These ‘Nickname’ Baby Names Are Adorable in Their Own Right
Long and elegant names are beautiful and all, but nickname baby names — i.e., baby names that are traditionally shortened versions of those aforementioned long, elegant names — are hot right now. After all, most people with long names end up using their nickname anyway, so why go through the inevitable confusion of essentially giving your kid two first names: their “legal” one and the one they actually go by? You could just cut right to the chase (and save your child a headache or two in the years to come) by giving them the condensed version right off the bat. So Elizabeth becomes Liz, or Amelia becomes Millie, and it’s just easier for everybody.
Before we dive into our favorite nickname baby names, though, let’s take a fun look at how the word “nickname” actually came to be. According to Merriam-Webster, “[T]he Middle English word eke, meaning ‘also’ or ‘in addition,’ was joined with name to form ekename — literally, ‘also-name,’ used for a secondary or unofficial name in the late Middle Ages.” Now say it out loud and hear for yourself how “an ekename” sounds like “a nekename” … which morphed, as time went on, into “a nickname.” (Cue “The More You Know” theme!)
However the word originated, nicknames have clearly been popular for centuries. And now they’re getting the recognition they deserve: no longer the “also-name,” they’re getting their moment in the spotlight. From Allie to Zeb, here are some of the best nickname baby names we’ve heard. Bonus: since the majority of these are on the shorter side, they’ll be easier to teach your kid to spell and write!
Nickname Baby Names for Girls
- Abby
- Addie
- Allie
- Ani
- Bea
- Bella
- Betty (or Betsy)
- Bre
- Brielle
- Callie
- Cass (or Cassie)
- Cece
- Celie (or Celia)
- Char
- Coco
- Dottie
- Edie
- Ellie (or Elle)
- Emmy
- Evie
- Fran (or Frannie)
- Gabby
- Gia
- Gigi
- Gracie
- Greta
- Gwen
- Hallie
- Hattie
- Jen
- Kat
- Katy (or Kate)
- Lexie
- Libby
- Lil
- Liv
- Liza (or Liz)
- Lola
- Lottie
- Lucy
- Madi
- Maggie
- Meg
- Millie
- Nia
- Pippa
- Rosie
- Sallie
- Sadie
- Tillie
- Tori
- Vivi (or Viv)
- Winnie
Gender-Neutral Nickname Baby Names
- Alex
- Andy
- Ari
- Ash
- Charlie
- Cam
- Frankie
- Izzy
- Jules
- Kit
- Lee
- Lex
- Mel
- Ray
- Remi
- Rory
- Sam
- Val
Nickname Baby Names for Boys
- Alfie
- Archie
- Art (or Artie)
- Augie
- Bash
- Ben
- Bo
- Bobby
- Brad
- Cy
- Dash
- Dex
- Eddie
- Eli
- Frank
- Gabe
- Geo
- Gus
- Hal
- Hank
- Harry
- Jack
- Jase
- Jake
- Jax
- Leo
- Luke
- Max
- Nate
- Ned
- Nico (or Nic)
- Pete
- Ted
- Teo
- Theo
- Ty
- Walt
- Wes
- Will
- Zach
- Zeb
- Zeke
See? With names this strong, there’s no need to have a longer, more complicated name to fall back on. Kind of like your little one, these nickname baby names are short and sweet — but make quite an impact all by themselves.
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