Names That Mean Form
Across 34 pages
of 34
Nica
Short form of Veronica, Latin
"true image"
More often spelled Nika, this is a well-used diminutive for the Eastern European Veronika, and there's no reason that the same principle can't apply in the West. It makes a venerated saint's name…
Erastus
Latinized form of Greek Erastos
"beloved"
The Biblical Erastus was an assistant of Paul's in the New Testament. A name used in the 19th century that has fall off the scope, but may be revived as parents dig deeper for undiscovered Biblical…
Madelina
Latinate form of Madeline
Madelina is the Madeline equivalent used in many European cultures. While it's a simple and melodic name, like its mother name it can lead to lots of spelling and pronunciation problems. The first…
Fate
Short form of Lafayette, French, English word name
"faith; predestined, destiny, chance"
Briefly in the US Top 1000 in the late 19th century, Fate likely emerged as a short form for the old French name, Lafayette. In the contemporary landscape however, it may well be perceived as a word…
Gabe
Short form of Gabriel, Hebrew
"God is my strength"
Gabe ranked in the Top 1000 from 1880 until 1905, when it fell into obscurity. There are fewer than 100 boys named Gabe, just plain Gabe, each year in the US, compared with over 10,000 named Gabriel.…
Kattie
Short form of Katherine, Greek
"pure"
Kattie or Katti is an unusual short form of Katherine, more old fashioned than Kate and more unusual than Kathy. Plus there's the "catty" issue.
Cory
English variation of Corey, Irish, or diminutive of any Cor-beginning name
"from the hollow"
This Corey variation is getting a fresh shot of style juice thanks to young It Girl Cory Kennedy (not to be confused with RFK daughter, filmmaker Rory Kennedy).
Whit
English
"white"
Whit is an uplifting short form of any number of surname-y full names, for Whitman to Whitaker to Whitney. But Whit stands perfectly well on its own and makes for a witty spin on modern virtue names .
Audie
Short form of Auden or variation on Edward
Audie as a boys' name was made famous by Audie Murphy, the most decorated hero of World War II. Murphy was born one of ten children of a poor Texas sharecropper's family and the origins of his…
Edrie
Short form of Edris, Welsh; Arabic
"lord; studious"
Edris was used occasionally for baby girl 100 years ago, but one can't help but wonder whether those girls might really have been named Edie but with bad handwriting. Edrie is cute, though, and…
Zen
Japanese
"meditation"
A spiritual word name used by actor Zoe Saldana for her son as well as more recently Nick Cannon and Alyssa Scott for their late son. Zen has been trending in recent years along with other spiritual…
Kiel
Short form of Ezekiel
Sharp attractive short form which has a nautical translation in German: "keel" (although it isn't used as a name there). Fun fact: the similarly spelt Kieł is the name of Hagrid's dog Fang in the…
Zacharias
Greek form of Hebrew Zachariah
"the Lord has remembered"
One of several more venerable names that get to the nickname Zack if you're tired of Zachary. In the New Testament, Zacharias was the husband of Elizabeth and father of John the Baptist.
Jelica
Short form of Anjelica
Calls to mind the world Jellicle, as in CATS. But still classier than Angie.
Riella
Short form of Gabriella or Ariella
"God is my strength; lion of God"
An alternative to Gabriella, Briella, Bella, or Ella, Riella may also appeal to those who like Rhianna, Reese, and Aurelia. It was chosen by YouTubers Savannah Jean and Josh Alexander for their…
Mingo
Short form of Domingo
Mingo is a cute nickname of the Spanish version of Dominic. It's not to be confused with Mungo, the name of the patron saint of Glasgow.
Spence
Short form of Spencer
Spence is occasionally used as a name all on its own and it has more of a sense of completeness than many nickname-names.
Elske
German and Frisian short form of Elizabeth
"pledged to God"
Elizabeth is a name of hundreds of variations, but this German name for girls , redolent of the Olde Country, is unfamiliar in the U.S. and likely to remain so.
Malina
Feminine form of Malcolm or spelling variation of Melina or Polish, Bulgarian, Serbian
"raspberry"
Malina is a synthetic-feeling name that may be a feminization of the Scottish Malcolm or a spelling twist on the Greek Melina and that also has a fruit meaning in several Eastern European languages.…
Zack
Short form of Zachary or Zachariah
As the common short form of Zachary or, more unusually, Zachariah, Zack is less intuitive than Zach or Zac in terms of spelling but clearer in terms of pronunciations. Maybe because it rhymes with…