Crazy Nicknames for Girls

Prune

Fruit name

Prune is a fruit name loved by the French, for whom it's a Plum equivalent. In the U.S., Plum works, but Prune is not a name we'd want to inflict on a child. Prunella is slightly more plausible.

Sissy

Diminutive of Cecilia; pet name for "sister"

"sister"

Old-fashioned nickname for a sister, almost never heard today.

Sister

English

"a female who has one or both parents in common with another"

Sister is an old-timey nickname-name for girls, ranking in the Top 1000 as a proper name for girls until the beginning of the 20th century. But more often, Sister was used as a nickname in the truest…

Sugar

Word name

You can call your daughter Sugar, but it's probably best to keep it as a term of endearment. For sweet names, you try Dulcie, Honey, Mitsu, Amai, Sherine, Melita, Eulalia, or Melina, but Sugar does…

Taffy

Welsh

"beloved friend"

A diminutive of the (male) name Dafydd, the Welsh form of David. In the US, it's strongly associated with the candy.

Tetty

English, diminutive of Elizabeth

Commonly heard in the eighteenth century, but could cause middle-school titters today. Consider Letty or Tessie instead.

Tiny

Tiny is an endearing feminine name that originated as a diminutive nickname before occasionally being used as a given name. It directly references small stature or youthfulness, deriving from the…

Tipper

Diminutive or variation of Irish surname Tabar

"water pourer"

A nickname with quirky, old-fashioned charm, Tipper likely comes from the Irish surname, Tabar, meaning "water pourer", though it may also just be used as a playful pet name for a girl, if it happens…

Tippi

Invented nickname

Tippi is best known as the nickname of actress Tippi Hedren, star of Hitchcock's "The Birds" and "Marnie." Hedren's real name was Nathalie Kay; her father dubbed her Tippi. Although the name will…

Tibby

Diminutive of Elizabeth

"pledged to God"

Cute and unusual as a nickname, but lacking the legs to stand on its own.

Totty

Diminutive of Charlotte

Too close to Potty.

Virgie

Diminutive of Virginia, Latin

"virginal, pure"

Virginia is a hundred years past its peak of the 1920s, but according to Nameberry's own Hundred Year Rule, that means it's due for a comeback. Indeed, Virginia's long downward slide leveled off and…

Zazie

French

This jazzy French diminutive of Isabelle was first made famous by the title character of Raymond Queneau’s novel Zazie dans le métro , which was adapted into a film in 1960. It could also work as a…

Zippy

Short form of Zipporah

Zippy is a cute nickname that livens up the Biblical Zipporah. Too cute? Your call.

Zsazsa

Hungarian, , diminutive of Erzsebet

"God is my oath"

Zsa Zsa is a zippy Hungarian nickname name, sometimes used independently, linked for decades with the Hungarian-born actress Zsa Zsa Gabor--who was born Sari.

Purdy

English

"pretty"

An old-fashioned feeling nickname, based on a colloquial pronunciation of the word "pretty", Purdy (also spelled Purdie and Purdey) could be used as a short form of Perdita, as a nickname for…

Ladybird

Word name

"small, spotted beetle"

Also known as a ladybug, the small, spotted beetle gets its name from the phrase "Our Lady's birds", lady referring to the Virgin Mary, who was often depicted wearing a red cloak in early art. The…

Babe

Word name or diminutive of Barbara

You can call your baby "babe," but don't name her that.

Babs

Nickname for Barbara or Babette

"foreign woman"

Babs is an old-fashioned nickname for Barbara, itself an old-fashioned name that was hugely popular in the 20th century but that's not (yet) on its way back in. If you really want a vintage-y…

Beanie

Invented nickname

Up-and-coming actress Beanie Feldstein is attracting attention toward her unusual — but rather cute — nickname. She was born Elizabeth Greer Feldstein but nicknamed "Elizabeanie" by her childhood…