User-created list
By bookworm5487 · Updated May 2023
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Diminutive of Catherine, Greek
"pure"
May be the most modern, stylish Catherine nickname: more unusual than Kate or Cate, with an animal and word name edge. Cat Power is a trendy folksinger.
English word name
"water vapor in the atmosphere"
This kind of plainspoken nature name (think River and Sunshine) may still carry a whiff of the hippie, but this one has a nice, airy feel. It's slight similarity to Claude and Clyde helps to ground…
English diminutive of Cassandra or Cassia, Greek
"shining or excelling man; cinnamon"
Ties to the unfortunate Mama are now unraveling, leaving Cass or Cassie to stand on its own as a fresher sounding Cathy or Kate. With gender-neutral names abound and the growing trend of boyish…
Short form of Caitlin
Cait, pronounced like more popular sister Kate, is the form used when shortening Caitlin or any of the other Irish and Gaelic Cait-starting variations of Catherine.
French
"beloved"
For years there was only one Cher, and then along came the charming heroine of the movie "Clueless." The world now officially has enough Chers in it.
English
"a female deer"
Doe is a soft and gentle-eyed middle name possibility and, like Fawn, one of the few animal names open to girls. The Ballad of Baby Doe is a modern American opera based on the story of Elizabeth…
"east"
North and West are easier on the ear, but this works fine if it has some significance for your family. Could be lengthened to Easton.
"joyful"
Faine is a very unusual one-syllable option.
Word name
Beware: extremely high pressure, high-expectation name.
Diminutive of Lillian and Lily, flower name
"lily"
Spunky old vaudeville era nickname name suddenly sounds new again.
Greek mythology name
Remember, the Muse is passive: someone else's inspiration.
Diminutive of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
Meg, perennially one of the Little Women, is a Margaret short form that manages to be neither quite in nor quite out of style. Meg is sleeker and more sophisticated than Maggie, more contemporary…
English, diminutive of Nancy
Bobbsey Twins-era nickname name that could find new life via Nan, heroine of The Nanny Diaries. Nan was also the nickname of Annabel St George, the protagonist of Edith Wharton's novel "The…
Peg is a nostalgic turn-of-the-last-century nickname, sociable but slight. Like near-identical twin Peggy, Peg is in mothballs.
Diminutive of Pamela, English
"all honey"
This mild-mannered short form was Queen of the Prom in the fifties and sixties, but today is mostly heard on TV's The Office (and of course as one of the founders of Nameberry). While about 100 baby…
Diminutive of Prudence, virtue name
With the return of the less obvious virtue names such as Verity and Prudence, vintage nickname names like Pru may follow in their wake.
Tree name
Spruce is a very rare tree name, given to only six baby boys last year....and no girls. But there's nothing traditionally gendered about this name, which can work just as well for baby girls.
English nature name
Until now, most girls called Shell used it as a nickname for Shelley or Michelle. Today's Shell is much more likely to be a nature name, cool and beachy, fit for all genders.
"swan"
Obsolete Swanhild gives way to oh-so-modern Swan, joining the flock of newly fashionable bird names such as Wren and Lark. In France, the Swann spelling is fashionable for both sexes. But Swan…
Diminutive of Patricia or Letitia
Traditionally a short form for Patricia — or in the Addam's family, Morticia.
