Roses and Cellar Doors

Kelly  is, of course, a surname-turned-given-name, but since it's been surpassed by Kellan  & Kellen  for nearly two decades now (an...

I originally started this post looking for new full forms for Beth , but it struck me that most could also work for Bess  and/or Betty  as w...

Handsome Cal ! How have I forgotten you? While  Cal  is starting to gain use on its own, it's still down below the Top 1000. Traditional...

If you're anything like me, you consider Raymond a "grandpa name" (and I'm not trying to be mean; it is literally my grand...

I know, it seems weird to group those together. But, Dolly & Dotty were nicknames for Dorothy thanks to that R-to-L/T/D shift that Middl...

Despite the fact that Etta  rose higher than any of her long forms, I still think of her as a nickname. I'm not sure why--because -etta ...

How on earth did I do a Nicky-names post for boys, and not include some for girls? Shame, shame. Nicole , of course, was a staple of 80s na...

A Top 500 boy name on the rise, Ari  has begun to gain momentum as a girls' nickname--nothing new in the naming world, of course--thanks...

That's a double-V, not a W. ;) Evie  is one of the fasting-rising nicknames, from traditional picks like  Evelyn, Eva, & Evangeline...

Yet another "nickname" that's actually a full name in its own right. Emma  is definitely a hot name right now, and not just in...

Benedict  (BEN-eh-dikt, English) Bengt  (BENGT, Swedish) Benito  (ben-EE-toh, Italian) Bennett  (BEN-net, English) Benoit  (ben-WAH, ...

Oh, that tricky 'th'. Agatha  is mostly recognizable from language to language, but that last syllable sure is variable. With only ...

Oh, Henry ; handsome Henry . His usage may have waned for a few decades, but he's never fallen out of the top 150. With dozens of namesa...

(bonus points if you read the title in George Takei's voice) Like I , O is a relatively rare first letter in American names. Olivia  ...

As the centuries have passed, so have our nickname conventions. Most of the historical nicknames for Margaret  seem fusty or nonsensical now...

I actually had to go and double-check previous posts to make sure I haven't done this one yet. How on earth have I missed Margaret ? A c...

I admit it--I have a soft spot for bird-names: Wren , Lark , Robin , even the "weird" ones like Kestrel , Peregrine , & Heron ...

Madeline  is an interesting case. Most girls' names are either relatively stable (ex: Elizabeth ), out-of-style after reigning for decad...

I admit, I've been putting this one off for a while-- Mary is easily one of the most widespread & translated names of all time! Of...

Al  is a strange nickname--for a guy, it's terribly outdated. Need a name for an awkward, and/or low-class middle-aged male character? A...