Cool, Unusual, One Syllable Nicknames

Pell

English occupational name

"dealer in furs"

Pell makes an unusual middle name choice. And if grandpa Seymour was a fur trader, you might do better to honor him by naming the baby Pell.

Poe

English

"peacock"

An evocative unisex one-syllable name, Poe is most distinguished by its literary reference. Edgar Allan Poe was an influential American author and poet, credited with inventing the genres of…

Rain

Nature name

Mostly feminine, though "Office" star Rainn Wilson gives it a slight masculine twist. You might also use this as a short form of Raines.

Rigs

Rigs is an uncommon masculine name with several possible origins. It may derive from Old Norse 'Ríg,' a name associated with the god Heimdall in Norse mythology, who established the different social…

Snow

English word name

Snow is increasing in usage mostly as a girls' name, but hero Jon Snow of Game of Thrones just might nudge it into the boys' column. Currently, there are 12 times as many girls named Snow as boys,…

Thor

Norse and Scandinavian

"thunder"

Thor, the powerful name of the Norse god of thunder, strength and rain, would make a bold statement. Long a comic book staple, Thor has now invaded the big screen, and could land on birth…

Vas

Vas is a concise masculine name with diverse cultural origins. In Hungarian, it literally means 'iron', symbolizing strength and durability. It can also be found as a shortened form of various Slavic…

Ven

Ven is a concise masculine name with multiple cultural origins. In Dutch and Scandinavian contexts, it derives from words meaning 'friend' or 'companion,' giving it warm, approachable connotations.…

Ving

Diminutive of Irving

Actor Rhames's imaginative shortening of the prosaic Irving, giving it new life and energy.

Voss

Germanic

"fox"

Voss is a German name, that is seen in Norway and Australia (in the former it is associated with a region, in the latter it is associated with the protagonist of Patrick White's novel by the same…

Zabe

Modern invented name

Parents with a penchant for inventing names seem especially enamored of the letter Z, maybe for its counterculture feel and its extra zip.

Zale

Greek

"sea-strength"

Appealing sound and meaning, but there is that discount-store association.

Zeb

Diminutive of Zebediah or Zebulon, Hebrew

"gift of God, exaltation, or little dwelling"

Short and to-the-point, it turns an ancient biblical name into a friendly cowboy.