By Linda Rosenkrantz
Like our cousins across the pond, we’ve fallen in love with vintage nicknames for our girls—names like Maisie and Mabel and Sadie and Josie and Hattie are already on the rise. But do those parents who want a little Hattie necessarily consider putting Harriet or Henrietta on the birth certificate?
Maybe, maybe not.
In some cases, the adorable short form is actually succeeding in waking up its sleeping mother name. Like Josephine, for instance, and Beatrice. But here are some others whose full versions have not seen as much—if any– action, as adorable as their period nicknames may be.
Which of these cute, often tomboyish, girl nicknames do you think are capable of reviving their more staid Great-Grandma names?
AGGIE—Agatha, Agnes
ARTIE—Artemisia
BEA—Beatha, Bethia
BERRY—Bertha
BENNIE—Benedicta
BERNIE—Bernice, Bernadette
BERTIE—Alberta, Bertha, Roberta
BILLIE—Wilhelmina, Wilma
BREN—Brenda
CLEMMIE—Clemence
DESI—Desdemona
DOLLY—Dorothy
DORY—Eudora
DOT—Dorothy
DRU—Drusilla
EDDY—Edwina
EFFIE—Euphemia
ELLIE—Elmira, Elvira
ELVIE—Elvira
ERNIE—Ernestine
ESSIE—Esther, Estelle
ETTIE—Ethel
EULIE—Eulalia
EVVIE—Evadne
FLORRIE—Flora
FLOSSIE—Florence
FRANKIE—Francine
FREDDIE—Alfreda, Frederica
FRITZIE—Frederica
GERTIE—Gertrude
GINGER—Virginia
GLADDY—Gladys
HATTIE—Harriet, Henrietta
HETTIE—Mehetabel
IZZY—Ismay
JAKE—Jacobina
JEMMY—Jemima
JOBIE—Jobina
KETTY—Keturah
KIZZIE—Keziah
LALLY—Eulalia
LETTY—Leticia, Lettice
LIDDY—Lydia
LOTTIE—Carlotta
LOVVIE—Loveday
LULA—Beulah
LULU—Louise, Lucille, Lucilla, Lucasta, Lucinda
MINNIE—Minerva, Wilhelmina
MINTA, MINTY—Araminta
NELLIE—Helen, Eleanor
NETTIE—Antoinette, Janet
OLLY—Olympia
PRU—Prudence
REGGIE—Regina
ROMY—Romola
TAVY—Octavia
THEA—Althea, Theodosia
TILDA—Matilda, Clotilda
TILLIE—Matilda
TOMMY—Thomasina
VINNIE—Lavinia
VONNIE—Yvonne
WINNIE—Edwina, Winifred
ZETTA—Rosetta
ZAZA– Tirzah
