Short Baby Names

Hip new middle-name choice, conjuring up the gothic tales of Edgar Allan, and current single-named pop singer Poe. As a first name, it's radically underused, given last year in the US to only five baby boys and no baby girls.

Just the kind of old-fashioned nickname coming back into style.

This Dutch spelling of Mick, a diminutive of the classic Michael, has seen small but steady use in the Netherlands. The streamlined Mik variant has a cool edge over the friendly original.

During the heyday of Deborah, Debra, and Debra — the late 1950s and early 60s — there were enough baby girls named Deb, just Deb, for it to make the Top 1000.

Fans of the late Princess Diana might remember an early nickname, Shy Di. Di was more commonly heard in the middle of the last century, when Diane and sisters were in top vogue.

This charming West African mini name fits in with the other similarly short names that are all the rage right now. Ayo is enjoying new visibility thanks to actress Ayo Edebiri, star of TV's The Bear.

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.

So simple, yet so unique: a prime candidate for export. Pronunciation is like the English pair or pear.

This short form of classic Victor is popular in its own right in Belgium and the Netherlands.

This unisex Israeli name, which rhymes with ball, is sure to receive more serious international attention now that actress Gal Gadot is the new Wonder Woman.

A short form of Alfons that feels more modern and approachable than the original, Fons is a Dutch named used most commonly in Belgium, where it has made the Top 200 for the last 5 consecutive years.

Irv is a masculine name primarily used as a diminutive of Irving, which has Old English origins meaning 'green water' or 'sea friend.' This short, punchy name gained modest popularity in the early to mid-20th century, particularly in Jewish-American communities where Irving was more common. Irv carries a vintage, mid-century charm that evokes the era of its peak usage. While rarely used as a formal given name today, it maintains recognition as a nickname. The brevity of Irv gives it a straightforward, unpretentious quality that contrasts with longer, more elaborate naming trends. It represents a connection to earlier generations while offering simplicity.

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).

A bit slight to put directly on the birth certificate, but Dom is a pleasant nickname for a boy or a girl.

Too fiscal.

Flimsier than Drew spelling.

A concise and zippy short form of Elizabeth, Liberty or similar, used for the main character in the novel and film adaptation of Emma Donoghue's The Wonder about a nurse sent to observe a girl who is miraculously surviving without food, to check the validity of her parents' claim.