I love a good nickname that makes a great first name, like Theo, Emmie, and Kate. I know I may be a little biased since my name falls into this category. With a first name like Patricia, people know me as Patty. This common name practice isn’t anything new, but there is a new middle name trend to have on your radar. While it’s common to use nicknames as first names, it’s time to scrap formal middle names and go straight to using nicknames.
If you’re not exactly sure what I mean by this, I reached out to baby names expert, consultant, and author of Naming Bebe Colleen Slagen, who recently shared this middle name formula on her TikTok and Instagram, to break this trend down. She’s sharing how parents are using nicknames as middle names, how to pick the right nickname-middle name, and more. Plus, I’m sharing the best nicknames to use and over 125 of the best examples for this name combo (for both boys and girls) for inspo!
Colleen Slagen, Baby Name Consultant
As a baby names consultant and author of Naming Bebe, Colleen has a pulse on baby name trends, popularity, and what names you might like based on the list of names you love but can’t use (or agree on!).
Using nicknames as middle names explained
Slagen recently pointed out that a cute trend she’s been seeing this year is using a nickname as a middle name. And she says this name tactic might have parents stepping outside of their comfort zone. Historically, parents might opt for a formal name, like Marigold, which is “something flexible that if a nickname felt too cutesy, their child would have the option to go by a full name,” states Slagen. However, Slagen is saying that instead of making it complicated, why not pick the nickname version instead?
Slagen goes on to list examples. The name August is adorable, but “Instead of Levi August—Levi Gus. Instead of Lennon Sylvia—Lennon Sylvie. Instead of Greer Estelle—Greer Estie,” explains Slagen.
When to use a nickname as a middle name
Choosing a first name can be hard enough already. So, how do parents know when to use a nickname instead of a formal one when deciding on a middle name? “I think it can be a great way to incorporate a namesake with a unique spin on their name,” says Slagen. She says this can look like taking the name Margaret and turning it into Maisie. Slagen states that this name transformation is “also a way to add a playful element to a more polished name.”
When narrowing down a nickname-middle name, Slagen wants parents to know that this name combo doesn’t always vibe with the first name. Slagen advises saying the first name and nickname together to see how it flows. “Many nicknames end in the long ‘e’ sound, which is not going to flow as well with a first name that has the same ending,” says Slagen. According to Slagen, pairing the nickname with a more formal first name tends to work best.
How to pick a nickname as a middle name
If you’re already loving this name trend, Slagen has a few tips on how to pick the right nickname for girls when it comes to middle names. “I would love a nickname paired with a more gender-neutral or a boy-leaning girl name,” states Slagen. For example, the name Quinn goes well with Quinn Lucy. With the name Logan, pair it as Logan Ruby. A few of Slagen’s favorite girl names include Greer Esti (Estelle), Clary Poppy (Penelope), Cora Goldie (Marigold), Marigold Millie (Amelia), Ella Marnie (Marina), and Alice Maisie (Margaret).
For boys, Slagen mentions that nicknames as middle names are “going to be pushing people’s style limits a little more.” Naturally, parents tend to gravitate toward formal, polished names when it comes to boys, like the name Brooks Francis. Slagen suggests that parents can make this even cuter with the name Brooks ‘Frankie’ instead. And if you’re not quite sure of a middle name to go with, she loves the name Jack and says it goes with anything—Parker Jack, Henry Jack, and so on.
Need a little nickname-middle name inspo? Here’s a full list of nicknames and the cutest examples to get you started.
Nickname middle names for girls
- Abby (Abigail) Eden Abby
- Ames (Amy) Lainey Ames
- Andie (Andrea) Rosalind Andie
- Annie (Annalisse) Celeste Annie
- Ari (Aria) Drew Ari
- Bea (Beatrice) Camden Bea
- Belle (Anabelle) Lila Belle
- Bells (Bella) Colette Bells
- Birdie (Bernadette) Elise Birdie
- Cammie (Camila) Caroline Cammie
- Candi (Candice) Lyric Candi
- Carrie (Caroline) Isabelle Carrie
- Cece (Cecilia) Sloane Cece
- Charlie (Charlotte) Allison Charlie
- Dolly (Dahlia) June Dolly
- Ellie (Eleanor) Austin Ellie
- Emmie (Emma) Charlotte Emmie
- Estie (Estelle) Greer Estie
- Evie (Evelyn) Fiona Evie
- Finn (Finley) Danika Finn
- Francie (Francesca) Aurora Francie
- Ginny (Virginia) Margot Ginny
- Goldie (Marigold) Cora Goldie
- Gracie (Grace) Gemma Gracie
- Haddy (Hadley) Harper Haddy
- Hales (Hailey) Josephine Hales
- Izzy (Isabella) Grace Izzy
- Janie (Jane) Evette Janie
- Jaz (Jasmine) Reese Jaz
- Jo (Joanna) Tessa Jo
- Jordy (Jordyn) Gracelyn Jordy
- Jules (Juliette) Eloise Jules
- Kate (Katelyn) Olivia Kate
- Kitt (Katherine) Murphy Kitt
- Kimmy (Kimberly) Madeline Kimmy
- Ky (Kylie) Liliana Ky
- Layla (Leilani) Wren Layla
- Lenn (Lena) Ivy Lenn
- Lenny (Lennon) Noelle Lenny
- Letty (Colette) Charlotte Letty
- Lex (Alexandra) Daniella Lex
- Lilly (Lillian) Palmer Lilly
- Livvy (Olivia) Lucille Livvy
- Lizzy (Elizabeth) Collins Lizzy
- Lucy (Lucille) Quinn Lucy
- Mads (Madelyn) Genevieve Mads
- Madi (Madison) Haven Madi
- Mae (Mary) Anderson Mae
- Maisie (Margaret) Alice Maisie
- Mari (Maria) Hayden Mari
- Marni (Marina) Ella Marni
- Mel (Melanie) Lennox Mel
- Millie (Amelia) Marigold Millie
- Natty (Natalie) Monroe Natty
- Nell (Janelle) Maisie Nell
- Poppy (Penelope) Clara Poppy
- Phoebes (Phoebe) Anabelle Phoebes
- Rae (Raegan) Savannah Rae
- Reggie (Regina) Hope Reggie
- Ronnie (Veronica) Bloom Ronnie
- Rose (Rosalyn) Indie Rose
- Rosy (Rosalia) Eloise Rosy
- Rory (Lorelai) Blake Rory
- Ruby (Reuben) Logan Ruby
- Sammy (Samantha) Florence Sammy
- Stevie (Stephanie) Marin Stevie
- Sylvie (Sylvia) Lennon Sylvie
- Tay (Taylor) London Tay
- Tori (Victoria) Sage Tori
- Vi (Violet) Eleanor Vi
- Viv (Vivienne) Josephine Viv
- Winnie (Winifred) Dominique Winnie
- Zo (Zoey) Piper Zo
Nickname middle names for boys
- Albie (Albert) Jace Albie
- Alfie (Alfred) Hayes Alfie
- Archie (Archer) Miles Archie
- Artie (Arthur) Justin Artie
- Bear (Barrett) Harland Bear
- Beau (Beaumont) Charles Beau
- Beck (Beckett) Harrison Beck
- Benji (Benjamin) Maxwell Benji
- Benny (Bennett) Graham Benny
- Cal (Calvin) Henry Cal
- Cam (Cameron) Levi Cam
- Connie (Conrad) Troy Connie
- Coop (Cooper) Weston Coop
- Cy (Cyrus) Daniel Cy
- Danny (Daniel) Stone Danny
- Dez (Desmond) Preston Dez
- Drew (Andrew) Joseph Drew
- Eddy (Edward) Arthur Eddy
- Finn (Finley) Cash Finn
- Frankie (Francis) Brooks Frankie
- Gray (Grayson) Lucas Gray
- Gus (Augustus) Levi Gus
- Hank (Henry) Jackson Hank
- Ike (Isaac) Samuel Ike
- Iggy (Isaac) Theodore Iggy
- Jack (Jackson) Parker Jack
- Jamie (Jameson) Luke Jamie
- Jet (Jarrett) Colin Jett
- Leo (Leonardo) Knox Leo
- Linc (Lincoln) Trenton Linc
- Louie (Louis) Carter Louie
- Marty (Mateo) Joel Marty
- Mickey (Michael) Connor Mickey
- Monty (Montgomery) Devon Monty
- Nicky (Nicholas) Foster Nicky
- Ollie (Oliver) Zane Ollie
- Ozzy (Oscar) Flynn Ozzy
- Percy (Percival) Grant Percy
- Pete (Peter) Tristan Pete
- Pip (Phillip) Michael Pip
- Rhett (Barrett) Dawson Rhett
- Rudy (Rudolph) Todd Rudy
- Spence (Spencer) Crosby Spence
- Sully (Sullivan) Reeves Sully
- Tate (Tatum) Corbin Tate
- Thatch (Thatcher) Hudson Thatch
- Theo (Theodore) Cormick Theo
- Teddy (Theodore) Cole Teddy
- Tobey (Tobias) Patrick Tobey
- Van (Evan) Asher Van
- Vinnie (Vincent) Dean Vinnie
- Walt (Walter) Caleb Walt
- Wyn (Winslow) Mason Wyn
- Xander (Alexander) Owen Xander
Patty Schepel, Editorial Assistant
As the editorial assistant, Patty works with The Everymom’s team on pitches, creating original articles, updating existing content, photo sourcing, writing shopping product descriptions, inputting freelance articles, and more. When she’s not working, you can find her spending time with her family, training for half marathons—she ran one 16 weeks pregnant—traveling, cooking, reading a rom-com, and keeping her sourdough starter, Rose, alive.
