Crazy Nicknames for Girls
Crazy nicknames for girls are not often given as first names. A select few, such as Lulu and Ziggy, could stand on the birth certificate, but for the most part, nicknames like Dodo, Pegeen, and Totty are a thing of the past.
Along with Dodo and Totty, some of the craziest nicknames for girls include Babe, Boo, Elf, Leafy, Sugar, Tiny, and Zippy. Crazy nicknames are often used for characters in TV shows or movies, such as Muffy, Maeby, Peppa, and Gidget. Celebrities such as Busy Philipps, Beanie Feldstein, and Fergie have proven that crazy nicknames are wearable — if you have the right personality. Below, our collection of the wackiest nicknames for girls, past and present.
Also check out our lists of nicknames for girls, crazy nicknames for boys, and Nicknames: The Ultimate Guide
- Kiki
Origin:
French nickname and JapaneseMeaning:
"double happiness"Description:
Kiki is one of the Coco-Gigi-Fifi-Lulu bohemian-type French nickname names from the turn of the last century, which have endless energy and sparkle. Artist Kiki Smith is its most well-known contemporary representative, and Kiki was the inspiring heroine of Zadie Smith's On Beauty. Kiki can be a nickname for any name beginning with the K sound, from Katherine to Christina to Kayla.
- Lulu
Origin:
Diminutive of Louise or Lucy, or ArabicMeaning:
"pearl"Description:
Lula has a firecracker personality, a singing and dancing extrovert. Interesting that Lulu was a Top 100 name when the Social Security list was born in 1880, but it's been sliding ever since and has not been in the Top 1000 for decades. Modern parents in love with Lulu might well reverse that trend.
- Honey
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
A term of endearment turned cute British celebrity baby name, used by actress Kate Winslet, chef Jamie Oliver, and TV presenter Fearne Cotton, among others. Honey was given to only 40 girls in the US in 2017, but it's relatively popular across the pond, where it ranks in the current Top 500 baby names for girls.
- Coco
Origin:
Spanish and French pet nameDescription:
Coco came to prominence as the nickname of the legendary French designer Chanel (born Gabrielle) and has lately become a starbaby favorite, initially chosen by Courteney Cox for her daughter Coco Riley in 2004. At first it was the kind of name that the press loves to ridicule, but we predict Coco's heading for more broad acceptance and even popularity.
- Bunty
Origin:
English and Scottish nicknameMeaning:
"lamb or plump"Description:
A bouncy English and Scottish nickname name, which originally started out as a term of endearment, either meaning "lamb" or (more probably) "plump". It has been in rare but regular use as a full name in Britain since at least the early 20th century, thanks in part to the popular comic play "Bunty Pulls The Strings" (1910). Bunty is also sometimes encountered as a pet name for Elizabeth or other unrelated names.
- Gigi
Origin:
French diminutiveDescription:
Like high-kicking amies Coco and Fifi, Gigi has a lot of Gallic spunk but lacks substance. Was chosen for her daughter by designer Cynthia Rowley. While some parents might fashionably use Gigi on its own, we'd recommend lengthening it on the birth certificate to something like Georgiana or Gabrielle.
- Dixie
Origin:
Latin, FrenchMeaning:
"I have spoken; tenth"Description:
A sassy, spunky, punchy kind of name, Dixie can also be considered a place name, one that has become problematic because of its association with the antebellum South. The Dixie Chicks recently dropped Dixie from their band name because of its association with slavery and white privilege.
- Kitty
Origin:
English, diminutive of KatherineMeaning:
"pure"Description:
This endearing nickname name is one Katherine pet form that predates all the Kathys and Katies, having been fairly common in the eighteenth century. With the current mini-craze for animal-related names, Kitty is sounding cute and cuddly again—she's already jumped back onto the U.K. list, at number 199.
- Bunny
Origin:
Nickname deriving from a variety of B namesDescription:
Bunny may be adorable, but is it really enough of a name for your daughter? Plus if Buffy is fluffy, what would that make Bunny? Still, Bunny as a baby name is in the spotlight since Bryan Adams named his little girl Mirabella Bunny.
- Pixie
Origin:
Swedish or CornishMeaning:
"fairy"Description:
Pixie is a cute -- quite possibly too cute -- name that suddenly feels possible thanks to the craze for names that contain the letter x. Though its origin may be uncertain, a pixie is internationally recognized as a sprite or fairy: tiny, sometimes green, usually pointy-eared.
- Peggy
Origin:
Diminutive of Margaret, GreekMeaning:
"pearl"Description:
Just when we had written off Peggy as the eternal perky, pug-nosed prom-queen she projected from the 1920s into the fifties, along came Mad Men, with intriguing mid-century characters with names like Joan and Betty--and Peggy, causing a bit of a re-think. MM's proto-feminist Peggy Olson was followed by Amy Adams's strong Oscar-nominated Peggy Dodd character in The Master.
- Ziggy
Origin:
German, diminutive of names beginning Sig/ZigMeaning:
"victory"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. It's used for a handful girls every year in England & Wales.
- Jinx
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
Jinx, a James Bond heroine name has an ominous meaning but kinetic energy. In the film "Die Another Day," the actual first name of the character played by Halle Berry is Giacinta.
- Mitzi
Origin:
German, diminutive of MariaMeaning:
"bitter"Description:
Mitzi is a spunky German nickname name that might appeal to parents drawn to the genre of lively vintage chorus girl names that proliferated in 1930's musicals. Lively entertainer Mitzi Gaynor--who was originally named Francesca Marlene de Czani von Gerber--made the name notable in mid-century America.
- Vita
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"life"Description:
Vital and vivacious, Vita is stirring back to life along with many of her V-themed sisters -- Vivian, Vivica -- and is becoming a new celebrity baby favorite.
- Ginger
Origin:
English diminutiveDescription:
Originally a unisex nickname for a redhead -- red hair is called "ginger" in Britain -- or for the name Virginia, Ginger perennially wears pink gingham and spike heels.
- Zuzu
Origin:
Czech diminutive of SusanMeaning:
"lily"Description:
Zuzu is heard every Christmas as the name of Jimmy Stewart's little girl in "It's a Wonderful Life." Hard to think of a nickname name with more sizzle."Top Chef" 's Tania Peterson named her daughter Zuzu Audrey.
- Midge
Origin:
Diminutive of MargaretMeaning:
"pearl"Description:
Sixties-style nickname which is also the name of a small biting insect, particularly prevalent in Scotland.
- Fifi
Origin:
French, diminutive of JosephineMeaning:
"Jehovah increases"Description:
Fifi is a perfect name -- for a French poodle. But Fifi may seem more child-friendly as names like Coco and Lulu rise. Fifi in its fluffiness also balances the seriousness of such full names as Josephine or Federica.
- Ollie
Origin:
Short form of Olive or Olivia, LatinMeaning:
"olive tree"Description:
Ollie is used less often as a nickname for the mega-popular Olivia or the stylish Olive than Ellie is for Eleanor or Allie for Allison. That may be because Ollie has a much longer use as a nickname for boys. But 83 baby girls were given the name Ollie on their birth certificates in the US in 2021.