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By Aromie Kim Last updated:

110+ English Nicknames for Everyone You Know

I get bored calling someone by their first or last name all the time. You might feel the same.

Why not make things exciting by using a nickname instead?

Native English speakers love using nicknames for anyone they feel comfortable around. In fact, in any kind of casual small talk, you can expect to hear more than one nickname being used, and maybe no real names at all!

Contents

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Nicknames for Kids

Kids are such characters, so it’s common for them to receive nicknames that describe their looks or personality. These nicknames are often full of affection, so kids usually love being called by them (until they grow old enough to find them childish).

Nicknames for Family Members

Many cultures and languages have specific titles or honorifics (a word that shows respect) for family members. It may even be seen as rude to call an older family member by anything other than this title, or by their real name.

But in English, constantly using the actual names for your family members can feel a little formal and stiff. If you’re close with any person in your family, then you’d probably want to call them by a nice friendly nickname instead!

This is especially true for siblings. It’s almost a rule to have a nickname (that can sound a little mean) for your brother or sister, whether they’re older or younger than you. I myself don’t even call my older sister by her actual name!

Siblings

Parents

For your mother:

For your father:

Grandparents

For your grandmother:

For your grandfather:

Romantic Nicknames

How can you tell when two people are in a relationship? For me, once I hear a couple use a nickname like any of the ones in the list below, that’s a big clue!

Many romantic English nicknames describe your partner’s good looks, but others are words that are more direct in showing love and admiration. Some nicknames you’ll only hear or want to use in private or with good friends, since they may be embarrassing to use in public.

For males:

For females:

Gender-neutral:

Common Female Nicknames

You can make nicknames out of actual names too! In English, this usually just means shortening the name to fewer syllables. You can cut down the front or end of a name.

When it gets cut to one or two syllables, it’s typical to add a “-ie” or “y” after it. This usually means that the longer an English name is, the more nicknames you can make! And there are plenty of English names that are three or more syllables long.

Here are a few very common English girl names with their nicknames.

  • Katherine -> Kate, Katie, Kat
  • Jennifer -> Jen, Jenny
  • Melissa -> Mel, Melly, Lissa
  • Christina -> Chris, Chrissy, Christy, Tina
  • Sophia -> Soph, Sophie
  • Jacqueline -> Jackie, Jacq
  • Isabella -> Izzy, Bella, Belle, Isabel
  • Olivia -> Olive, Livvy, Liv
  • Emma -> Emmy, Em, Ems
  • Angela -> Angie, Ange, Ann, Angel
  • Amelia -> Amy, Mel, Lia
  • Victoria -> Vic, Vicky, Tory/Tori
  • Daniella -> Danny, Danielle, Ella
  • Abigail -> Abby/Abbie, Gail
  • Samantha -> Sam, Sammy
  • Allison -> Allie, Alice
  • Elizabeth -> El, Liza, Lizzy, Beth
  • Marianne -> Mary, Maria, Anne
  • Cassandra -> Cass, Cassie, Sandra, Sandy
  • Barbara -> Barb, Barbs, Babs, Barbie

Common Male Nicknames

Male English nicknames work exactly like female ones. Just take the original name and make it shorter on either end!

You’ll notice that some of these names have a nickname that doesn’t follow the shortening rule and seem to be a little random. That’s because those nicknames are historically traditional with the specific name.

For example, a common nickname for Henry is Hal, because the name Henry is historically connected with the name Harry.

  • Jonathan -> John, Johnny
  • Richard -> Rich, Richie, Dick
  • William -> Will, Willy/Willie, Bill, Liam
  • David -> Dave, Davey
  • Daniel -> Dan, Danny
  • James -> Jamie, Jim
  • Michael -> Mike, Mikey
  • Benjamin -> Ben, Benny, Benji/Benjy
  • Christopher -> Chris, Christoph
  • Joshua -> Josh, Joshy
  • Steven -> Steve, Stevie
  • Andrew -> Andy, Drew
  • Anthony -> Ant, Anton, Tony
  • Alexander -> Alex, Lex, Xander, Al
  • Albert -> Al, Bert, Bertie
  • Alfred -> Al, Alf, Alfie, Fred
  • Jeremy -> Jem, Jemmy, Jerry
  • Henry -> Harry, Hank, Hen, Hal
  • Joseph -> Joe, Joey, Jojo
  • Thomas -> Tom, Tommy, Tim, Timmy

Nicknames From Other Languages Used in English

As you may know, the English language uses a lot of loanwords from other languages. These are words like “café” (which is originally French) and “patio” (which is originally Spanish). They’re used so often that it’s not always easy to know which language they originally came from.

So it makes sense that there are nicknames used in English that actually are words from other languages. This is especially the case in America, which has citizens and immigrants from all over the world.

  • Schnookie – from German schnuki, which means “darling”
  • Amor – Spanish for “love”
  • Ma chérie – French for “my dear”
  • Babushka – Russian for “grandmother”
  • Casanova – from Giacomo Casanova, the famous Italian adventurer and lady’s man. Used for men who like to flirt and chase women.
  • Chica – Spanish for “girl” or “young woman”
  • Belle – French for “beautiful”
  • Wunderkind – German for “wonder child.” Used for very smart children.
  • Klutz – from Yiddish klots, which means “lump.” Used for clumsy people.
  • Beau – French for “handsome.” Used for good-looking men
  • Amigo – Spanish for “friend.”
  • Hombre – Spanish for “man.”

Nicknames for Pets

Personally, I don’t remember the last time I called my pet turtle by his real name.

We all love our cute furry, feathery and scaly friends, so it makes sense that they get all kinds of fun nicknames. Your pet is unique, so you probably can think of your own special nickname for them. But here are some incredibly common English ones that you can use anytime:

 

If you want to see some of the above nicknames in action, you could try watching the authentic English videos available on language learning platform FluentU.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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A nickname can make you feel closer and friendlier with someone. So try out any of the ones on this list (with the right person, of course) and see if you get given a nickname in return!

And One More Thing...

If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials, as you can see here:

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If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.

The FluentU app and website makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.

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FluentU lets you learn engaging content with world famous celebrities.

For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:

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FluentU lets you tap to look up any word.

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.

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FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples. Learn more.

The best part? FluentU remembers the vocabulary that you’re learning. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a truly personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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