User-created list
By Crow Strasel · Updated October 2023
Across 4 pages
of 4
Scottish
"beautiful, cheerful"
Bonnie is an adorable nickname name, heading back up the popularity list after a 50-year nap. A Top 100 girls' name throughout the rest of the English-speaking world, Americans are later to jump on…
English botanical name and Latin
"wise and knowing"
A modern, multifaceted name, Sage is short, sweet, and strong. A unisex possibility, it is also a virtuous word name associated with wisdom, and a nature name linked to a fragrant herb. Currently,…
French
"she"
Combine the charming heroine of the movie Legally Blonde with supermodel Elle Macpherson and the trend toward all names beginning with "el"—Ellie, Ella, Eleanor—and you have one hit name. Elle Driver…
English diminutive of Winifred
"holy peacemaking, gentle friend"
This pet form of such names as Winifred and Edwina and Gwendolyn has loads of vintage charm, a la Millie and Maisie, with a decidedly winning vibe. And it just got celebrity cred as the baby daughter…
Hebrew
"life"
Eve, the oldest name in the Book, is now coming back into style, having the virtues of simplicity and purity, yet with more strength and resonance than other single-syllable names like Ann. British…
Diminutive of names including Cal
"dog; the whole of; dove; bald; war-strife; beautiful"
Cal is a nickname style name that feels as friendly and calm as it does cool and breezy. While its longer forms have proved more popular over the years, Cal as a stand alone has dropped on and off of…
French variation of English Ann and Hebrew Hannah
"grace"
The name of the sainted mother of the Virgin Mary was among the top girls’ names for centuries, in both the original English Ann spelling and the French Anne. Both left the Top 100 around 1970 but…
English
"bird"
Birdie was until recently a middle-aged Ladies' Club member wearing a bird-decorated hat --but now it's just the kind of vintage nickname (think Hattie, Josie, Mamie, Millie) that's coming back into…
Spanish, Portuguese, Norse
"sun"
A short and sweet Spanish and Portuguese name, meaning "sun". Sol has been used on its own for centuries (it belongs to one of the daughters in the 10th-11th century Spanish epic poem "El Cantar de…
Scottish diminutive of Margaret
"pearl"
The Maisie spelling may be more widely used, but Maisy is perfectly proper and also makes the British Top 100. And as Maisy, she feels like a closer relative to Daisy, another Margaret diminutive.
Diminutive of Olivia, English, Norse
"olive tree; life, protection"
Liv combines the succinct charm of a nickname—people might assume it's short for Olivia—with the solidity of being a classic stand-alone Scandinavian name with a life-force meaning. It was brought…
Hawaiian
"sea"
This appealing multi-cultural name, pronounced KYE, is beginning to be used for girls as well as boys. Among its many derivations and meanings: "sea" in Hawaiian, "forgiveness" in Japanese, "willow…
English variation of Hebrew Hannah
Ann, the name of the sainted mother of the Virgin Mary, was among the top girls’ names for centuries, in both the original English Ann spelling and the French Anne. Both left the Top 100 around 1970…
English, diminutive of Christopher
"bearer of Christ"
Actor Kit Harington, aka the dreamy Jon Snow on Game of Thrones , has given this nickname-name new style and appeal for boys. Actress Jodie Foster used it for her son back in the 2000s, while actor…
English diminutive of Katherine, Greek
"pure"
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. Originally used as a diminutive of…
Spanish
Although pinochle-playing partner Sam came out of retirement, we don't see it happening to Sol. Near soundalike Saul has more of a shot. Sol was also a Roman god/personification of the sun, and an…
"plant name"
Of all the botanicals, Fern has been one of the slowest to move back from the front parlor into the nursery, despite the appealing girl character in the children's classic Charlotte's Web . Fern was…
Diminutive of Elizabeth
"pledged to God"
Some might think a girl named Liz on her birth certificate would feel deprived of her full identity, but in a time when mini names like Liv, Kit, Tru, Kai, Lou, and Bea are in style, Liz feels…
Animal name
Fox is one animal name backed by a longish tradition, and then popularized via the lead character Fox Mulder on X Files . Fox is simple, sleek, and a little bit wild, and could make an interesting…
Diminutive of Elizabeth, Hebrew
Lizzie was commonly used as an independent name in the last half of the nineteenth century. Today Lizzie is still one of the most stylish short forms of Elizabeth, but few U.S. parents put it on the…
