Boy Names Lists · Historic and Vintage Names · Middle Names, Surnames, and Nicknames
Vintage Nicknames for Boys
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Billy
English, diminutive of William
"resolute protection"
Cute kid with freckles, bouncing a Spalding ball. Cool couple Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton put the name Billy Burton on their son's birth certificate. While the classic William, name of the…
Freddie
Dininutive of Frederick, German
"peaceful ruler"
Just the kind of casual, flippant nickname that upscale Brits are putting on their sons' birth certificates, but few U.S. parents are.
Bat
Short form of Bartholomew
Bartholomew is one vintage name with Biblical antecedents that hasn't risen again in the modern world, perhaps because short form Bart, as in Simpson, would be too difficult for a contemporary boy to…
Con
Diminutive of Cornelius, Conrad, Latin, German
"horn; brave counsel"
Back in the day, Con was a nickname for Cornelius and Conrad. Today it feels like a pet form of Connor.
Gram
Variation of Graham
"gravelly homestead"
Streamlined form eases pronunciation and spelling, but somehow adds a weighty element to this British favorite. It became familiar in the U.S. via musician Gram Parsons.
Gore
English
"wedge-shaped object"
Surname from a landscape feature, associated with author Gore Vidal and Bill Clinton's Vice President Al Gore. Its alternative meaning - as in gory - may explain why it's never made it into the…
Cliff
Topographical name or short form of Clifford or Clifton
Cliff is a familiar, timeless short form -- never too popular, yet widely known -- that you might also think of as a geographical name ala Vale or Field.
Bige
Short form of Abijah, Hebrew
"God is my father"
The Biblical Abijah might be temporarily lost to time, but this antiquated short form could move with it into the modern era.
Gus
Diminutive of Augustus, Angus, Gustave, Augustin, Augusten, Augustine, August
Gus is a homey grandpa nickname name that can work as a short form for any of the above or stand on its own as a cutting-edge replacement for Max and Jake--though it was off the Top 1000 from 1978…
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…
Ham
Hebrew
"hot, warm"
Along with Shem and Japheth, a son of Noah with a name that's almost never used -- for more obvious reasons than those of his brothers.
Gord
Gord is a masculine name primarily used as a short form of Gordon. It originates from Scottish roots where Gordon was initially a surname derived from a place name, meaning 'great hill' or 'round…
Hap
English diminutive of Henry or Harold
"estate ruler; army ruler"
The old-school cool nickname Hap is a (mostly) bygone short form of classic H names for boys like Henry, Harold, and Harrison. Several notable Haps — including former New Jersey senator Hap Farley —…
Happy
English word name
"joyful"
Many emotional, virtuous word names are coming back into style, but Happy feels unlikely to be revived. This could be because it doesn't have a solid history of being popularly used (in comparison to…
Harv
Diminutive of Harvey; French
"battle worthy"
Short form of Harvey, variation of Harve.
Hiley
Diminutive of Hiram, Hebrew
"brother of the exalted one"
A vintage addition to the Riley/Miley/Wiley/Kylie brigade.
Hoke
Hoke is a surname name with a Southern feel, thanks to Morgan Freeman's character in the Oscar-winning movie Driving Miss Daisy . Parents may have passed this name by because of the similarity to…
Howie
Diminutive of Howard, English, Germanic, Norse
"high guardian; brave heart"
Old school Howard has fallen out of fashion in recent years, having been a Top 100 choice in the US from the 1880s until the 1960s. Short form Howie, however, might have more potential, with its…
Gil
Hebrew
"happiness"
Pronounced zheel, it's a dashing conquistador; as gill, it's the nice and slightly boring guy down the street.
Cleve
Diminutive of Cleveland
Appealing short form of the stuffy Cleveland, occasionally used on its own.