.

Commonly used in Russia, has an Old World Slavic feel. The original Galen can be used for girls as well as boys.