British Nicknames Ready for Import

Cheryl M Photography via 100 Layer Cakelet

It's no secret that I fall into the "name them what you call them" camp. If you're never going to use your child's full name, then just skip it! The Brits are true followers of this philosophy--much of their top 500 consists of nickname names. I compiled the ones I think Americans should also embrace as full names right here. After all, if you only plan on calling her Pixie, you're better off discarding Patricia.

Girls
Beau
Betty
Billie
Bonnie
Cleo
Connie
Dolly
Edie
Effie
Elsie
Emmie
Evie
Georgie
Gracie
Hallie
Hattie
Holly
Indie
Josie
Kitty
Maisie
Marnie
Millie
Minnie
Lacie
Lexi
Libby
Lottie
Penny
Pippa
Pixie
Polly
Poppy
Rosie
Sylvie
Tilly

Boys
Albie
Alfie
Ali
Archie
Beau
Bertie
Billy
Bobby
Buddy
Danny
Eddie
Frankie
Freddie
Georgie
Harry
Hugh
Jamie
Jan
Jay
Joe
Joey
Johnny
Junior
Kit
Lee
Lenny
Louie
Monty
Nico
Ollie
Rafe
Reggie
Remy
Rex
Rio
Ronnie
Rory
Rudy
Shay
Sonny
Ted
Teddy
Toby
Tommy
Vinnie
Woody
Zac

Broadway Names

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Love musical theater? Why not give your baby a Broadway worthy name? All of the following come from the titles of Broadway musicals, past and present.

Abner--Lil' Abner
Adele--Adele
Aida--Aida
Allegro--Allegro
Alma--Alma, Where Do You Live?
Annie--Annie; Annie Get Your Gun
Anya--Anya
Babette--Babette
Beatrice--An Evening with Beatrice Lillie
Bess--Porgy and Bess
Billie--Billie
Billy--Billy Elliot
Birdie--Bring Back Birdie; Bye Bye Birdie
Brooklyn--Brooklyn
Carmelina--Carmelina
Carmen--Carmen Jones
Caroline--Caroline, or Change
Carrie--Carrie
Charity--Sweet Charity
Charley--Where's Charley?
Chris--Chris and the Wonderful Lamp
Christine--Christine; Marie Christine
Coco--Coco
David--King David
Dolly--Hello, Dolly!
Eddie--Very Good, Eddie
Edwin--The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Eileen--Eileen
Elsie--Elsie
Evangeline--Evangeline, or the Belle of Arcadia
Fanny--Fanny
Finian--Finian's Rainbow
Flora--Flora the Red Menace
George--George M.!; Sunday in the Park with George
Giovanni--Bravo Giovanni
Hattie--Panama Hattie
Hazel--Hazel Flagg
Henry--Henry, Sweet Henry; John Henry
Illya--Illya Darling
Irene--Irene
Jamie--Three Wishes for Jamie
Jane--Jane Eyre
Jerome--Jerome Robbins' Birthday
Jerry--Jerry's Girls
Jersey--Jersey Boys
Joey--Pal Joey
John--John Henry
Johnny--Johnny Johnson; Little Johnny Jones
Juan--Juan Darien
Jubilee--Jubilee
Juliet--Me and Juliet
Juno--Juno
Kate--Kiss Me, Kate
Kay--Oh, Kay!
Kean--Kean
Kelly--Kelly
Lennon--Lennon
Liberty--Miss Liberty
Lillie--An Evening with Beatrice Lillie
Mabel--Mack & Mabel
Mack--Mack & Mabel
Maddox--Red, White, and Maddox
Marie--Marie Christine
Marinka--Marinka
Memphis--Memphis
Merlin--Merlin
Millie--Thoroughly Modern Millie
Molly--The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Monty--The Full Monty
Nanette--No, No, Nanette
Paris--Paris
Peter--Peter Pan
Pippin--Pippin
Rex--Rex
Roberta--Roberta
Rocky--Rocky the Musical
Rosalie--Rosalie
Rose-Marie--Rose-Marie
Sadie--Sadie Thompson
Sally--Sally
Sammy--What Makes Sammy Run?
Sarafina--Sarafina!
Sawyer--The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Sweeney--Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tiffany--Breakfast at Tiffany's
Todd--Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tom--The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Tommy--The Who's Tommy
Venus--One Touch of Venus
Victor--Victor/Victoria
Victoria--Victor/Victoria
Will--The Will Rogers Follies

Full Names for Billie

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Billie is an old fashioned nickname with lots of spunk. She brings to mind singer Billie Holiday and Michael Jackson song Billie Jean. She hasn't been used in decades, but in an era where we call our daughters Max and Charlie, Billie would fit right in.

Abilene- At first glance she may not look like much, but Abilene would make a great name for a modern baby. She shares sounds with many of today's popular names, and you could call her Abby, Billie, or even Lena.

Jubilee- There aren't many names as happy sounding as Jubilee. She's definitely a fun choice.

Sybilla- Sybil is still pretty dowdy, but Sybilla is a fresher variant. That being said, many people would still consider her too frumpy to use, so calling her Billie is a nice compromise.

Wilder- Who said Wilder is just for the boys? If girls can be called Walker, there's no reason they shouldn't answer to Wilder as well. Billie doesn't do much to ease gender confusion, but she's really the only nickname option (though a great one!)

Wilhelmina- People love Wilhelmina's shabby charm. She hasn't reached similar names like Josephine and Matilda in terms of popularity, which is perfect if you want to use her. (By the way, Billie, Josie, and Mattie would make a great sister set).

Willa- Oh man, Willa is so cute! I met a couple of baby Willas recently, and the name wears really well. I don't think she needs a nickname, but if you want one, Billie is your girl.

Willow- Willow is climbing her way up the popularity charts, and with names like Marlowe and Harlow rising as well, I wouldn't be surprised if she made it to the top 100.

Wilma- My mind goes straight to The Flintstones, though that association is already pretty obsolete. She could come back in style if given a couple of years, but for right now I wouldn't use her.