User-created list
By vintageluvs · Updated May 2023
Across 53 pages
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Diminutive of Caroline, French
"free man"
Trapped somewhere in the nether region between Haddie and Catie, with the added confusion of sounding like someone who works on a golf course. Caddie Woodlawn was a TV heroine of the Old West in the…
Short form of Micajah, Hebrew
"Who is like God?"
Sounds a bit like a nickname in a Dickens novel, but this short form was used in New England a few centuries ago, back when names like Micajah were popular. Both short and long forms are now ripe for…
Cai is a name with rich multicultural origins. In Welsh, it means 'rejoice' and is a form of the Arthurian knight Sir Kay. In Chinese, Cai (蔡) is a respected surname and can also be a given name…
Greek
"beautiful"
Calla is a botanical name that is much more distinctive than popular Lily or similar Callie. Rarely heard today, it did appear in the popularity lists in the last decades of the nineteenth century.…
English word name or diminutive of Candace, Latin
"white, pure, sincere"
Too sugary sweet and inconsequential for a modern girl.
English word name
The lead character of the Captain America movies, played by Chris Evans, is occasionally called Cap, short for "captain," but even he has a real name. (Steve Rogers, ICYC)
Latin, Italian, Irish, Spanish, and Portuguese
"dear; friend; face"
Cara is a simple, sweet, Italian endearment that enjoyed its greatest popularity from the 1970s through the 1990s, reaching a high of Number 189 in 1977. Despite the rising celebrity of English…
Italian
"dear little one"
Carina is a pretty delicately feminine name whose fall from popularity is not helped by its similarity to hurricane name Katrina or slang victim Karen.
Diminuitve of Carol or Caroline, English, French ,"free man"
Upper-crusty nickname occasionally used in Britain, particularly in 1930s novels featuring significant garden party scenes, but eclipsed here by Carrie et al.
Diminutive of Cassandra, Greek
"prophetess"
Though not much in use, still retains a cozy Little House on the Prairie-type pioneer feel.
Diminutive of Catherine, Greek
"pure"
May be the most modern, stylish Catherine nickname: more unusual than Kate or Cate, with an animal and word name edge. Cat Power is a trendy folksinger.
Dutch diminutive of Catharina
Cato may have risen to new prominence in the English speaking world as an ancient Roman boys' name, popularized by The Hunger Games. But in the Netherlands, it's most widely used as a short form for…
Short form of Cecelia, Latin
"blind"
Cece, all by itself, gained notice as the nickname of Jim and Pam's baby on television's The Office . On the show as in real life, Cece is often short for Cecelia or even Cecilia, but it can also be…
Ced is a masculine name that typically functions as a diminutive of Cedric or sometimes Cedar. Cedric itself has Anglo-Saxon origins created by Sir Walter Scott for a character in his novel…
Ceola is a rare feminine name with uncertain origins, possibly derived from Old English or Germanic elements. One theory suggests it may be related to the Old English word 'ceol,' meaning 'ship' or…
Welsh
"to love"
In Welsh, Ceri is traditionally a male name but can also be used for girls. It's a short form of Ceridwen too, the name of the Welsh goddess of poetry.
English
"battle warrior"
Despite all the "hanging," "dangling," and "pregnant" chad jokes of the 2000 election, this saint's name and remnant of the Brad-Tad era didn't get a boost in popularity. But Chad still holds some…
Chago is a masculine name primarily used in Spanish-speaking cultures. It originated as a diminutive or nickname for Santiago, which itself is the Spanish form of Saint James (Sant Iago). The name…
"champion"
Though it sounds like a modern invention, Champ actually has a long history as a first name. It hit the Top 1000 several times just before and after the turn of the 20th Century. Champ Bailey was an…
Spanish nickname for Rosa or Rosario
"rose or rosary"
A nickname-name made famous by the uni-named Spanish singer Charo, whose full name was María del Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Gutiérrez de los Perales Santa Ana Romanguera y de la Hinojosa Rasten.
