Crazy Nicknames for Boys
Updated Thu Feb 01 2024
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Crazy nicknames for boys are not often found on the birth certificate. There are a couple you can make a strong case for — such as Bo, Buddy, and Ziggy — but some are so outdated, and yes, crazy, that we don’t see them making a comeback. Can you imagine meeting a baby called Dickie or Jocko today?
Along with Dickie and Jocko, some of the crazy nicknames for boys include Bubba, Cuddy, Handy, Jimbo, Loney, Newt, Oddie, and Sax. Crazy names make good names for fictional characters, though; Biff, Doogie, Moby, and Rambo are all connected to famous characters.
Crazy nicknames can be wearable — just ask celebrities like Buzz Aldrin, Chevy Chase, Ringo Starr, and Tiger Woods. Here, view our roster of the wackiest nicknames for boys, past and present, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.
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- Ziggy
Origin:
German, diminutive of Siegfried and SigmundMeaning:
"victorious peace; victorious protection; victory"Description:
Perhaps the ultimate nicknamey name, Ziggy manages to sound cool, cutesy, spiky, and energetic all at once. It brings to mind the glam-rock of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the cool vibes of reggae musician Ziggy Marley, along with the contemporary-but-vintage appeal of Teddy, Mack, and Albie.
- Sonny
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"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, and as of 2023, it entered the Top 400 for the first time. Laidback Sonny is also popular in the UK, New Zealand and Australia.
- Bo
Origin:
Norse nicknameMeaning:
"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".
- Pippin
Origin:
Variation of PepinMeaning:
"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 JonathanMeaning:
"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).
- Kip
Origin:
American diminution of Christopher, Greek and LatinMeaning:
"bearer of Christ"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. But Kip is often short for Christopher.
- Fritz
Origin:
German, diminutive of Friedrich or FrederickMeaning:
"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.
- Bear
Origin:
Animal nameMeaning:
"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 Alicia Silverstone called her son Bear Blu, followed by Kate Winslet's Bear Blaize.
- Baz
Origin:
Diminutive of Sebastian or Basil; KurdishMeaning:
"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.
- Duke
Origin:
English rank of nobilityDescription:
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.
- Rebel
Origin:
Word nameMeaning:
"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.
- Iggy
Origin:
Latin, diminutive of IgnatiusMeaning:
"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.
- Moby
Origin:
Literary and nickname nameDescription:
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.
- Buddy
Origin:
English, nickname nameDescription:
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.
- Deuce
Origin:
English word name or nicknameMeaning:
"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.
- Odie
Origin:
Diminutive of Odell, Otis; English, GermanMeaning:
"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.
- Newt
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"a small salamander"Description:
Rarely used on its own and irrevocably tied to former House Speaker Gingrich -- who was christened Newton.
- Jonesy
Origin:
Diminutive of Jones, English surname derived from JohnMeaning:
"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.
- Pip
Origin:
English, diminutive of PhilipMeaning:
"lover of horses"Description:
The original Pip was the main character in Great Expectations (full name Philip Pirrip). Cute for a tike, maybe too cute for an adult.
- Coy
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"shy, taciturn"Description:
Though rarely heard now, Coy has been around for a century and was not an uncommon name a hundred years ago. There have been a couple of NFL players named Coy, Coy Bowles is in the Zac Brown band, and of course there was Coy Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard. Due to the flirty connotations of the word "coy", McCoy is a more popular and recommended choice today.