Contraction Nicknames

What is a contraction nickname you ask? Just like contractions in English, a contraction nickname takes the first part of a name and the last part of the name to form a shorter nickname, sans middle. There are so many great options if you like contraction nicknames--take a look and let me know your favorites!

Ada: Adalia, Adamina, Adara, Adelina, Adina, Adriana
Adele: Adelaide, Adeline
Alexa: Alexandra, Alexandria, Alexandrina, Alexandrita, Alexia
Ana: Anahita, Anala, Anastasia, Andrea, Andromeda, Angela, Angelica, Angelina, Anita, Annabella, Annika, Annissa, Annora, Antonella
Aria: Arcadia, Arcelia, Arianna, Ariella, Arizona, Artemisia
Aura: Aurelia, Aurelina, Aurora
Bay: Bailey
Bea: Beata, Becca, Beeja, Begonia, Belinda, Bellona, Bertha
Bex: Beatrix
Bria: Brianna, Brietta, Brigitta, Britta
Cara: Carlotta, Carolina, Carissa, Carmela, Cassandra
Clara: Claribella, Clarinda, Clarissa
Clea: Clementina, Cleopatra
Corie: Coralie
Dana: Danica, Daniela, Danita
Elsa: Elisa, Eloisa
Emme: Emmanuelle, Emmeline
Eva: Evangelina, Evanthia, Evelina
Fae: Fable, Faustine
Fia: Felicia, Fidelia, Fiona, Fiorella
Gala: Gabriella, Galatea, Galena
Gia: Gardenia. Georgia, Giada, Gianna, Gilda, Giordana, Giovanna, Gisella
Ina: India, Indiana, Indra
Isa: Isabella, Isabetta, Isadora, Isauara, Isla
Jette: Jeanette, Juliette
Jessa: Janessa, Jessamina, Jessica
June: Julianne, Juline, Junelle, Junette, Junine
Lena: Leanna, Leona, Levina
Lia: Lavinia, Lelia, Leocadia, Lilia, Lilianna, Linnea, Liviana
Lola: Lolita, Louella
Lora: Lorena, Lorenza, Lorinda
Lula: Ludmila, Luella
Luna: Luciana
Mia: Maria, Melania, Milada, Milagra, Milena, Miranda, Mireya, Mischa
Mila: Michaela, Milada, Milagra, Milania
Mina: Marina, Martina, Milena, Minerva
Mira: Milagra, Mirabella
Nia: Nabila, Nadia, Nahlia, Natalia, Nelia, Nicasia, Nicola, Nicolina, Nigella, Nina, Nisha
Noa: Nola, Nona, Nora, Nordica, Norma, Novella
Ola: Olida, Olina, Olivia, Olympia
Pia: Pamelia, Pascasia, Patricia, Petunia, Pippa, Piritta, Portia
Pippa: Philippa
Ren: Reagan. Reign
Roma: Romana, Romola
Rory: Rosemary
Rosa: Rosalia, Rosalinda, Rosanna, Rosetta. Rosita
Sara: Sahara, Samara, Samira, Sandra, Sapphira, Sarika
Sia: Sienna, Sierra, Silvana, Simona, Sistina, Sophia, Sophronia, Stephania, Sylvia
Tara: Takara, Tamara
Thea: Theodora, Theodosia, Theresa
Thora: Theodora
Zara: Zahara

Full Names for Evie

I was going through my archives the other day, and was shocked to find out that I hadn't done a post on Evie yet (!) Evie is one of my favorite cutesy nicknames for girls, and she has so many options for full names. If you're not a fan of any of the following, just use Evie on her own (that's how I prefer it).

Eva--At #88, Eva's rapid revival is plateauing. However, she will remain popular for years to come, and is a classy, sophisticated name for a daughter.

Evangeline--There's a plethora of nickname options for Evangeline, but Evie is by far the sweetest, most contemporary option. Evangeline means "good news," making her an adorable name for any baby girl.

Eve--Eve and Eva are so similar, yet there is such disparity in their popularity. Eva stands tall at #88, while Eve remains overlooked at just #490. The style gap has always been there. Eva peaked in 1900 at #33, and Eve was the most popular in 1907 at #414. Does this surprise anyone else? They are both beautiful names but the bottom line is if you prefer uncommon names, go with Eve.

Evelina--Want a princess-y sounding name? Just choose one ending in -ina. No other suffix for girls feels more fantastical. Evelina is not yet in the top 1000, but parents are noticing her charm--she is quickly rising up the charts.

Evelyn--This elegant, vintage beauty is our most popular of the list--#20 in 2013. If there are other Evelyns in your neighborhood, the nickname Evie could set yours apart.

Evening--I talked about Evening on Friday in my Night Names post. -ing names are not common choices for American parents, but the Eve- prefix (and accessibility to Evie) make Evening very usable.

Geneva--Ooh, I would love to meet a baby named Geneva. She's a unique yet known name, which is a combination many parents are looking for.

Genevieve--Genevieve ranks at #219, but I wouldn't be surprised to see her in the top 150 next month. That would be a long way to jump, so if it doesn't happen this year, expect Genevieve to break 150 in 2015. As far as nicknames go, Evie is much more modern than Gen.

Guinevere--Finally, we have Guinevere. She's seen as somewhat nicknameless, but Evie works perfectly. I also know a Guinevere who goes by Guinnie, if that's more your style.

Movie Names: Amelie

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Have you guys seen the movie Amelie? It's one of my favorites, the story and characters are all so whimsical and charming. One of the perks of watching a French movie is hearing all the characters names. Some of them fit right in with today's top American picks, while others are a bit more out there. Let me know what you think.

Girls:
Amandine- Incredibly French. A great pick if you're looking for a name that honors an Amanda while reflecting your culture.
Amelie- She's becoming an increasingly popular alternative to Amelia, but how can you resist her charm?
Eva- Parents love Eva for her similarity to Ava, but if you want something a little less popular, try Eve, who ranks at 490.
Georgette- It's not very hard to picture a little Georgette called Georgie, even in America.
Gina- Gina sounds a little dated on her own, but the nickname Gigi is oh so cute and trendy.
Madeleine- The French spelling is lovely, but I'd say the Maddie names are overused.
Philomene- Does Philomena remind you too much of the 2013 Oscars? Philomene is just as pretty.
Suzanne- I know I've said it before, but the nickname Susie is ready for a comeback. Suzanne is a great way to get there.

Boys:
Dominique- Dominique is one of the only truly unisex names out there, yet I've only heard it on girls. What's your take on Dom for a boy?
Joseph- An American classic.
Lucien- Lucian ranks 631 on the Top 1000 list, but the French spelling doesn't make it.
Nino- Ever since I saw this movie for the first time, I fell in love with Nino. I can't picture him on an American man (too cutesy?), but I love the idea of a baby Nino.
Raphael- Sleek and glamorous.  
Raymond- One of these days a celebrity is going to use Raymond, and then he will be all over the place. Until then, he is ranked at 264, so use him before he gets hot.

Alternatives to Ava

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I have a couple new series coming up for you guys. First up is The Alternatives Series, focusing on alternatives to some of the most common names, filed under similarity to sight, sound, and style. The sight section is for people attracted to the look of the name, the sound section is for people who like how the name sounds, and the style section focuses on good sister or brother names that have similar aesthetic to the name. First name up is Ava. She's currently in the fifth position, and many parents are looking for similar names to use instead. Here are my suggestions.

Sight:
Avis- I love Avis. I know it's a rental car company, but her sound is the perfect mix of current and vintage. More people should be using her.
Avalyn- I hesitate to suggest Avalyn. It's technically a form of Evelyn, but looks like a smush between Ava and the popular Lyn suffix. If your moved by sight though, go with this one.
Eva- Eva is considerably less popular at 86, but expect her to be moving on up in the coming years.

Sound:
Avalon- Avalon is so similar to Ava, yet she doesn't make the top 1000.
Evelyn- A beautiful choice, but unfortunately she's not far behind Ava at 26.
Ever- You often see this as a pick for boys (short for Everett), but Ever makes a great word name for a daughter as well.

Style:
Lucy- Lucy would be a perfect sister for Ava. She's not quite as popular, but is still in the top 100.
Mina- Mina has the old-fashioned charm that Ava has, but is all the way down in the 800s. A great pick for parents looking for something less popular.
Ruby- Ruby is sweet and girly like Ava, but still has the retro spunk. She might break into the top 100 this year.

Nicknames for Evangeline

Evangeline is a very beautiful, albeit trendy girls name. If you want your Evangeline to stand out from the crowd, here are some nicknames she could go by.

Angel
Angeline
Angie
Eva
Evan
Eve
Evie
Gigi
Lina
Vivi

Nicknames for Genevieve

Genevieve is a gorgeous name that is climbing in popularity. If you are planning to have your own little Genevieve, but need a nickname, I have listed some options for you.

Aviva
Eva
Eve
Evie
Gen
Geni
Genna
Gigi
Vera
Vivi

25 Days of Christmas: Eve

Our Christmas baby name of the day is Eve. Eve is a Hebrew name meaning "life." She's never been too popular. Currently she stands at #546; her peak was in 1907, when she reached #414. Eve has never fallen out of the top 1000, but she came close in 1984, when she fell to #998.

Eve is very similar to her more popular sound-alikes, including Eva, Ava, and Evie. Her special connection to Christmas Eve makes her better for a holiday baby. Eve would be a great name for a baby girl born on December 24. Check back tomorrow for our final installment of the 25 Days of Christmas series. Happy Christmas Eve!