Updated October 2026
Across 105 pages
of 105
Diminutive of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
Meg, perennially one of the Little Women, is a Margaret short form that manages to be neither quite in nor quite out of style. Meg is sleeker and more sophisticated than Maggie, more contemporary…
English
"town by the lake"
Sounds like a displaced Dr. Seuss character.
English variation of Letitia
"joy, gladness"
Lettice is still occasionally heard in upper-class British families, but we fear it would cause too much salad-green teasing to be considered in the U.S. Calling your little Lettice Lettie could help…
English female form of Leontios, Greek
"lion"
Almost exclusively associated with opera diva Leontyne Price. If you want to use the suddenly-stylish Leontyne, we'd recommend the French Leontine spelling.
English place-name
"the moors"
Moore is recommended as a rich and satisfying middle name choice, whether it relates to your own family history or not. Of the numerous outstanding Moore-surnamed namesakes, count sculptor Henry,…
"moor, meadow clearing"
Gently pleasant English family name long associated with 60-Minuteman Morley Safer.
"dead sea"
Other kids might see a teasible connection to mortician or mortuary. Mortimer is an English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses; it was Walt Disney's original choice…
"town near the moor"
An English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses, but hardly heard since th 1950s.
English, diminutive of Nathan or Nathaniel
Just the kind of old-fashioned nickname coming back into style.
"island-dweller"
Intriguing meaning, but stuffy sound.
English occupational name, carpenter or "nailer"
"nailer"
Unique name for the son of a woodworker.
English, diminutive of Katherine
"pure"
This endearing nickname name is one Katherine pet form that predates all the Kathys and Katies, having been fairly common in the eighteenth century. With the current mini-craze for animal-related…
"land or river bend shaped like a nose"
A family name that wouldn't appeal to many parents.
"new building"
Surname choice that's neither new nor bold. Newbold was the middle name of Edith Wharton.
"new borough, new settlement"
A name only a bully could love.
English variation of Neville
One of several surnames beginning with New that nevertheless sound anything but.
"new land"
Some will see this as spirited, others stuffy. The protagonist of the Edith Wharton novel The Age of Innocence was a popular and successful lawyer named Newbold Archer.
"newcomer"
Family name best used in the middle, especially since it was seen as the portly postman in Seinfeld.
"new port"
For sailors or jazz lovers. Or smokers of menthol cigarettes.
"son of Nicol"
If you're looking for a Nicholas substitute or namesake, Nicholson would make a more distinctive path to the likable nickname Nick, fitting in with other newer patronymics like Anderson and Harrison.…