Nicknames are one of my favorite topics. Names with nicknames give people the option to choose which version of their name feels best for themselves! For today’s baby name topic we’ll be tackling girl names with gender neutral nicknames.
But don’t worry, if you’re not a nickname fan, we’ll also share some gender neutral short names and nicknames that we think stand alone on their own (without the longer name to start!)
Lauren, my co-host, and I both happen to love gender neutral names and names that are traditionally “boy” names for girls, so we dove right in when we saw this topic come into the inbox!
Check out our favorites below and then weigh in with yours in the comment section!
A Sibling for Veronica
Shelby H has a daughter named Veronica and nicknamed “Ronnie”! She is expecting another baby girl and here’s what she wrote:
“I love girl names that feel more gender neutral. Our first daughter was named for the nickname because my dad passed away about a year before she came along and his name was Ron or “Ronnie”. I also have really liked that we use her “nickname” exclusively, but she has the option of a longer more formal name if there’s a time in her life when Ronnie doesn’t feel right to her. I’d love a name for our future baby that was a good compliment to Ronnie, but also a great stand alone. We’re strongly considering James as a middle name – her other grandpas name. I like names that don’t feel too trendy, more timeless is my preference.”
Girl Names with Gender Neutral Nicknames
If you’re looking for a longer name with a short, gender neutral nickname, we’ve listed some of our favorite girl names that fit that box below! We also went with some more unique takes, like how Bill or Billy is often a nickname for William, we turned that into Billie being a nickname for Willie.
- Aurora (Rory)
- Bellamy (Billie)
- Bernadette (Bernie)
- Charlotte (Charlie)
- Edith (Eddie)
- Frances or Francesca (Frankie)
- Harriet (Hank)
- Julianna (Jules)
- Maxwell (Max)
- Samantha (Sam)
- Theodora (Theo, Teddy)
- Willow (Billie)
- Wilma (Billie)
- Winifred (Freddie)
I think from this list, and paired with the potential middle name of James, my most favorites are Bernadette (Bernie) James and Winifred (Freddie) James!
Short Gender Neutral Names
Some nicknames can hold their ground as their own name. We mixed some nicknames, along with simply some short names, as another gender neutral name option. You’ll see some repeats from the list above! We also love the name James, mentioned by Shelby as a possible middle name, as a first name, too.
- Billie
- Drew
- Eddie
- Freddie
- James
- Jules
- Quinn
- Remy
- Scout
- Smith
- Teddy
What are your favorite girl names with gender neutral nicknames?
Do you have any favorite girl names with gender neutral nicknames or short, gender neutral names in general? Leave ’em below!!
Congratulations, Shelby! We hope you find a name you love!
If you’re expecting or adopting and would like to apply to be a part of the series, click here to fill out this form about your situation and name preferences!!
Ashley says
We just had a girl and named her Francis, Frank for short but she was almost Winifred!
Kelly says
Aw congrats!!! Absolutely love that name!!
Frances says
I’m curious as to why you chose to go with Francis instead of Frances? My name is Frances and my whole life it has been misspelled with an i.
Ashley says
Our first daughter is Eloise and honestly I was just like THATS A LOT OF “e”’s I almost didn’t do the I but she came quick and it was a literal spur of the moment decision.
CJD says
We have an Eloise. (Call her Louie) and then we have another girl Elliotte (Elliot)
jane says
i think of maxwell as more of a boy name, and max as gender-neutral, and maxine as a girl name, but maxwell could work for a girl as well. jessica simpson has a daughter named maxwell!
jane says
oh crap, didn’t mean to reply but as a seperate comment. sorry 🙁
Leila says
Hi I love that name I also saw my cosins name drew in that list and my last name is Smithtl to
jane says
frank is a pretty gender-neutral name!
Jamie says
I love Wilma/Willow with the nickname Billie! What about Stevie? Or Stephanie using Stevie as a nickname.
Lauren says
I think Billie for a female version of William is my favorite in this series, too! Super into Stevie for Stephanie.
Jessica says
I knew a Stephanie who went by Stevie!
Alisha says
I was going to suggest this, I know a little Stevie and it is such a great name!
Zelma says
Hi! My daughter’s name is Nicolette and we call her Nico
Kelly says
I LOVE that!! Nico is such a great name/nickname!!
Nicolette says
My name is Nicolette and I go by Nico but I am planning on changing my name for personal reasons to something more timeless and I think I am going to go with unisex names like Freddie, Paris, Luna, Alexis, Luca, Dakota, and Rory.
Teri yeo says
My favourite name is Robyn/Robin – Robbie for short!
Carly says
Francesca as an alternative to Frances (Frankie)
Victoria says
Francesca would go great with Veronica because they’re both Spanish-translatable. (I always read Veronica with the Spanish pronunciation!)
Kamille says
I love the names stevie, Jude, shay, Grayson (shortened time gray?), Charlie (shortened to char)!
Laine says
This makes me think of the very, very, very old ‘90s show Sisters, with five sisters who were named in this style. 😁 Had to refresh my memory on Wikipedia but the characters are: Teddy, Alex, Frankie, Georgie, and Charley. There’s also a female character named Reed.
Victoria says
It made me think of Good Luck Charlie – the baby sister is Charlie and her big sister is Teddy.
Rachel says
I was thinking the same thing when I read this post!! I remember being young and watched an episode and loved the names!
Azzy Abyss says
Great show! Reed was played by Ashley Judd!
Aiberri says
Favorite from the list is Charlie and Teddy, but I love love Josephine – Joey 💕💕
Otter says
Great names, all! As far as Veronica/Ronnie; Robin/Robbie might work, Theodora/Rory, Samantha/Sam, Christina/Chris, Cameron…
Hannah says
Our daughter’s name is Faraday but we call her Fay. I guess we did kind of the opposite!
Blair says
My name was historically gender neutral. Blair, which was actually my mother’s maiden name. I like Bennett with Bennie as a nickname for a girl. Louise/Louisa with Lou as a nickname.
Corinne says
I always had planned to name a girl Aurora, and use Rory as a nickname. Of course I ended up with two boys, so that didn’t work out.
Saegan says
My daughter’s name is Finley and we call her Fin.
Rosie says
-I knew a female Tommie once!
-My moms name is Robin and some people call her Robbie
-I love Jo from Josephina
-And I love Georgie for Georgia or Georgina
-Andrea could become Andie
Kelly says
Tommie! Love that!
Annabelle says
My daughter is Georgina and goes by Georgie 😊
Tara says
My niece Alexandra goes by “alex”. I like Jo or Joey for Josephine or Josefina.
Jamie Bentley says
My cousin’s name is Stephanie, but she’s been called “Stevie” her entire life, and I always thought it was cute.
Lauren says
Had NO idea this was a nn for Stephanie, but it’s so so good!
Caryse B says
I would love to enter my name Caryse pronounced Karris like Harris with a Ka sound. My friends and family call me Care. I’ve only met two other people with my name and they are in my family. I absolutely love my traditional Welsh name.
Hannah says
Jacquelyn and Jacq or Jakie for short. I’ve always loved Tommie and Ryan for a girl, too. Knew a girl named Chandler growing up And I’ve always liked that! If we were pregnant our girl would have been Carson.
Nicole says
Filomena/Philomena (Italian for Phillis) and you could call her Phil/Fillie!
Steph says
We have a daughter named Leora, and call her Leo for short. I love it so much! Leora was my great grandmas name and I feel like it’s classic, not trendy, and not super popular.
Kelly says
oh my gosh! I haven’t heard that name before but I LOVE it!!!! (And love Leo as a nickname, that’s one of my personal fave names!)
Lara says
i just had a daughter and named her leo! my husband and i couldn’t agree on the “longer name” but though leo for short was so cool, so we just decided to go with that! it has definitely confused some older relatives but we love it.
Nicole says
We are due in December with Isla, who we are calling Izzy!
Lindsey says
One of my high school friends was Kendra but we sometimes called her Kenny, which I love!
Bibi says
Uh, great topic. Names on my list: Adrienne (Ali), Marissa (Mars), Coralie (Cory), Fabiola (Fabi), Leona (Leo), Mattea (Matt-i) or Matilda (Matt-i), Ophelia (Phil or Oli) or Philippa (Phily), Raphaela (Raffy), Sylvie (Syl), Antonia (Toni), Victoria (Vico), Paulina or Paola (Paul-y) and Catherine (Kit).
Katie W says
I love the name Andie for a girl! The full name could be Andrea James, or even something like Anderson James. I also like the idea of the “ie” on the end of both sisters’ names!
Lauren says
This is such a cute idea for mom! I like the sisters having “matching” names but each standing along.
Rachel says
My name is Rachel but have always been called Rae. My uncle gave me the nickname when he first met me. He thought I was more of a “Rae” than a “Rachel”. It wasn’t until I moved out to California that I was called Rachel. I still prefer Rae.
I loved the name suggestions! I’ve always loved the name Frankie as a nickname for a girl or James. Love this series!!
Gloria says
I have 2 girls Regan & Remi we just love gender-neutral R names.
Reghan says
My name is reghan, but I’ve gone by Rea for most of my life with close friends and family. I love having the gender neutral nickname.
Floortje says
Alexandra, short Alex, Lex(y)
Amy says
Cassandra with the nickname Cass
Rockie says
Rachelle/Rochelle with the nick name Rockie. I may be a little biased 😬
Lauren says
Love Rockie!! I went to school with a Rockie and loved how unique his name was. incredible in this context!
Katie R. says
Georgie! I’ve seen it shortened to that from Georgiana or Georgina!
Lauren says
So many great votes for Georgie! I hadn’t thought of it until today, but Nancy Drew’s friend was a gal names George and it’s such a fun way to spice up a classic.
Raphaella says
My name is Raphaella and everyone calls me Raph. Have to say, I didn’t like my name when I was learning to write but I love it now
Lucy González says
I love Jules and also Sam for Samantha!
Phoebe says
Roberta/Bobbie
Matilda/Mattie
Leona/Leo
Coraline/Cory
Danielle says
Francesca – Frankie
Andrea – Andy or Andie a la how to lose a guy in 10 days
Emilia – Mills
Johanna says
My name is Johanna (Joe-hannah) and I go by Jo 🙂 I also know a little girl named Josephine whose nickname is also Jo!
Johanna says
Lillian is also a timeless name for me, Lil or Lily for short. I’ve also known a Lillian who goes by Lala
Elizabeth says
Blake!
Noelle says
My friend is an Elizabeth that goes by Eli and I always thought that was the coolest!
Elisa says
I used to work with someone who was very artistic and I was surprised when she named her daughter Lauren. It’s seemed too traditional for her. But then, I found out they called their daughter Ren/Wren and loved it! Ronnie & Ren would be so cute 💗
K.A. says
How about Lee? It’s timeless and tailored and gender neutral. Could be a nickname for lots of lovely names, but I love it for Lena. Veronica and Lena; Ronnie and Lee. And Lena James is a pretty awesome name!
lesismore says
This is a girl name with a girl nickname, but hear me out. Gabrielle, nickname Elle. But my daughter has been non-conforming for most of her life, and will often times write her name “L” and when she introduces herself sometimes people even think it’s “El” like “The” in Spanish, which I love the look in people’s eye when they look over at me like, “You named your child THE?” 🤣
We also call her Elle B. Which sounds like L.B.
Illona says
I named my daughter Alexsandra. Most of the time we call her Alex (although I like to spell it Alexs) becuz its a gender-neutral name. I added an extra constanent to give her options later in life – so she can be super formal Alexsandra, less formal Sandra, or stick with Alexs.
Karlee Muse says
My daughters names are Echo is probably more girly but could be used for a boys name. My second duaghters name is Oaklee which is definitely gender neutral and we call her oak or lux her middle name. My sons name is Knox and his middle name is Leon and we call him both names equally.
Azzy Abyss says
Agatha, Aggie for short!
amanda b says
Georgia —> Georgie
Joann/Joanne/Joanna —> Jo
Josephine —> Joey (bonus: Dawson’s Creek!)
Ashley says
Campbell! Or put an e on the end!
Shelby H says
Oh my goodness, I LOVE all the suggestions in the post and the comments. So fun to see everyone’s ideas! So many of these names were on our list! We just decided on Elowen- which we stumbled upon deep in a list of “nature inspired names”- it means elm tree in Cornish. So Elowen James and Veronica Ryan will be the sisters long names, and right now we’re using “Ella” for short, partly because almost 2 year old big sister can say it. But I imagine in school she’ll have many other “Ella’s” since it’s such a popular name, so excited for her to have Elle or Wen as an option. Not the total gender neutral option we were initially aiming for, but love the Ronnie and Ella combo, the unique but traditional sound of Elowen- and they both got the “boy” middle names.
Thanks so much for tackling my question Kelly!
Lindsey says
I think Drew works perfectly with Veronica (and Ronny).
Hannah says
I just had to grin when I read that one can choose the nickname you go by.
Where I live, once you have a nickname noone will change the way they call you. So my parents went for a name, they thought there is nickname for, Hannah.
My mom has a name with so many different options for nicknames and she hates them all, but still everyone from her childhood calls her Bärbel oder Babsi. Both short for Barbara.
But I somehow love most of the longer names from your list, especially with the option of a middle name, in my opinion James needs a longer name before.
Kristin says
Our daughter is Danica with the nickname Dani. You could also use Danielle or Daniella for this nn too. And I think Danica James goes really well together.
jessica campion says
Bernadette with the nickname Bobbi could be cute!
Alyssa Berry says
I had a friend named Marilee and people call her Mare! It’s so cute. I also love and want to use the name Elliot for a girl and call her Elle or Ellie! I LOVE gender neutral names. My daughter’s name is Reese Olivia.
Juliana says
My name is Juliana and my nickname is Jules – and I’ve loved my name & my whole life! (Just in case anyone was thinking about that option 😉 )
Tessa says
Matilda – Mattie
Kelly says
I maybe in the minority here, and I know there’s Justine or Justina, but I always thought Justin was a gender neutral name. Justin could go either way but it just sounds more feminine to me. I picture royalty like a princess.
Matilda says
Great list of names!! I like them all but I have to admit that Willow and Maxwell were my favorite. Although, I thought Eddie was cute. I have a daughter named Arielle. She likes her friends to call her Ari.
Lara says
My name is Lara but i like feeling more gender neutral and i use they/them pronouns so i like to use L for short. It reminds me of L from ‘deathnote’ and i feel special when called L, its not really gender neutral but I just wanted to share that you can always tweak your name to what makes you comfortable.
Jordan says
I want to name my daughter Adrianna and call her Adrian but my husband is against it.
Kimberly says
My daughters name is lenora and we call her leny for short ❤
Hope says
A gender neutral nickname for Celeste could be Cel OR Les
Gigi says
edcreggb
Emily Baird says
I’m bringing in the rear a whole year later but I can’t resist this opportunity to share the name I chose for my 1st born who became non-binary as an adult and is now 23yrs. They/Them is preferred and NOT allowed to say he/she but split tail was born with a vagina and ovaries🙄. The name I chose? Mackenzie Halla—>”unexpected gift” comes with so many nicknames: maci(never caught), macs(stuck! still used frequently), kinny(slipped out later but also stuck), macksie, mac, macka-doo-hoo, mackie, macksey-pad(my personal fave) the list goes on….But the grownup child of mine prefers to be called “Kinny”.
jane says
okay, why don’t you vent your transphobic comments somewhere else? Suprised and angry no one one called you out on this.
sophia ?? says
hey i was wondering if you had any gender neutral nicknames for sophia i’m stuck
Felix Martinez says
Hey!! could you please help me find a gender-neutral nick name for “Angeline”?
I would really appreciate it!!
CJD says
We have a girl named Elliotte (Elliot) and an Eloise (but call.her Louie.)