Can a Cute Vintage Nickname Revive a Dusty Old Lady Name?

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