Short And Lively

Concise, familiar and multicultural, Amir enjoys widespread popularity around the world. A common name in the Middle East and across Africa, it has been on the rise in the US since the late 70s, and in a recent year, sat within the Top 100.

Homophonous with Mae and May, the beautiful (literally) Mei is poised to climb the charts. The hero of the 2022 Disney/Pixar film Turning Red is a Chinese-Canadian teen named Meilin "Mei" Lee, which may boost the name ever further.

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.

Though short and brisk, no nickname name could have a more creative image. Comic actor Chris O'Dowd named his son Art, as in his native Ireland it's used as a name on its own, separate from Arthur., coming from an ancient word for ""a bear,"" and used in the sense of ""outstanding warrior"" or ""champion."" A pagan High King of Ireland, Art’s rule was so honest that two angels hovered over him in battle.

Billie as a masculine name originated as a diminutive form of William, derived from Germanic elements meaning "will" or "determination" and "helmet" or "protection." While more commonly recognized as a feminine name today, Billie has historical precedence as a male name, particularly in the early to mid-20th century. Notable male bearers include jazz musician Billie Holiday (born Eleanora but adopted the masculine spelling) and various athletes and musicians. The name conveys a friendly, approachable quality with vintage charm. Though its popularity for boys has declined significantly since the 1960s, it maintains appeal for parents drawn to gender-neutral naming options with traditional roots and a casual, unpretentious character.

Among the coolest of the cool color names, particularly popular with celebs as a unisex middle name. While most famous as the name of Beyonce and Jay-Z's daughter Blue Ivy, more than 60 percent of the babies named Blue are boys.

Blue suddenly came into the spotlight, as the unusual color name chosen by Beyonce and Jay-Z for their baby girl Blue Ivy. Blue is also a starbaby middle name du jour, used for both sexes in different spellings and forms, from John Travolta and Kelly Preston's Ella Bleu to Alicia Silverstone's Bear Blu. Dave 'The Edge' Evans named his daughter Blue Angel back in 1989.

Gently old-fashioned stand-alone nickname that owes its popularity to mega popular Abigail.

Long a royal nickname in England, it's coming back there along with Archie and Alfie. British singer Kate Bush calls her little boy Bertie.

Sky may be a bit hippie-ish, but it's bright and sunny nonetheless. Sky rejoined the Top 1000 in 2013 after spending many years off the list. Sky was the choice of magician David Copperfield for his daughter, born in 2010.

This name has become increasingly popular, though usually with the Addie spelling. In fact, Addy/Addie has taken over for Maddie and Allie as one of the most frequently-heard short forms for a range of also-popular formal names, including Adeline, Adalynn, Adeliaide, and Addison. As Addy, it's the name of an American Girls doll.

Permanent property of that devilish little Simpson kid.

Vivi is a short form of all the Vivian and Viveca forms that is sure to get a lot more attention now that a little Jolie-Pitt girl has been named Vivienne.

A warm and cuddly nickname name, although he famously "kissed the girls and made them cry" in the old nursery rhyme.

Viva la baby with this life-affirming name, one of the appealing group of girl names that mean life. Other related life-giving names on the rise: cousins Vida and Vita, and Vivian, Aviva, and even Zoe.

A thirteenth-century Tuscan saint, patron of homemakers, Zita is the kind of name that sounded really creative in an earlier era.

Fiery but slight middle name choice; much more apt to be a redhead's nickname. Instead, check out other names that mean red: Rory, Rowan, Ruby.

Short form of Alfred that had fallen out of favor, but could come back alongside Alfie and other clunky old-style nicknames like Gus and Ike.

This British river name sounds sleek and strong but perhaps a bit too energetic.

It's been shown that notable political figures often impact the use of their names, and the same can — sort of — be said about Bernie Sanders. His name increased in use by 47% between 2015 and 2016 (albeit, to a peak of only 21 baby boys given the name). By 2017, Bernie has decreased in usage by almost 60%.