Nickname Names

Slim may be too on-the-nose for the child of two beautiful models, but it's the name Nara Pellman and Lucky Blue Smith chose for their son, Slim Easy. Smith, who has daughters named Gravity Blue and Rumble Honey, is known for choosing outrageous word names. But Slim — when pronounced as "SLEEM" — can also be a short form of the Arabic name Slimane. This origin is shared with Pellman's middle name, Aziza.
 
Slim is primarily used as a given name among Muslims, and historically has been a nickname in the US. Photographer Slim Aarons was born George Allen. Slim has been the nickname of several professional baseball players, including Slims Jones, Harriss, Love, and Sallee. Other pop cultural references include the song The Real Slim Shady by rapper Eminem and the musican Fatboy Slim.

The name also appears in John Steibeck's classic novella, Of Mice and Men, worn by the calm, skilled, and thoughtful laborer, known as "the prince of the ranch".
 
If you like Slim but don't have Arabic heritage and aren't a celeb, we'd suggest keeping it a potential nickname, perhaps for one of these <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/448/cowboy-baby-names"> cool cowboy names</a> or if you'd prefer something more direct, Solomon, Simeon , and Samuel might fit the bill.

Slim

This short form of Ivan just could join the other Russian nickname names coming into fashion, and it does have the Chekhov connection. 

Vanya

This spelling seems to be taking off as a result of media appearances as characters in first "Gilmore Girls" and then as Sookie Stackhouse, the Anna Paquin character in "True Blood," based on "The Southern Vampire Mysteries" series of books by Charlaine Harris.

Sookie

Occasionally used as an independent name, but why. 

Spence is occasionally used as a name all on its own and it has more of a sense of completeness than many nickname-names.

Spence

Spike is part mid-century nickname-name, ala Buster or Buck, and part word name, with an all-over cool creative dude feel thanks to directors Spike Lee and Spike Jonze. Mike Myers named his son Spike. That's right: Spike and Mike. Spike qualifies as one of the distinctly <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/519/american-baby-names">American names</a>.

Spike

Trish was a cool -- in every sense of the word -- nickname back when Patricia was one of the most popular names in the US, primarily in the 1960s and 1970s.  Trish is actually kind of a nickname of a nickname, Tricia, best known as Tricia Nixon, the daughter of President Richard who named after her mother, who was called Pat.  Trish, along with almost every other name related to Patricia including Pat, Patti, Patsy, and Tricia, is seriously out of fashion today.

Trish

Stu is a masculine name primarily used as a diminutive of Stuart, Stewart, or Stanley. Stuart and Stewart originated as Scottish surnames derived from the Old English 'stig-weard,' meaning 'household guardian.' As a standalone name, Stu gained some usage in the mid-20th century during a trend toward friendly, approachable shortened names. It projects a casual, unpretentious quality with a distinctly mid-century feel. While never ranking highly as a formal given name, Stu maintains recognition through cultural references like the character Stu Pickles from the animated series 'Rugrats' and various sports personalities. Today, it's more commonly used as a nickname rather than a legal given name.

In the Divergent series, Tris was used as a short form of Beatrice, but it could also be given as a nickname for names like Tristan, Patricia, or Demetris.

Tris

Sydney may be by far the more popular spelling of this name for girls, but it's also predominantly female. Over 1200 baby girls were named Sydney in 2021 vs. 37 baby boys. Contrast that with Sidney, a spelling used for about 150 babies of each gender. That makes Syd the more common spelling for girls of this cute short form. 

Feline nickname for Tabitha — a bewitching vintage choice.

Tabby

Looks very much like it lost its first initial.

Tacy

Tay is occasionally used on its own, or as a nickname for the now fading Taylor.

The modern name Till is in the German Top 100. Used in contemporary terms on its own, it's traditionally a short form of names beginning with Diet such as Deitrich, which is itself a form of Theodoric. Because of its English word equivalent, it's a bit slight to ever make it as a standalone name in the English-speaking world.

Fun fact: Till is a root of the Latinized name Thelonious, famous via jazz great Thelonious Monk.

Till

Wilmot has the sort of old-school bookish charm of other surname-sounding names like Beckett, Everett, Griffith and Weston. This could be a good choice for families wanting to honor that special William in a creative way, 

Wilmot

Tomkin is a diminutive form of Thomas, with the affectionate suffix '-kin,' which historically indicated 'little one' or 'son of.' This medieval diminutive form gives the name a charming, slightly archaic quality. While not commonly used in modern times, Tomkin has a distinctive character that sets it apart from the more frequently used Tom or Tommy. And it can make a unique honor name or nickname for boy named after Grandpa Thomas.


Tomkin

Lella is a diminutive of names like Gabriella, Raffaella, or Donatella, conveying affection and familiarity. In Arabic cultures, Lella is an honorific title meaning 'lady' or 'madam,' used particularly in North African regions to show respect to women of importance. 

The repeated L sound is very fashionable today, and Lella is an unusual entry in the genre. However, it will be forever confused with the trendier Lila, Layla, Leila et al, so may not feel as unique as you might wish.

Lella

Pronounced like Tom, but not everyone will know that. 

Thom

Tib and Tibb originated in the 13th century as nicknames for Theobald (for boys) and Isabel and Isabella (for girls). As Isabel grew in popularity, Tib(b) was used more often on girls. By the 16th century, Tib was a term for a young girl, much like Tom was for young boys.
 
Tib was most commonly a nickname for Isabel, but it was also seen as a short form of Tabitha and Elizabeth. In the popular 1940s book series Betsy, Tacy, and Tib, Tib is a nickname for Thelma.

Tib was a unisex nickname in the 13th century, used as a short form of Theobald and Isabel. As Theobald waned in popularity, it became far more associated with girls, so much so that Tib was a term for young girls by the 16th century.
 
Now, of course, no such association exists, and Tib could be used on either sex.

 — directly on the birth certificate these days. Sometimes they like the nickname better than the formal name, sometimes they want more control over what their child is actually called, and sometimes they simply see the short form as cuter, more modern, and more stylish than its proper equivalent.

, other nickname names in the US Top 1000 include 

. Rare nickname names with the potential to be future hits include 

, are full names in their own right, they make the list because they can be short forms of longer names, such as 

, have been used as full names for so long that they're more widely used than their proper forms.

And then there are the nicknames that have more recently found their footing as proper names. We'd count 

Some nickname names you might want to consider for your own baby include the following.

Nicknames that are used as proper names, for baby girls and baby boys, with meanings, origins, and popularity, including Alfie, Rory, Maisie, and Coco (Page 42)