Otto m German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, GermanicLater German form of
Audo, originally a short form of various names beginning with Old Frankish
aud or Old High German
ot meaning
"wealth, fortune". This was the name of a 9th-century king of the West Franks (name usually spelled as
Odo). This was also the name of four kings of Germany, starting in the 10th century with Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor, known as Otto the Great. Saint Otto of Bamberg was a 12th-century missionary to Pomerania. The name was also borne by a 19th-century king of Greece, originally from Bavaria. Another notable bearer was the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898).
Pat m & f EnglishShort form of
Patrick or
Patricia. A famous bearer of this name was Pat Garrett (1850-1908), the sheriff who shot Billy the Kid.
Phil m EnglishShort form of
Philip and various other names beginning with
Phil, often a Greek element meaning "friend, dear, beloved".
Piet m DutchShort form of
Pieter. Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) was a Dutch abstract painter.
Radim m CzechOriginally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing".
Raine f & m English (Rare)From a surname derived from the Old French nickname
reine meaning
"queen". A famous bearer was the British socialite Raine Spencer (1929-2016), the stepmother of Princess Diana. In modern times it is also considered a variant of
Rain 1.
Ray m EnglishShort form of
Raymond, often used as an independent name. It coincides with an English word meaning "beam of light". Science-fiction author Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) and musician Ray Charles (1930-2004) are two notable bearers of the name.
Rilla f EnglishShort form of names ending in
rilla. It is short for
Marilla in L. M. Montgomery's sequels to her 1908 novel
Anne of Green Gables, where it belongs to a daughter of Anne.
Rita f Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, English, German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, EstonianShort form of
Margherita and other names ending in
rita. Saint Rita (born Margherita Lotti) was a 15th-century nun from Cascia, Italy. Another famous bearer was the American actress Rita Hayworth (1918-1987).
Rue f EnglishFrom the name of the bitter medicinal herb, ultimately deriving from Greek
ῥυτή (rhyte). This is also sometimes used as a short form of
Ruth 1.
Ruud m DutchDutch short form of
Rudolf. This name is borne by retired Dutch soccer player Ruud Gullit (1962-).
Ry m & f EnglishShort form of
Ryan and other names beginning with
Ry.
Sam 1 m & f EnglishShort 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.
Sandro m Italian, GeorgianShort form of
Alessandro (Italian) or
Aleksandre (Georgian). Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) was an Italian Renaissance artist, the painter of
The Birth of Venus and other famous works.
Shell f EnglishShort form of
Michelle or
Shelley. It can also be simply from the English word
shell (ultimately from Old English
sciell).
Sly m EnglishShort form of
Sylvester. The actor Sylvester Stallone (1946-) is a well-known bearer of this nickname.
Stan 1 m EnglishShort form of
Stanley. A famous bearer was British comedian Stan Laurel (1890-1965).
Steve m EnglishShort form of
Steven. A notable bearer was American technology entrepreneur Steve Jobs (1955-2011).
Tabea f GermanGerman short form of
Tabitha. This form was used in earlier editions of the Luther Bible.
Ted m EnglishShort form of
Edward or
Theodore. A famous bearer was the American baseball player Ted Williams (1918-2002), who was born as Theodore.
Tex m EnglishFrom 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.
Theda f GermanShort form of
Theodora. A famous bearer was actress Theda Bara (1885-1955), who was born Theodosia Goodman.
Þóra f Old Norse, IcelandicEither a feminine form of
Þórr (see
Thor) or else a short form of the various Old Norse names beginning with the element
Þór. In Norse myth Thora was the wife of the Danish king Ragnar Lodbrok.
Tia f EnglishShort form of names ending with
tia. It has been suggested that its use since the 1950s is the result of the brand name for the coffee liqueur Tia Maria. In the brand name,
Tia is not a given name; rather, it means "aunt" in Spanish or Portuguese.
Tiana f EnglishShort form of
Tatiana or
Christiana. It was rare in the United States until it jumped in popularity in 1975, perhaps due to the Vietnamese-American actress Tiana Alexandra (1956-), who had some exposure at that time. It was used as the name of the princess in the Disney movie
The Princess and the Frog (2009).
Tiiu f EstonianEstonian variant of
Tiia, possibly in part from an archaic dialectal form of the word
tihane "titmouse".
Tina f English, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, German, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, GeorgianShort form of
Christina,
Martina and other names ending in
tina. In addition to these names, it is also used in Dutch as a short form of
Catharina, in Swedish and Croatian as a short form of
Katarina, and in Georgian as a short form of
Tinatin. A famous bearer is the American musician Tina Turner (1939-2023), born Anna Mae Bullock.
Tom 1 m English, Dutch, German, Norwegian, Danish, SwedishShort form of
Thomas. Tom Sawyer is the main character in several of Mark Twain's novels, first appearing in
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). Other famous bearers include American actors Tom Hanks (1956-) and Tom Cruise (1962-), as well as American football player Tom Brady (1977-).
Valdis m LatvianShort form of
Voldemārs and other Latvian names containing the Baltic/Germanic element
vald "rule".
Vlad m Romanian, Russian, UkrainianOld short form of
Vladislav and other names beginning with the Slavic element
volděti (Church Slavic
vladati) meaning
"to rule, to control". This name was borne by several princes of Wallachia (in Romania) including the 15th-century Vlad III Dracula, who was Bram Stoker's inspiration for the name of his vampire Count
Dracula.
Waldo 2 m GermanicOriginally a short form of Germanic names containing the Old Frankish element
wald or Old High German element
walt meaning
"power, authority" (Proto-Germanic *
waldaz). This was the name of an 8th-century abbot of Reichenau. It was also borne by the 12th-century French merchant Peter Waldo, who founded the religious order of the Waldensians.
Walt m EnglishShort form of
Walter. A famous bearer was the American animator and filmmaker Walt Disney (1901-1966).
Wazo m GermanicOriginally a short form of names beginning with Old Frankish
waddi or Old High German
wetti meaning
"pledge" (Proto-Germanic *
wadją), or alternatively
war meaning
"aware, cautious" (Proto-Germanic *
waraz).
Will m EnglishShort form of
William and other names beginning with
Will. A famous bearer is American actor Will Smith (1968-), whose full name is Willard.
Wilt m EnglishShort form of
Wilton. This name was borne by basketball player Wilt Chamberlain (1936-1999).
Xander m Dutch, English (Modern)Short form of
Alexander. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by a character on the television series
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003).
Zelda 2 f EnglishShort form of
Griselda. This is the name of a princess in the
Legend of Zelda video games, debuting in 1986 and called
ゼルダ (Zeruda) in Japanese. According to creator Shigeru Miyamoto she was named after the American socialite Zelda Fitzgerald (1900-1948).
Zélie f FrenchShort form of
Azélie. This is another name of Saint Marie-Azélie Guérin (1831-1877).