Name Spellings, Initials and Sounds
Three Letter Names
Across 13 pages
of 13
Baz
Diminutive of Sebastian or Basil; Kurdish
"regal; falcon"
As Bas, it's a popular name in The Netherlands, but Baz, as in director Luhrmann, has potential for independent life too. Curiously, Australian-born Moulin Rouge director Luhrmann was born neither…
Bex
Dom
Diminutive of Dominic, Latin
"belonging to the Lord"
A bit slight to put directly on the birth certificate, but Dom is a pleasant nickname for a boy or a girl.
Pam
Diminutive of Pamela, English
"all honey"
This mild-mannered short form was Queen of the Prom in the fifties and sixties, but today is mostly heard on TV's The Office (and of course as one of the founders of Nameberry). While about 100 baby…
Bob
English, diminutive of Robert
"bright fame"
Kids love Bob the Builder, but do they want to be Bob the Builder? Bob and Bobby have been out of style since the 1960s, but as vintage nickname-names -- Fred, Archie -- come back into vogue, Bob may…
Rob
English, diminutive of Robert
"bright fame"
Rob has claimed Bob's turf.
Des
Diminutive of Desmond
The cool clipped Des may be the part of the name wave of the future, with midcentury names like Des and Vic and Stan riding back into style on the heels of big brothers Max and Sam and Ray.
Cam
Diminutive of Cameron or Camilla
A Pam for the modern age, improved by a harder edge and a tad less prissiness.
Del
English, diminutive
"small valley"
The kind of name last found in northern Wisconsin in the 1950s, and even then it was probably a nickname for Delbert.
Don
Diminutive of Donald, Scottish
"proud chief"
Short form of Donald -- or more stylishly, Donahue or Donovan -- that's acquired a new sixties-era suaveness thanks to Mad Man Don Draper. The name also carries a Sopranos or Godfather-style double…
Dot
English, diminutive of Dorothy
Old-fangled nickname could make dot.com era short form or middle name.
Rae
English, diminutive of Rachel, Hebrew
"ewe"
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. Even more popular in the…
Hal
Diminutive of Harold or Henry, English, Scandinavian, German
"army ruler or estate ruler"
Could Hal be the Jack, Max, or Gus of the future? It just might happen in the new nickname environment, especially with Cal and Cy feeling cool, and with the interest in vintage, cowboy-esque…
Gen
Japanese
"spring"
Commonly used in Japan, and so much more distinguished than Jen.
Jen
Jen is a short, crisp feminine name that originated primarily as a diminutive of Jennifer, though it can also be a nickname for names like Jenna, Jenny, or Genevieve. The root name Jennifer comes…