Names Categorized "nicknames"

This is a list of names in which the categories include nicknames.
gender
usage
Afra 1 f Late Roman, Italian
Originally used by the Romans as a nickname for a woman from Africa. This was the name of two early saints.
Alex m & f English, Dutch, German, French, Portuguese, Romanian, Greek, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Hungarian, Czech, Russian
Short form of Alexander, Alexandra and other names beginning with Alex.
Algernon m English
Originally a Norman French nickname, derived from aux gernons "having a moustache", which was applied to William de Percy, a companion of William the Conqueror. It was first used a given name in the 15th century (for a descendant of William de Percy). This name was borne by a character (a mouse) in the short story Flowers for Algernon (1958) and novel of the same title (1966) by the American author Daniel Keyes.
Ari 1 m Hebrew
Means "lion" in Hebrew.
Bess f English
Diminutive of Elizabeth.
Bessie f English
Diminutive of Elizabeth.
Beth f English
Short form of Elizabeth, or sometimes Bethany.
Bettie f English
Diminutive of Elizabeth.
Biff m English (Rare)
From a nickname that was based on the English word biff, which means "punch, hit, strike".
Birdie f English
Diminutive of Bertha, Bernice and other names with a similar sound, or sometimes simply from the English word bird.
Blondie f English (Rare)
From a nickname for a person with blond hair. This is the name of the title character in a comic strip by Chic Young.
Brádach m Medieval Irish
Irish byname, possibly derived from bradach meaning "thieving, roguish, spirited".
Bugsy m English
From a nickname derived from the slang term bugsy meaning "crazy, unstable". It was notably borne by the American gangster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (1906-1947).
Buster m English
Originally a nickname denoting a person who broke things, from the word bust, a dialectal variant of burst. A famous bearer was the silent movie star Buster Keaton (1895-1966).
Buttercup f Literature
From the English word for the yellow flower (genus Ranunculus). Author William Goldman used it for Princess Buttercup in his book The Princess Bride (1973) and the subsequent film adaptation (1987).
Buzz m English
From a nickname derived from the onomatopoeic word buzz meaning "buzz, hum, murmur". A notable bearer is American astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin (1930-), one of the first people to walk on the moon. The character Buzz Lightyear from the movie Toy Story (1995) was named after Aldrin.
Caligula m History
Means "little boot" in Latin. This was a nickname for the 1st-century Roman emperor Gaius Caesar Germanicus given to him in his youth by his father's soldiers.
Caracalla m Ancient Roman
From Latin caracalla, which referred to a type of hooded tunic worn by the Gauls. This was the agnomen, or nickname, of a 3rd-century Roman emperor.
Dave m English
Short form of David.
Deedee f English
Originally a nickname, typically for names beginning with D. It can be spelled Deedee, DeeDee or Dee Dee.
Elli 2 f German, Finnish
Diminutive of names beginning with El, such as Elizabeth.
Ellie f English
Diminutive of Eleanor, Ellen 1 and other names beginning with El. This name became popular in the United Kingdom in the 1990s, being ranked second for girls in 2003.
Elly f English, Dutch
Dutch diminutive of Elisabeth or an English variant of Ellie.
Elsie f English, Swedish
Diminutive of Elizabeth.
Felix m German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, Romanian, Ancient Roman, Biblical, Biblical Latin
From a Roman cognomen meaning "lucky, successful" in Latin. It was acquired as an agnomen, or nickname, by the 1st-century BC Roman general Sulla. It also appears in the New Testament belonging to the governor of Judea who imprisoned Saint Paul.... [more]
Gaz m English (British)
Diminutive of Gary or Gareth.
Ginger f English
From the English word ginger for the spice or the reddish-brown colour. It can also be a diminutive of Virginia, as in the case of actress and dancer Ginger Rogers (1911-1995), by whom the name was popularized.
Gracie f English
Diminutive of Grace.
Henny f & m Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Diminutive of Henriette, Hendrika and other names containing hen. In Dutch it can also be masculine as a diminutive of Hendrik.
Honey f English (Rare)
Simply from the English word honey, ultimately from Old English hunig. This was originally a nickname for a sweet person.
Jack m English
Derived from Jackin (earlier Jankin), a medieval diminutive of John. There could be some early influence from the unrelated French name Jacques. It is often regarded as an independent name. During the Middle Ages it was very common, and it became a slang word meaning "man", as seen in the terms jack-o'-lantern, jack-in-the-box, lumberjack and so on. It was frequently used in fairy tales and nursery rhymes, such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack and Jill, Little Jack Horner, and Jack Sprat.... [more]
Jax m English (Modern)
Short form of Jackson. It appeared in the video game Mortal Kombat II in 1993. It first registered as a given name in the United States in 1995 (when it was used only five times) but steadily grew in popularity for two decades, probably inspired by similar names like Max and Dax and helped by a character of this name on the American television series Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014).
Jen f English
Short form of Jennifer.
Jim m English
Medieval diminutive of James.
Josh m English
Short form of Joshua.
Junior m English
From a nickname that was originally used for a boy who had the same name as his father.
Kaiti f Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Καίτη (see Keti 2).
Kat f English
Diminutive of Katherine.
Kathy f English
Diminutive of Katherine.
Lefty m English
From a nickname, in most cases given to a left-handed person.
Lexi f English
Diminutive of Alexandra or Alexis.
Liam m Irish, English, French (Modern), Dutch (Modern), German (Modern), Swedish (Modern), Norwegian (Modern)
Irish short form of William. It became popular in the United Kingdom in the 1980s, and elsewhere in Europe and the Americas after that. It was the top ranked name for boys in the United States beginning in 2017. Famous bearers include British actor Liam Neeson (1952-), British musician Liam Gallagher (1972-), and Australian actor Liam Hemsworth (1990-).
Lillie f English
Variant of Lily, or a diminutive of Lillian or Elizabeth.
Lucky m & f English, Hindi
From a nickname given to a lucky person. It is also sometimes used as a diminutive of Luke. A famous bearer was the Italian-American gangster "Lucky" Luciano (1897-1962).
Madicken f Literature, Swedish (Rare)
Used by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren for the heroine of her series of books of the same name, first published in 1960. She is called Maggie, Meg or Mardie in English translations. In the books the name is a diminutive of Margareta, though the inspiration for the character was Lindgren's childhood friend Anne-Marie, whose nickname was Madicken.
Margot f French
French short form of Margaret.
Meggy f Medieval English
Medieval diminutive of Margaret.
Mikki f English
Strictly feminine variant of Mickey.
Millie f English
Diminutive of Mildred, Millicent and other names containing the same sound.
Nate m English
Short form of Nathan or Nathaniel.
Nellie f English, Swedish
Diminutive of Nell and other names containing nel.
Nelly f English, Swedish, French, German
Diminutive of Nell and other names containing nel.
Nick m English, Dutch
Short form of Nicholas. It is borne by the comic character Nick Bottom in Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595).
Nienke f Frisian
Frisian diminutive of Katherine.
Nola f English
Meaning uncertain, possibly a feminine form of Noll inspired by Lola. It has been most common in Australia and New Zealand, especially in the first half of the 20th century.
Purdie m & f English (Rare)
From an English surname that was derived from the Norman French expression pur die "by God". It was perhaps originally a nickname for a person who used the oath frequently.
Queen f English
From an old nickname that was derived from the English word queen, ultimately from Old English cwen meaning "woman, wife".
Red m English
From the English word for the colour, ultimately derived from Old English read. It was originally a nickname given to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
Rocky m English
Diminutive of Rocco and other names beginning with a similar sound, or else a nickname referring to a tough person. This is the name of the boxer Rocky Balboa (played by Sylvester Stallone) in the movie Rocky (1976) and its sequels.
Roxelana f History
From a Turkish nickname meaning "Ruthenian". This referred to the region of Ruthenia, covering Belarus, Ukraine and western Russia. Roxelana (1504-1558), also called Hürrem, was a slave and then concubine of Süleyman the Magnificent, sultan of the Ottoman Empire. She eventually became his wife and produced his heir, Selim II.
Rusty m English
From a nickname that was originally given to someone with a rusty, or reddish-brown, hair colour.
Sam 1 m & f English
Short form of Samuel, Samson, Samantha and other names beginning with Sam. A notable fictional bearer is Sam Spade, a detective in Dashiell Hammett's novel The Maltese Falcon (1930). In J. R. R. Tolkien's 1954 novel The Lord of the Rings (1954) this is a short form of Samwise.
Satchel m English (Rare)
From an English surname derived from Old English sacc meaning "sack, bag", referring to a person who was a bag maker. A famous bearer was the American baseball player Satchel Paige (1906-1982). In his case it was a childhood nickname acquired because he sold bags.
Sissy f English
Diminutive of Cecilia, Frances or Priscilla. It can also be taken from the nickname, which originated as a nursery form of the word sister.
Sly m English
Short form of Sylvester. The actor Sylvester Stallone (1946-) is a well-known bearer of this nickname.
Sonny m English
From a nickname that is commonly used to denote a young boy, derived from the English word son.
Spike m English
From a nickname that may have originally been given to a person with spiky hair.
Tex m English
From a nickname denoting a person who came from the state of Texas. A famous bearer was the American animator Tex Avery (1908-1980), real name Frederick, who was born in Texas.
Titty f English
Diminutive of Letitia. This is now a slang word for the female breast, and the name has subsequently dropped out of common use.
Topsy f English (Rare)
From a nickname that is of unknown meaning, perhaps deriving from the English word top. This is the name of a young slave in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852).
Trey m English
From an English nickname meaning "three".
Wendy f English
In the case of the character from J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan (1904), it was created from the nickname fwendy "friend", given to the author by a young friend. However, the name was used prior to the play (rarely), in which case it could be related to the Welsh name Gwendolen and other names beginning with the element gwen meaning "white, blessed". The name only became common after Barrie's play ran.
Woodie m English
Variant of Woody.
Woody m English
Either a diminutive of names containing wood such as Woodrow, or else from a nickname derived from the English word wood. Famous bearers include the folk singer Woodrow "Woody" Guthrie (1912-1967), the comedian and film director Heywood "Woody" Allen (1935-; born as Allan Stewart Konigsberg), and the actor Woodrow "Woody" Harrelson (1961-). It is also borne by the cartoon characters Woody Woodpecker (debuting 1940) and Woody from the Toy Story movies (beginning 1995).