Crazy Nicknames for Boys

Bear

• Origin:

  Animal name

• Meaning:

  "bear"

• Description:

  Bear has suddenly lumbered onto the baby name landscape. Perhaps inspired by British adventurer Bear Grylls (born Edward Michael), first celebrity chef Jamie Oliver used it as the middle name for his boy Buddy, and more recently Alicia Silverstone called her son Bear Blu., followed by Kate Winslet's Bear Blaize. It's part of a current trend normalizing once aggressive animal names like Wolf and Fox. Bear is now Number 218 on Nameberry and in the Top 900 in England.

Ziggy

• Origin:

  German, diminutive of Siegfried and Sigmund

• Description:

  The ultimate nicknamey name, à la Ziggy Stardust or the comic-strip character Ziggy. Then again, there's Ziggy Marley, and most anything Marley is cool. Originally named David, his father Bob Marley gave him the nickname "Ziggy" due to the soccer move of the same name.

Sonny

• Origin:

  Nickname for "son"

• Meaning:

  "son"

• Description:

  Sonny is one of the generic boy nickname names making a surprise reappearance, and it was recently used by actor Jason Lee. Another surprise: It's been on the US Top 1000 list every year since 1927, reaching a peak in 1975, when it hit Number 428.

Bo

• Origin:

  Norse nickname

• Meaning:

  "to live"

• Description:

  A popular name in Denmark, in this country Bo has some cowboy swagger and a lot of substance in its minimal two letters. In Mandarin Chinese, Bo means "wave".

Iggy

• Origin:

  Latin, diminutive of Ignatius

• Meaning:

  "fiery"

• Description:

  Iggy is the quintessential pop star name, though it's the nickname Cate Blanchett uses for son Ignatius. Iggy does bring any grander-sounding name down to earth.

Dick

• Origin:

  Diminutive of Richard

• Meaning:

  "dominant ruler"

• Description:

  Dick was a once-common short form of Richard; replaced by Rick or Richie, and finally by the full name itself. Rude meaning -- make that two rude meanings -- pretty much knocks this one out of consideration.

Kip

• Origin:

  American diminution of Christopher

• Description:

  Kip Thorne, nobel laureate and long-time colleague of Stephen Hawking, is just one of several Kips who don't have a longer name.

Fritz

• Origin:

  German, diminutive of Friedrich or Frederick

• Meaning:

  "peaceful ruler"

• Description:

  Since female cousins Mitzi and Fritzi have entered the realm of possibilities, there's a chance that Cousin Fritz could as well. Fritz is the name of several notables, from early German-born film director Lang to early footballer Fritz (born Frederick) Pollard, the first African-American to play in the Rose Bowl in 1916.

Duke

• Origin:

  English rank of nobility

• Description:

  While John Wayne and Duke Ellington are worthy role models, the reason Duke is currently enjoying a revival and returned to the Top 1000 in 2013 as one of the year's fastest-rising boys’ names is more likely due to the name given to high-profile TV couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic. Christened Edward Duke, he has always been called by his middle name, just as Edward Duke Ellington was. Duke is just one of several aristocratic titles being increasingly used by ordinary citizens.

Ozzie

• Origin:

  Short form

• Description:

  Ozzie might still be a bit Ozzie & Harriet, but it's a cut short form for Osmond, Oswald, Ozias, or even Oz.

Trip

• Origin:

  Word name

• Description:

  This began as a nickname, usually for someone who was a "third," as in William III. But in an age where any noun goes, this could be thought of as representing a little voyager -- hopefully not into psychedelic realms.

Odie

• Origin:

  Diminutive of Odell, Otis; English, German

• Meaning:

  "of the valley; wealthy"

• Description:

  This old-timey nickname for Otis and Odell is strongly tied to Garfield’s canine companion in the Garfield comic, movie, and TV franchise.

Pip

• Origin:

  English, diminutive of Philip

• Meaning:

  "lover of horses"

• Description:

  The original Pip was the main character in Great Expectations (full name Philip Pirrip). Cute for a tike, problematic for a man.

Buddy

• Origin:

  English, nickname name

• Description:

  Until recently it was rarely used as a proper name; Buddy Holly, for example, was christened Charles, and Salinger's Buddy Glass was born Webb. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver did name his fourth child Buddy Bear Maurice--a fittingly named brother to Poppy Honey Rosie, Daisy Boo Pamela and Petal Blossom Rainbow, and singer Tom Fletcher has a double-nicknamed Buddy Bob.

Pippin

• Origin:

  Variation of Pepin

• Meaning:

  "awe-inspiring"

• Description:

  Super-sweet name that was the title of a Broadway play -- but best known as a type of apple. The Dutch variation is Pepijn is finding some popularity in that country, where short nickname names are stylish.

Jonty

• Origin:

  Diminutive of Jonathan

• Meaning:

  "gift of Jehovah"

• Description:

  Jaunty, to say the least, Jonty might be an option if Johnny feels too old school. It has been noticed most often on the playing fields, as in U.K. rugby player Jonty Parkin (born Jonathan) and South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes (Jonathon).

Buster

• Origin:

  Modern nickname

• Description:

  An old-fashioned nickname in the Bud/Buzz/Biff mold; this one's kind of belligerent. Michelle Hicks and Jonny Lee Miller moved outside the box when they used it for their son--given the safer middle name of Timothy.

Newt

• Origin:

  English

• Meaning:

  "a small salamander"

• Description:

  Rarely used on its own and irrevocably tied to former House Speaker Gingrich -- who was christened Newton.

Jeb

• Origin:

  Diminutive of Jebediah, Hebrew

• Meaning:

  "beloved friend"

• Description:

  Both Jeb and Jed are very attractive Old Testament short forms with long and bright futures. Jeb's main current association is with the Bush brother and former governor of Florida, but the name was a mainstay on early TV westerns, and then went upscale as the nickname (his birth name being Josiah) of the President on "The West Wing."

Biff

• Origin:

  American nickname

• Description:

  The quintessential midcentury nickname, famously found in Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman."

Chip

• Origin:

  Pet name for Charles

• Description:

  Only if you're madly nostalgic for sixties TV.

Baz

• Origin:

  Diminutive of Sebastian or Basil; Kurdish

• Meaning:

  "regal; falcon"

• Description:

  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 Sebastian nor Basil, but had the name Mark Anthony on his birth certificate; his nickname arose from his supposed resemblance to a British TV fox puppet named Basil Brush.

Simba

• Origin:

  Swahili or Shona

• Meaning:

  "lion; strength"

• Description:

  Traditional African name made cartoonish by the Disney character in The Lion King. In Shona it means "strength".

Sly

• Origin:

  English word name, diminutive of Sylvester

• Description:

  A bit too cunning.

Spike

• Origin:

  American nickname name

• Description:

  Spike is part mid-century nickname-name, ala Buster or Buck, and part word name, with an all-over cool creative dude feel thanks to directors Spike Lee and Spike Jonze. Mike Myers named his son Spike. That's right: Spike and Mike. Spike qualifies as one of the distinctly American names.

Bandit

• Origin:

  Word or occupational name

• Description:

  We hesitate to call Bandit an occupational name, any more than Rogue or Vandal are occupational names, yet its use by one of the bandmembers of My Chemical Romance (for his daughter: we're not even going to go there) undoubtedly owes a debt to occupational cousins from Pilot to Parker. Recommended for use by rock stars with full-time nannies only.

Po

• Origin:

  Italian river name

• Description:

  A river (in Italy), a writer (Bronson), a Teletubby: the Bo of the new millennium.

Ax

• Origin:

  Word name or short form of Axel

• Description:

  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.

Polo

• Origin:

  Tibetan

• Meaning:

  "brave wanderer"

• Description:

  If Portia can become Porsche, then Apollo can morph into Polo -- the imprint of designer Ralph Lauren.

Win

• Origin:

  Diminutive of Winslow, Winthrop, or Winston

• Description:

  Win is an upbeat, can-do name that can be a short form of one of the buttoned-up British choices above or can stand on its own. Welsh Wyn is another possibility.
  
  Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and singer Ciara named their son Win Harrison. Harrison is Wilson's father's first name.

Pim

• Origin:

  Dutch diminutive of Willem or William

• Meaning:

  "resolute protection"

• Description:

  The short, cute Pim is a Top 100 boys' name in The Netherlands though little-known outside that country. But in a family overrun with Williams, Pim could make an original nickname setting a modern child apart from father Will and grandpa Bill.

Butch

• Origin:

  Nickname name

• Description:

  Old-school nickname ala Spike and Babe that's favored by some hipster parents.

Rebel

• Origin:

  Word name

• Meaning:

  "rebel"

• Description:

  Asking for trouble. Rebel Wilson is female, but this name is truly gender neutral, though hardly neutral in any other way. Rebel is undoubtedly one of the edgiest boys' names starting with the letter R.

Red

• Origin:

  Color name

• Description:

  Fiery but slight middle name choice; much more apt to be a redhead's nickname.

Nacho

• Origin:

  Word name or short form of Ignacio

• Description:

  Not unless you want your son to grow up to be just like a wacky Jack Black character.

Moby

• Origin:

  Literary and nickname name

• Description:

  Moby, the nickname of musician Richard Melville Hall, was thanks to his ancestor Herman Melville, creator of the infamous whale. You can imagine calling a child Moby as a cute nickname in honor of a grandfatherly Richard or Dick, but the ghost of a Dick would always follow the name around. In Melville's classic book, Moby was an invented word whose meaning has never been firmly established, though the best scholarship calls it a fictional place name that, in the custom of whaling ships of the time, helped identify the whale called Dick.

Flash

• Origin:

  Word and comic book name

• Description:

  Flash Gordon makes this a superhero name, but Flash might just appeal to modern parents looking for one of the new active boys' names, ala Ace and Breaker and Ranger. We'd recommend something more pulled-together as a proper name with Flash as a nickname or middle name.

Kitto

• Origin:

  Cornish, diminutive of Christopher

• Description:

  Sounds a bit like a board game.

Boo

• Origin:

  Word name or nickname

• Description:

  Boo as a first name first achieved notoriety as the name of the child-man in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Arthur "Boo" Radley was meant to be frightening, but only in a simple, non-threatening way. More recently, Boo has been used as the middle name of one of chef Jamie Oliver's children and the nickname in the middle of television's Honey Boo Boo. Boo is also the name of the world's cutest dog and of the adorable little girl in Monsters Inc. In a more basic way, Boo is a term of endearment.

Bing

• Origin:

  German

• Meaning:

  "kettle-shaped hollow"

• Description:

  When Kate Hudson named her second son Bingham and announced that she would be calling him Bing, it put this zingy nickname name out on the table. Before that, there was only one, further nicknamed Der Bingle -- and he was really Harry Lillis Crosby.

Obie

Deuce

• Origin:

  English word name or nickname

• Meaning:

  "two"

• Description:

  Basketball's Jayson Tatum introduced this to the naming lexicon when he used it as a clever nickname for his son, Jayson Christoper Jr. It fits in with nicknames like Trey or Trip for boys who are the third in the family with their name; we've even heard Quatty and Quinto.

Rambo

• Origin:

  English surname name

• Description:

  No one could seriously consider choosing this cartoonishly macho name for a real live child.

Ving

• Origin:

  Diminutive of Irving

• Description:

  Actor Rhames's imaginative shortening of the prosaic Irving, giving it new life and energy.

Doc

• Origin:

  English word name

• Description:

  A boy with this name is certain to be bombarded with "What's up, doc?" every day of his life. Even Doctor would be preferable.

Bubba

• Origin:

  American nickname

• Description:

  The original southern Good Ol' Boy.

Rock

• Origin:

  Diminutive of Rocco

• Description:

  Faux macho name, à la Rock Hudson and The Rock; not recommended, despite rise of cousin Stone.

Ringo

• Origin:

  English nickname

• Description:

  The most outlandish Beatles-inspired name, if Lennon or McCartney are too tame for you. Ringo Starr is the stage name of drummer Richard Starkey, taken from his nickname Ringo (because he wore lots of rings) and the first part of his surname. A bold rock-n-roll inspired choice!

Jonesy

• Origin:

  Diminutive of Jones, English surname derived from John

• Meaning:

  "God is gracious"

• Description:

  It's difficult to imagine anyone using the first name Jonesy -- and in fact, in the most recent US tally, there were nearly 100 babies named Jones but none named Jonesy. Still, this is a name that many people with Jones for a name, last or first, end up being known by, and as a nickname, it's sorta cute in a Skip, Chip, Bitsy kind of way.

Brix

• Origin:

  Short form of Brixton, place-name and surname, English

• Meaning:

  "stone of Brixi"

• Description:

  Brixi was a Saxon lord thought to have erected a stone boundary of an ancient meeting place on the site that is now Brixton, a suburb in south London. Brixton is a newly fashionable boys' name and shortened form Brix was used for 35 baby boys in the US last year.