Can You Really Put That on the Birth Certificate?

Can You Really Put That on the Birth Certificate?

by Pamela Redmond Satran

Did you know that Nameberry’s own Popular Names List ranks 2000 baby names of each gender rather than the official US 1000?

That gives you a lot of ideas for unique names that often lie beneath the surface and out of sight. Surveying the baby names in the 1000-2000 group, we noticed that there was a sizeable contingent of nickname-names — short forms that have grown up to become full names standing on their own.

Can you really put Ani or Art, Zelie or Zack on the birth certificate? Of course you can, and it might make more sense to go with the name you actually plan to use rather than taking on a long form you don’t even like. Though of course, you also might want to start with an appealing nickname and work from there toward a long form you find equally attractive.

Here, a contingent of unique and adventurous nickname-names we found swimming beneath Nameberry’s Top 1000.

  • girls

  • Addy

  • Aggie

  • Andi

  • Ani

  • Ari

  • Bebe

  • Becca

  • Bessie

  • Buffy

  • Bunny

  • Cat

  • Cricket

  • Dottie

  • Effy

  • El

  • Emmi

  • Essie

  • Evi

  • Fanny

  • Fifi

  • Flossie

  • Frankie

  • Ginger

  • Ginny

  • Goldie

  • Hettie

  • Honey

  • Indi

  • Joni

  • Juni

  • Kay

  • Kit

  • Laney

  • Leni

  • Lettie

  • Lexi

  • Lizzie

  • Max

  • Meg

  • Milly

  • Mimi

  • Misty

  • Nettie

  • Nixie

  • Noely

  • Pixie

  • Queenie

  • Sukey

  • Tali

  • Tessie

  • Tori

  • Trudy

  • Via

  • Vivi

  • Zelie

  • Zuri

  • Zuzu

  • boys

  • Alby

  • Art

  • Augie

  • Avi

  • Bo

  • Bob

  • Brad

  • Cru

  • Dez

  • Dutch

  • Freddie

  • Gabe

  • Geo

  • Jas

  • Jeb

  • Johnny

  • Josh

  • Kurt

  • Ky

  • Lex

  • Matt

  • Mick

  • Moe

  • Nick

  • Ozzie

  • Quint

  • Ray

  • Seb

  • Sid

  • Sonny

  • Stan

  • Steve

  • Tad

  • Teddy

  • Tommy

  • Tony

  • Vin

  • Walt

  • Zack

  • Would you put a nickname on your child’s birth certificate? Which of these might you use as a full name…and which wouldn’t you?

    About the Author

    Pamela Redmond

    Pamela Redmond

    Pamela Redmond is the cocreator and CEO of Nameberry and Baby Name DNA. The coauthor of ten groundbreaking books on names, Redmond is an internationally-recognized baby name expert, quoted and published widely in such media outlets as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, CNN, and the BBC. She has written about baby names for The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, and People.

    Redmond is also a New York Times bestselling novelist whose books include Younger, the basis for the hit television show, and its sequel, Older. She has three new books in the works.