Boyish Nicknames for Girls
Updated Sun Jun 21 2026
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Boyish nicknames for baby girls are having another moment in the sun, with names like Stevie, Scottie, Frankie, and Billie among the trendiest around for baby girls.
These nicknames might be short for something -- we know a young Leonora called Leo, for instance, and a Francesca called Frankie -- but most stylishly they go straight on the birth certificate.
Boyish nicknames were popular for girls at the end of the 19th century. Mattie, Jessie, Willie, and Ollie were all among the Top 100 girl names of 1890.
The 1960s and 70s saw another wave of baby girls with boyish nicknames like Jamie, Teri, Geri, Casey, and Chris.
The boyish nicknames most stylish today include Billie as in Eilish, Stevie as in Nicks, Scout and Scottie, Charlie and Charlee, Leni and Lou. Teddie, Tommie, and Georgie are coming up on their heels.
Spelling might end with ie or i, or can revert to the y ending usually used for boys.
RELATED:
- Deenie
Origin:
English diminutive of names ending in deen, dene or dine, or short form of DeannaMeaning:
"valley; divine"Description:
Best associated with the Judy Blume novel of the same name, Deenie is a retro feeling nickname choice. Deenie is gaining fresh style traction along with similar boyish nickname-names for girls: Scottie, Frankie, Stevie.
- Kit
Origin:
English diminutive of Katherine, GreekMeaning:
"pure"Description:
Kit is a crisp, old-time nickname with plenty of spirit and style. In the UK it's a rising star for boys, while in the US, it is trending upwards for girls too.
- Scottie
Origin:
English nicknameMeaning:
"Scot"Description:
With its sassy, old school vibes, its cheerful, snappy sounds, and its fresh, unisex image, Scottie was one of the fastest rising names for girls in the US in 2023, and then again in 2024.
- Charlie
Origin:
English diminutive of Charles or Charlotte, French from GermanMeaning:
"free man"Description:
Charlie is a friendly, boyish nickname name now used slightly more frequently for girls than boys, with over 2200 baby girls named Charlie last year versus about 2100 boys. That makes Charlie one of the most evenly-balanced and most popular unisex names around today.
- Billie
Origin:
English, diminutive of Wilhelmina, WilmaMeaning:
"resolute protection"Description:
Billie is a tomboy nickname name, part of the growing trend for using boyish nicknames for girls and now destined for stardom along with its most famous contemporary bearer, music sensation Billie Eilish.
- Scout
Origin:
Word nameMeaning:
"one who gathers information covertly"Description:
Scout, a character nickname from To Kill a Mockingbird (her real name was Jean Louise), became a real-life possibility when Bruce Willis and Demi Moore used it for their now-grown middle daughter, followed by Tom Berenger a few years later.
- Remi
Origin:
Variation of Remy, FrenchMeaning:
"oarsman"Description:
Remi is an adorable name that's fashionable and keeps gaining momentum. Remi entered the US Top 1000 in 2013 and is now approaching the Top 100.
- Rory
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"red king"Description:
Rory is a buoyant, spirited name for a redhead with Celtic roots. The name Rory is getting more popular overall, but for the past few years has been trending decidedly toward the boys' side -- however, it's been rising to new heights for girls in recent years.
- Sunny
Origin:
English nicknameDescription:
Upbeat nickname-name that can't help but make you smile. You might want to use it as a short form for a more "serious" name such as Sunniva, but Sunny is undeniably, well, sunny.
- Jamie
Origin:
Diminutive of JamesMeaning:
"supplanter"Description:
Jamie is typical of the relaxed unisex names starting with J that seemed so cool in the sixties after decades of Jeans and Joans, though now pretty tepid. Jaime and even Jamey and Jayme are alternate spellings.
- Frankie
Origin:
Diminutive of Frances, LatinMeaning:
"from France; free man"Description:
Frankie is a vintage nickname name for girls, with a down-to-earth country feel. It's one of the hottest boyish nicknames for girls, in the forefront of that trend.
- Leni
Origin:
German or Spanish diminutive of Lena, Elena, or Helen, GreekMeaning:
"shining torch"Description:
An up-and-coming nickname-style name, hugely popular in Germany and on the rise in the UK, Leni is stylish but sweet. Chosen for her daughter by high-profile German supermodel Heidi Klum back in 2004, Leni with its concise spelling and European feel is also on the rise in the US, alongside Lennie, Lenny, Lennox, and Lennon.
- Joni
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"God is gracious"Description:
Iconic folk singer Joni Mitchell lends this vintage nickname a cool, bohemian feel, while the streamlined spelling feels more contemporary and confident than the sweeter, cosier Joanie. While it may have disappeared from the US charts back in the 1980s, over in the nicknaming-loving UK, Joni has ranked in the Top 500 in recent years.
- Stevie
Origin:
Short form of Stephanie, GreekMeaning:
"garland, crown"Description:
Stevie survives as a short form of Stephanie thanks to the immortal Ms. Nicks. After a little more than a decade out of the limelight, she rejoined the US Top 1000 in 2014. It is now leading the trend of boyish nicknames for girls - standing alongside picks like Charlie and Scottie.
- Indie
Origin:
Short form of India, Indigo etcDescription:
Indie is an independent-sounding nickname name that is in the Top 100 in Wales. As a diminutive, it's growing in popularity -- along with indie films, indie publishing -- and the reason some parents are choosing names like India and Indigo. The Indie version seems more feminine, while Indy as in Indiana Jones tends toward the boyish.
- Teddy
Origin:
Diminutive of Theodora, GreekMeaning:
"gift of God"Description:
Cute boyish short forms like Teddy and Frankie and Billie are in some ways a relic of the past, of the days before unisex names, when girls were given feminized versions of their father's names, but they are starting to come into their own again.
- Georgie
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"farmer"Description:
A spunky boyish diminutive in the vein of Frankie, Billie and Charlie, but far less popular in the US. Georgie could be a nickname for Georgia, Georgette, Georgina or Georgiana – or just use it as it is, as over 90 sets of American parents did in 2021.
- Lou
Origin:
Short form of LouiseMeaning:
"renowned warrior"Description:
Lou is usually a short form of Louise, Louisa, or Lucy in English-speaking countries, when Lou is used for girls at all. But in France and Germany, it's a fashionable choice all on its own, sure to gain even more widespread style credibility since Heidi Klum and Seal chose it for their daughter.
- Carly
Origin:
English feminization of Carl, GermanMeaning:
"free man"Description:
Though a couple of its more "creative" spellings—Carli and Karlee, for example—are still on the rise, this feminine form of Carl, popularized by singer Carly Simon in the 1970s, could by no stretch be considered fashionable. Despite its decline, the name has still seen some use in the entertainment industry, from Nickelodeon's iCarly to Canadian pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen.
- Rae
Origin:
English, diminutive of Rachel, HebrewMeaning:
"ewe"Description:
All the old ae/ay middle names for girls are back — Kay, Fay, Mae/May — and Rae is one of the coolest, used as such by celebrities as Mark Wahlberg and Daniel Baldwin.
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