Attitude Nicknames for Boys

If Gus and Max have made it, why not Moe? Can it be the lingering Three Stooges effect? We think that Moe, like Joe, is one of the friendliest and most open of regular guy nickname names and should get a little more attention.

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.

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.

Bix is a cool and jazzy nickname name, thanks to that final x. It's largely associated with the legendary and influential cornet player (and inspiration for the novel Young Man With a Horn), Bix Beiderbecke. He was born Leon Bismark Beiderbecke and his nickname derived from his middle name.

As Huxley and Huck become more popular and accepted, so does Hux, either as a full name or a diminutive.

Si is an intriguing antique nickname for Simon and Silas, and we’ve also heard it as a short form of names that contain the "sigh" sound, like Josiah and Osiris.

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.

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.

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.

More of an abbreviation than a short form that can stand on its own.

This is a Scottish pet form of John, the equivalent of Jack in England. Has long been used as a generic name for a Scotsman, here it's a generic name for a--well--jock.

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

Just the kind of old-fashioned nickname coming back into style.

Flip is a cute, attitude-filled nickname for the very proper Philip and variations. A perfect choice if you're looking for a buttoned-up proper name with an informal short form.

What child wouldn't like a name that was a synonym for cool?

The charming Hitch played by Will Smith in the eponymous movie put this into the lexicon. Also known as the nickname of director Alfred Hitchcock and writer Christopher Hitchens, who titled his autobiography "Hitch."

A nickname style choice derived from the popular Sebastian, Sebbie feels like it could fit in with the likes of Teddy, Reggie, Billy, and Toby. Rarely used as a standalone name, it is borne by a (female) character in Ransom Riggs' book series, Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children and by Sebbie Hall, founder of The Sebbie Hall Kindness Foundation.