Attitude Nicknames for Boys

  1. Teo
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Teodoro or Mateo, Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "gift of God"
    • Description:

      An international take on Theo that would be easily wearable for a child in the US or any European culture, Teo is a simple but versatile choice. It's popularly used across a number of countries, including Georgia, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Czechia, Italy, England, and Bosnia and Herzegovina too.
  2. Ash
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Asher, English
    • Meaning:

      "ash tree"
    • Description:

      Ash has Southern charm plus the arboreal-nature appeal. Plus your little boy will prize Ash as the name of the hero of the Pokemon cartoons. Ash can also be a dashing short form of Asher, Ashton, or any other "Ash" name.
  3. Cy
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Cyrus, Persian
    • Meaning:

      "sun"
    • Description:

      This evocative short name is suddenly chic — it was recently chosen by Jennifer Lawrence for her baby boy. JLaw's son's name honors Cy Twombly, the influential mid-century American artist. Born Edwin Parker Twombly Jr., both Cy Twombly and his father shared a nickname after baseball player Cy Young (himself born Denton True Young).
  4. Huck
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Huckleberry, word name
    • Description:

      Though forever tied to Huck, short for Huckleberry, Finn, this is an undeniably cute short form that may have some life as part of the hipster taste for names like Duke and Bix.
  5. 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.
  6. Oz
    • Origin:

      Hebrew, English, Irish
    • Meaning:

      "strength, powerful, courageous; god's warrior; deer friend"
    • Description:

      While some may think of ruby slippers and a yellow brick road, Oz is a legitimate Hebrew name denoting power. An element in a number of names including Ozni, Oziel, and Ozias, it may also be used as a stand-alone choice which may appeal to those who enjoy the likes of Ty, Ed, Bo, and Cy.
  7. Judd
    • Origin:

      Medieval short form of Jordan
    • Meaning:

      "flowing down"
    • Description:

      Judd is a strong but sensitive short form that can easily stand on its own, the second 'd' giving it a lot more substance, and it would also be a good middle name choice. Two recent actors have given it credence--Judd Nelson and Judd Hirsch, and now it's most noticeably represented by comedy director Judd Apatow.
  8. Dash
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Dashiell, meaning unknown
    • Description:

      Dash is a nickname that can stand on its own and sounds, well, dashing. Connected these days with Kardashian enterprises.
  9. Ike
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Isaac, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "laughter"
    • Description:

      Ike, once the quirky one-person nickname of President Dwight Eisenhower, has morphed into a cool kid nickname of the early 21st century.
  10. Puck
    • Origin:

      Literary name
    • Description:

      Puck was Shakespeare's mischievous pixie who'a had a few television incarnations in more recent years. A popular name in The Netherlands but nowhere else, from what we can tell.
  11. 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.
  12. Ward
    • Origin:

      English occupational name
    • Meaning:

      "guard, watchman"
    • Description:

      Until recently Ward was, like Wally, a Cleaver name, but today's parents are seeing it as a cooler nickname for Edward than Eddie, and are also beginning to use it on its own.
  13. Indy
    • Description:

      The heroic movie figure Indiana Jones was often called Indy, as in the equally testosterone-laden Indy 500 car race. It could also be short for Indigo or Indio, or just use it as is.
  14. 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.
  15. Buzz
    • Origin:

      Modern nickname
    • Description:

      Brother for Biff and Bud. McFly rocker Tom Fletcher transformed this from midcentury short form to modern cool name when he used it for his newborn son.
  16. Zeb
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Zebediah or Zebulon, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "gift of God, exaltation, or little dwelling"
    • Description:

      Short and to-the-point, it turns an ancient biblical name into a friendly cowboy.
  17. Fletch
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Fletcher, English
    • Meaning:

      "arrow maker"
    • Description:

      This snappy nickname may remind some of the 1985 Chevy Chase movie of the same name.
  18. 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.

  19. Po
    • Origin:

      Italian river name
    • Description:

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

      Diminutive of Winslow, Winthrop, or Winston, English
    • Meaning:

      "friend's hill or friend's village or wine town"
    • 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.

Introducing the Nameberry App

Nameberry App
Find your perfect baby name together with our new mobile app.
  • Swipe through thousands of names with your partner
  • Names you match on are saved to your shared list
  • Get personalized recommendations that learn based on your and your partner's preferences
  • Partner with friends and family to find names you all love
  • Backed by Nameberry's 20 years of data around name preferences.
Sign up to be notified when the app launches and to receive a discount on full access.
Nameberry App Logo