User-created list
By Kate_Elaine
Across 4 pages
of 4
Diminutive of Martina, Christina, Carolina, and similar
"warlike; Christian; free man"
Short, sweet, and to the point, Ina is a derived from the likes of Martina, Christina, Carolina, and so on. Used across Europe as a stand-alone name and as a diminutive, Ina was once popular in the…
Japanese, French, Welsh, Vietnamese, Navajo
"dance; May; cherry blossom; coyote"
Cross-cultural winner.
Diminutive of Harold or Henry, English, Scandinavian, German
"army ruler or estate ruler"
Could Hal be the Jack, Max, or Gus of the future? It just might happen in the new nickname environment, especially with Cal and Cy feeling cool, and with the interest in vintage, cowboy-esque…
Armenian
"king"
Simple and yet distinctive, Ara is a mythological name of a famously handsome king. Although it originated as a boys' name, in the contemporary US, it's now much more commonly used for girls. Ara was…
French
"man from Lucania"
Luc is the sleeker Gallic cousin of Luke, and if you want to know the difference between their pronunciations, just watch Kevin Kline's hilarious description in the film French Kiss. Peter Gabriel…
English, diminutive of Katherine, Greek
"pure"
Kay, a cigarette-smoking, nightclubbing name of the 1930's, could be ready for a comeback along with cousins May/Mae and Ray/Rae. Kay has been out of sight since the mid-eighties, but was in the…
Diminutive of Dexter
"dyer; right-handed"
Dex, the nickname for Dexter that is sometimes used on its own, has lots of energy and dynamism. It was chosen by comedian Dana Carvey for his now grown son. With the growing popularity of Dexter, we…
Hebrew
"happiness"
Pronounced zheel, it's a dashing conquistador; as gill, it's the nice and slightly boring guy down the street.
Welsh
"fair, blessed"
Extremely popular in Wales, where it began as a nickname for someone with fair hair or a fair face, this bright and simple name is a winner by its very nature. Can also be spelled Wynn, Winn or the…
English, diminutive of Salvador or Salvatore, Latin
"savior"
The sidekick in almost every movie or TV show with an Italo-American setting, this once common name has now fallen onto the endangered list, given to fewer than 50 baby boys each year.
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…
Diminutive of Zachary, Hebrew
"the Lord has remembered"
This zippy short form of Zachary is more and more often standing on its own -- sometimes as Zac, Zach, Zack, or even Zakk -- but this simple-yet-straightforward version may be the very best.
English, diminutive of Melvin
"council protector"
Though most Mels are playing pinochle with Murray and Morris, there was a notable Saint Mel. He is one of the earliest Irish saints, a nephew of St. Patrick. He became a priest, then built a great…
Diminutive of Susan
Much-used midcentury diminutive, now fallen far from favor even as a middle name.
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…
Hindi or Japanese
"holy or difference"
As an Indian name, Sai honors spiritual master Shirdi Sai Baba, who was revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees. Sai is the name of the young heroine of Kiran Desai's prizewinning The Inheritance…
English word, Old English
"an inlet of the sea where the land curves inward; berry"
One of the most usable of the pleasant, newly adopted nature/water names (like Lake and Ocean), especially in middle position. It's gentle, slightly whimsical, but grounded by its similarity to May…
"wave"
A unisex name in Israel but in the U.S., it might as well be Sue.
Feminine variation of John, Hebrew
"God is gracious"
Jan, not short for Janet or Janice but standing on its own, ranked in the Top 200 throughout the 1950s but dropped off the Top 1000 in the 1980s and now is a truly extinct name, given to fewer than…
"grace"
Ayn is a nonconformist name associated with controversial Russian-born writer and philosopher Ayn Rand, (born Alisa) author of The Fountainhead , who adopted it when she moved to the US in 1926.
