Nicknames for boys are cool again. Not so much the cutesy Jerrys and Larrys, Randys and Andys of the '60s and '70s, but cooler short forms that might be modern or vintage, such as Dash or Theo. These names needn't any full forms – sorry, Dashiell and Theodore – but that is up to your discretion.

Along with Dash and Theo, other nicknames for boys in the US Top 1000 include Billy, Charlie, Hank, Harry, Jake, Joe, Louie, and Will. Other baby boy nicknames that can stand alone on the birth certificate include Archie, Beck, Lev, and Wally. 

Among the nickname <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">names for boys</a> that you can consider putting directly on the birth certificate include the following. Also check out our list of 
<a href="https://nameberry.com/list/487/Crazy-Nicknames-for-Boys">crazy nicknames for boys</a> and our <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/nicknames-ultimate-guide">Ultimate Guide to Nicknames.</a>

Nicknames for Boys

Dash is a nickname that can stand on its own and sounds, well, dashing. Connected these days with Kardashian enterprises.
 Dash can stand on its own—as is evidenced by its entry into the US Top 1000 in 2014—or as a nickname for Dashiell.

Dash

A straightforward, down-to-earth nickname many Walters, from Whitman to Disney, have chosen to go by. 

Walt

While some may think of ruby slippers and a yellow brick road, Oz is a legitimate Hebrew name denoting power. An element in a number of names including Ozni, Oziel, and Ozias, it may also be used as a stand-alone choice which may appeal to those who enjoy the likes of Ty, Ed, Bo, and Cy. 

As an English name, it derives from the Old English os meaning "god" and can be found in names such as Osmond, Osgood, and Osborn. 
 
From its Irish roots, it is a diminutive of Oscar, which is the given name of the Wizard of Oz. In this case, it would come from the Old Irish oss meaning "deer". 
 
As Ozias, Osgood, and Osmond start to sound more cool and less grandpa, and with Ozzy already on the rise, this (even) shorter may begin to feel like a very modern possibility. In fact, 40 boys were given the name Oz in the US in 2023, nearly double the number who received a decade earlier.

Ax makes a somewhat threatening short form of the popular Axel, given to more than 3000 baby boys last year. It can also be used on its own, though it usually isn't. There were, however, seven baby boys named Axe in the US in 2015.

A Leave It to Beaver/old comic-strip name, vacationing for years with the Griswolds in WallyWorld, but now back as WALL-E? 

Wally

nicknames for boys

Nicknames for Boys, including short forms and diminutives used for baby boys like Theo, Archie, Kit, and Billy (Page 9)