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Boyish Nicknames For Girls

  1. Quinn
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "descendant of Conn, chief leader, intelligence"
    • Description:

      Quinn is one of the most popular Irish unisex surnames out there, a strong and attractive choice on the rise for girls but still popular for boys. A recent year saw it used for nearly 2690 girls along with 615 boys in the US, meaning its split 80:20 across the sexes.
  2. Kit
    • Origin:

      English diminutive of Katherine, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "pure"
    • Description:

      Kit is a crisp, old-time nickname with plenty of spirit and style. In the UK it's a rising star for boys, while in the US, it is trending upwards for girls too.
  3. Charlie
    • Origin:

      English diminutive of Charles or Charlotte, French from German
    • Meaning:

      "free man"
    • Description:

      Charlie is a friendly, boyish nickname name now used slightly more frequently for girls than boys, with over 2200 baby girls named Charlie last year versus about 2100 boys. That makes Charlie one of the most evenly-balanced and most popular unisex names around today.
  4. Rae
    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of Rachel, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "ewe"
    • Description:

      All the old ae/ay middle names for girls are back--Kay, Fay, Mae/May, --and Rae is one of the coolest, used as such by celebrities as Mark Wahlberg and Daniel Baldwin.
  5. Reese
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "ardor"
    • Description:

      The sassy, steel magnolia appeal of Oscar-winning Reese (born Laura Jeanne—Reese is her mother's maiden name) Witherspoon has single-handedly propelled this formerly boys’ name into girls' popularity.
  6. Jude
    • Origin:

      Latin diminutive of Judith or variation of Judah, Hebrew, Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "praised; to be generous and good to others"
    • Description:

      Jude may be a popular boys' name, thanks to Jude Law, but boyish nicknames for girls - like Frankie and Teddy - are on trend and Jude is also a new way to spin Judy or Judith. It's long been used quietly for girls as well as boys, and may start to pick up steam, though as of 2024, it was given to just shy of 90 girls in the US compared to over 2000 boys.
  7. Lou
    • Origin:

      Short form of Louise
    • Meaning:

      "renowned warrior"
    • Description:

      Lou is usually a short form of Louise, Louisa, or Lucy in English-speaking countries, when Lou is used for girls at all. But in France and Germany, it's a fashionable choice all on its own, sure to gain even more widespread style credibility since Heidi Klum and Seal chose it for their daughter.
  8. Frankie
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Frances, Latin
    • Meaning:

      "from France; free man"
    • Description:

      Frankie is a vintage nickname name for girls, with a down-to-earth country feel. It's one of the hottest boyish nicknames for girls, in the forefront of that trend.
  9. Leni
    • Origin:

      German or Spanish diminutive of Lena, Elena, or Helen, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "shining torch"
    • Description:

      An up-and-coming nickname-style name, hugely popular in Germany and on the rise in the UK, Leni is stylish but sweet. Chosen for her daughter by high-profile German supermodel Heidi Klum back in 2004, Leni with its concise spelling and European feel is also on the rise in the US, alongside Lennie, Lenny, Lennox, and Lennon.
  10. Jamie
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of James
    • Meaning:

      "supplanter"
    • Description:

      Jamie is typical of the relaxed unisex names starting with J that seemed so cool in the sixties after decades of Jeans and Joans, though now pretty tepid. Jaime and even Jamey and Jayme are alternate spellings.
  11. Drew
    • Origin:

      English diminutive of Andrew, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "strong and manly"
    • Description:

      Drew is an elegant formerly male-only alternative to Andy that joined the stylishly upscale Paige-Brooke-Blair sorority, thanks largely to Drew Barrymore. Barrymore comes by her first name legitimately: it was the maiden name of her paternal great-grandmother, Georgiana 'Georgie' Drew Barrymore, one of many esteemed actors in her family history.
  12. Rio
    • Origin:

      Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "river or place of the cherry blossoms"
    • Description:

      Rio is one of Japan's most popular girls' names, constantly sitting in that country's Top 10. Of course, Rio may also stem from the Portuguese and Spanish word for river, and the Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro. A truly international name for a cosmopolitan baby!
  13. Mattie
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Martha or Matilda
    • Meaning:

      "lady; battle-mighty"
    • Description:

      Mattie, which might be a short form of Martha, Matilda, or even Madeline, ranked among the Top 100 names for girls in the 1880s and in fact, has held a place among the Top 1000 for most of U.S. naming history. It fell off the popularity charts in 2015 and makes a cute, tomboyish option.
  14. Lane
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "a small roadway or path"
    • Description:

      Lane is a unisex name equally accessible to boys and girls. Breezy, cool and contemporary, it might equally put in mind country lanes and banks of wildflowers.
  15. Max
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "greatest"
    • Description:

      If Sam can make it as a girl's name, why not Max? Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's eldest daughter Maxima goes by Max, but you could also use it as a short form for Maxine, Maximilienne or even Margaux.
  16. Jules
    • Origin:

      Latin; Greek
    • Meaning:

      "youthful; soft, downy"
    • Description:

      Jules is one of the adorable boyish nicknames newly fashionable for girls. It's rarer than Billie, with a cool and casual feel. It's use in the popular TV series Euphoria - where the character of Jules Vaughn was portrayed by Hunter Schafer - brought this name into the spotlight.
  17. Theo
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Theodora
    • Meaning:

      "divine gift"
    • Description:

      Theo has a girls' name is used for only a handful of babies today. As a short form of Theodora, Theo is used much less frequently than Thea or even Teddy. One notable appearance was as the younger daughter in Sofia Coppola's film On the Rocks in 2020.
  18. Freddie
    • Origin:

      Short form of Alfreda or Frederica
    • Description:

      Freddie, especially with the ie ending, is one of the old-school boy-names-for-girls that came into vogue at the turn of the last century. Freddie, all on its own, ranked among the Top 1000 girl names until 1958, but in 2021 it was given to just 8 baby girls. Maybe that makes it prime for a comeback, ala Billie?
  19. Georgie
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "farmer"
    • Description:

      A spunky boyish diminutive in the vein of Frankie, Billie and Charlie, but far less popular in the US. Georgie could be a nickname for Georgia, Georgette, Georgina or Georgiana – or just use it as it is, as over 90 sets of American parents did in 2021.
  20. Nico
    • Origin:

      Italian, diminutive of Nicola
    • Meaning:

      "people of victory"
    • Description:

      A much more dynamic nickname than Nicky for any of the Nic-names. Part of a growing trend of boyish nicknames for girls - alongside Stevie and Lou - Nico has cheerful, snappy sounds, and a fresh, sassy image.

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