By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 127 pages
of 127
Dutch diminutive of Augustus, Latin
"great; magnificent"
The Dutch answer to Gus. Pronounce it like the English word and you have a name that means air .
Diminutive of Elijah, Hebrew
"Yahweh is God"
If default nickname Eli is too common for your tastes, you may consider resuscitating the antique nickname Lige for your little Elijah. Lige Conley, born Elijah Crommie, was an American silent film…
Diminutive of Montgomery or French
"mountain"
Monty Burns, on The Simpsons , smashed to pieces any goodwill for his first name leftover from Monty Python . But if you drop the "y," you're left with a distinctly Gallic sounding nickname name. If…
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…
Chinese surname
"jade; yellow; king; vast; flood"
Wong is a common romanization of the pinyin Chinese family names Huang and Wang, as well as rarer surnames such as Heng and Hong.
Guss is a brief, punchy masculine name that typically functions as a nickname for names like Augustus, Gustave, or Angus. This shortened form carries a folksy, unpretentious charm with its…
Hamp is a masculine name with English origins, primarily derived as a shortened form of Hampton, which was originally a place name meaning "home town" or "settlement." It may also function as a…
Flem is an extremely rare masculine name that likely originated as a short form of Fleming, a surname referring to someone from Flanders (a region spanning parts of Belgium, France, and the…
Diminutive of Martin, Latin
"warlike"
Fresher and snappier than Marty and Martin, could Mart be successful as an independent baby name? It certainly has in the Netherlands, where it featured in the Top 300 in a recent year, outranking…
Otha is a masculine name with American origins, though it may have roots in older Germanic naming elements. The name possibly derives from the Old German name Otto, meaning 'wealth' or 'prosperity,'…
Nature name
A name that's unusual in that changing the i to a y -- as in Byrd -- makes it more masculine.
Math is a concise, powerful masculine name with multiple cultural origins. In Welsh mythology, Math fab Mathonwy was a king and powerful magician, giving the name deep Celtic roots. It can also be…
Ples is an uncommon masculine name with roots possibly connected to Old English or Eastern European origins. The name may be a variant of 'Pless' or derived from geographical locations such as places…
English and Scottish diminutive of Walter, German
"army ruler"
Rube is a masculine name that originated as a diminutive form of Reuben, a Hebrew name meaning 'behold, a son'. Historically, it gained recognition in American culture as a nickname and eventually as…
Chinese and Korean surname
"to describe; ancient; gold; money; to pound grain"
Chin is a common surname among those with Chinese or Korean heritage. It is related to the Chinese family names Chen, Jin, Qian, and Qin, and the Korean surname Jin.
Harl is a concise masculine name with Germanic roots, possibly derived as a shortened form of names like Harley or Harlan, or from Old English 'hær' meaning 'army' or 'warrior.' This brief,…
Short form of Ocean, nature name
Ocie is an antiquated nickname name, fairly popular for both genders in the US a century or more ago. Derived from Oceanus (a male god), Ocean (unisex nature name), or possibly Ociel (Spanish, "from…
Thos is a masculine name that originated as an abbreviated written form of Thomas, common in older documents and records where scribes would shorten names. Thomas itself comes from the Aramaic word…
Wirt is a masculine name with Germanic origins, derived from ancient words meaning "worthy" or "deserving." It may also have roots as an occupational surname for an innkeeper or host (from Middle…
