User-created list
Names from Whats My Line
Across 44 pages
of 44
Bert
English, diminutive of Albert and Bertram
A once-popular nickname for Albert and Bertram now being polished up by hip Brits, but still hibernating in the Land of Nerd over here.
Bill
English, diminutive of William
"resolute protection"
Most Bills today are dads...or grandpas. The younger Williams are usually nicknamed Will, or called by their full names.
Billy
English, diminutive of William
"resolute protection"
Cute kid with freckles, bouncing a Spalding ball. Cool couple Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton put the name Billy Burton on their son's birth certificate. While the classic William, name of the…
Bob
English, diminutive of Robert
"bright fame"
Kids love Bob the Builder, but do they want to be Bob the Builder? Bob and Bobby have been out of style since the 1960s, but as vintage nickname-names -- Fred, Archie -- come back into vogue, Bob may…
Bobby
Diminutive of Robert
"bright fame"
Bobby is the quintessential mid-century nickname, the name of the son on Mad Men and overused to the point of cliche. Though Robert is still a highly popular choice, most Roberts today are called by…
Boyd
Scottish
"blond"
Has a bit of a hayseed image, and that oy sound is tough to work with.
Branch
Word name
Branch is an attractive name with associations both with trees and with branching out into brave new worlds. Baseball's Branch (born Wesley, with Branch as his middle name) Rickey broke the color…
Bud
English nickname
"friend"
An upbeat and friendly nickname, Bud is more often reserved as a term of endearment, though it was once a Top 500 choice in the US and remained in the charts right up until the 60s. While long-form…
Buddy
English, nickname name
Until recently it was rarely used as a proper name; Buddy Holly, for example, was christened Charles, and Salinger's Buddy Glass was born Webb. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver did name his fourth child…
Burgess
English
"inhabitant of a fortified town"
Related to the word bourgeois; actor Burgess Meredith put this surname in first place.
Burl
English
"knotty wood; butler"
This name has a nicely fragrant woodsy feel, bringing it into the nature-tree name category. Its only well-known bearer, folk singer and Oscar-winning actor Burl Ives, had the full birth certificate…
Burt
Burt is a masculine name with Germanic origins, typically serving as a shortened form of Burton, which meant 'fortified settlement' or 'fortress town.' The name gained notable popularity in the…
Buster
Modern nickname
An old-fashioned nickname in the Bud/Buzz/Biff mold; this one's kind of belligerent. Michelle Hicks and Jonny Lee Miller moved outside the box when they used it for their son--given the safer middle…
Buz
Hebrew
"contempt"
A name used in the Old Testament, as well as a variation of Buzz.
Black Beaver
Blackshear
Caesar
Latin
"cut"
Caesar, the name of the greatest Roman of them all, is rarely used outside Latino families, where the Cesar spelling is preferred —as in activist Chavez and Dog Whisperer Millan. Its original meaning…
Carl
German variation of Charles
"free man"
This no-nonsense German variation of Charles is strong and sturdy. A top choice throughout the 20th century, Carl is now verging on falling off the charts.
Carroll
Anglicized variation of Irish Cearbhall
"hacking with a weapon"
This name was consistently in the boys' Top 200 until WW2. It's a name with so many dimensions to it: the hyper-masculine meaning, the surname-as-firstname trendiness, and the softer sound and…
Cass
Diminutive of Casper etc
A light variation of any of the weightier names beginning with Cas, such as Casper, Cassius etc- this is a beautifully mellow and soft name that bears greater consideration.