Names That Mean Form

Short form found in historical records, feels a tad feminine for modern times.

An aromatic, unconventional name.

Modern, mini nickname for Rebecca, much fresher than Becca or Becky.

It's hard to believe, via a 21st-century sensibility, that Fannie was ever a Top 50 name. But Fannie was even more popular than Fanny in its late 19th-century heyday, and stuck around much longer, staying on the Top 1000 until the 1960s while Fanny fell off in 1940. Today, however, Fannie sounds antiquated at best, and rude at worst.

The dashing Zabel -- or its Frenchified variation Zabelle -- was the name of a 13th century ruling queen of Armenia. In this modern era ruled again by the name Isabella and Isabel, Zabel provides a fresh and lively spin.

Cute, or maybe qute, nickname for the upstanding Enrique.

A French form of Benedict that makes a smooth and elegant choice, although the pronunciation may trip people up in an English speaking environment.

Meeri is kind of like Siri with an M. This unusual name is certainly cute and intriguing but would forever be mistaken for Mary.

Ro is a casual short form that doesn't usually appear on the birth certificate on its own. But it makes a friendly nickname for any girls' name starting with Ro-.

Sabrina is the Latin name for the Severn, Britain's longest river. Drop the final syllable and you get a streamlined, French-esque name that's just as elegant, but without the Teenage Witch association. Sabrine has been used in the USA since 1970, but never for more than 18 girls a year — that makes it a rare gem.

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.

A pretty Roman name, but unfortunately also the English vocabulary word mania. Spelling it Manya would avoid the issue.

Alternative spelling of Dennis, and the usual transliteration from Ukrainian. Used (though rarely) for both sexes.

Jowanet is the feminine form of Jowan (the Cornish form of John), making this name equivalent to Joan, Jane, Janet, Joanna, and the rest of that name family.

Raz, like many similar names, is used for both girls and boys in modern Israel. Simple, sleek, memorable.

Charming variation on Agnes, for those not keen on the "g" sound.

Variant transcription of Andrei, as well as the South Slavic, Czech, and Slovak form.

There are almost the exact same number of female and male Sidneys born in the US these days, which makes Sid a perfect gender-neutral nickname. And cute for boys or girls.

This elegant, minimally-spelled name could be a variant of Rosanna/Roseanna. But it's also the Portuguese version of Roxana, with all the meaning and history of the name, but none of the "Roxanne" associations.