Let's be honest: When it comes to kids' nicknames, parents only get so much sway. Lots of thought and care goes into choosing a baby name, only for relatives, teachers, and classmates in their life to head completely into left field with the nickname. Parents do it too: Even after settling on the perfect name, when the baby arrives, with their chubby arms and smooshy legs, there's a greater-than-zero chance that the parents are just going to wind up calling their baby something like Squishy.

Some nicknames stick for a child's entire life and into adulthood, and some are outgrown like those first baby onesies. Some follow current baby-name trends, others are totally unique to one family. The easiest ones to come up with are just shortened versions of a longer name, but sometimes the obvious just won't convey how sweet and precious that bundle actually is.

These some of the best nicknames for girls to try on and see if they fit. (Of course, most of them work for boys or kids of any gender too.) Test a few and see if they match your family dynamic.


When kids have a popular name, sometimes the nickname is what sets them apart. Here are the current most popular names for girls in the United States, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA), along with some nickname suggestions for each.

  1. Olivia: Liv/Livvy, Ollie, Vivi
  2. Emma: Emmy, Em, M&M
  3. Amelia: Amy, Millie, Lia
  4. Charlotte: Charlie, Lottie, Char
  5. Mia: Mimi, Mine, M
  6. Sophia/Sofia: Soph, Fifi, Soso, Pia
  7. Isabella: Issie, Bella, Ella
  8. Evelyn: Evie, Lynn, Eve
  9. Ava: Aves, Avocado, A
  10. Camila: Cam, Mila, Cammy
  11. Harper: Harp, Hip, H
  12. Luna: Lulu, Lou, Una
  13. Eleanor: Ellie, Nora, Lenny
  14. Violet: Vi, Vivi, Lottie
  15. Aurora: Arie, Rory, Sunny
  16. Elizabeth: Liz/Lizzie, Betty, Ellie, Beth
  17. Eliana: Ana, Elle, Ellie, Lia
  18. Hazel: Haze, Hazy, H
  19. Chloe: Clo, Coco, Lolo
  20. Ellie: El, Els
  21. Nora: Nor, Nono, Rah
  22. Gianna: Ginny, Anna, Gia
  23. Lily: Lil, Lilo, Elle
  24. Emily: Em, Emma, Emmy
  25. Aria: Ari, Riri, Ri

Cute Nicknames for Girls

These are more like pet names than nicknames. They don’t need to bear any resemblance to the original monikers—they’re just fun to say!

  1. Angel
  2. Baby Bear
  3. Boo-Boo
  4. Buddy
  5. Bundle
  6. Cuddles
  7. Dimples
  8. Girlie
  9. Lady
  10. Lovebug
  11. Lovey
  12. Peach
  13. Peanut
  14. Pixie
  15. Princess
  16. Sleepy
  17. Smidge
  18. Smiley
  19. Sweetie
  20. Teeny

These names are just as sweet as your special girl—no sugar crashes here.

  1. Coco/Cocoa
  2. Cookie
  3. Cupcake
  4. Cutie Pie
  5. Doodle
  6. Dumpling
  7. Honey Bun
  8. Jellybean
  9. Marshmallow
  10. Muffin
  11. Nugget
  12. Pancake
  13. Pudding
  14. Pumpkin
  15. Small Fry
  16. Snicker Doodle
  17. Sugarplum
  18. Sweet Pea
  19. Tater Tot
  20. Twinkie
courteney cox honored with star on the hollywood walk of famepinterest
Leon Bennett//Getty Images
For Scream 7 star Courteney Cox, there’s no nickname about it: Her daughter is just named Coco.

Sometimes girls seem like wild animals; other's they're cute and tame. These nicknames run the gamut.

  1. Bee
  2. Birdie
  3. Bunny
  4. Chickadee
  5. Cricket
  6. Cubby
  7. Doe
  8. Dovey
  9. Ducky
  10. Guppy
  11. Joey
  12. Kid
  13. Kit
  14. Kitty
  15. Ladybug
  16. Lamb
  17. Little Llama
  18. Mouse
  19. Puppy
  20. Tadpole
7th annual milk + bookies' story time celebration
Michael Tran//Getty Images
Busy Philipps went two-for-two with the animal names with her daughters, Birdie and Cricket.

Title Nicknames for Girls

There's something funny and a little bit irreverent about calling a toddler something like "professor." And hey, maybe she'll live up to the moniker!

  1. Boss
  2. Captain
  3. Chief
  4. Coach
  5. Doctor/Doc
  6. Duchess
  7. Little Miss
  8. Madam/Ma'am
  9. Professor
  10. Saint



Nicknames for Girls Borrowed From Other Languages

This could be a way to honor a heritage and use a cute nickname at the same time—a win-win.

  1. Aegiya (Korean for "baby")
  2. Anak (Tagalog for "my child")
  3. Azizam (Farsi for "my dear")
  4. Cara Mia (Italian for "beloved")
  5. Chibi (Japanese for "small one")
  6. Corazón (Spanish for "heart")
  7. Habibi (Arabic for "my darling")
  8. Liebling (German for "darling")
  9. Mon Petit Chou (French for "my little cabbage")
  10. Munni (Hindi for "little girl")
  11. Mwanangu (Swahili for "my child")
  12. Piccolina (Italian for "little one")
  13. Paidaki Mou (Greek for "my child")
  14. Tesouro (Portuguese for "treasure")
  15. Zaychik (Russian for "bunny")

Silly/Funny Nicknames for Girls

Nicknames don't have to be all that serious. When it's time to get goofy, consider these names.

  1. Binky
  2. Bubbles
  3. Bumble
  4. Chatterbox
  5. Dizzy
  6. Doodlebug
  7. Fidget
  8. Flopsy
  9. Gremlin
  10. Goober
  11. Half Pint
  12. Jelly Belly
  13. Mini Me
  14. Nibbles
  15. Noodle
  16. Pipsqueak
  17. Sassafras
  18. Sassy
  19. Sleepyhead
  20. Squeaky
  21. Tizzy
  22. Tootsie
  23. Trinket
  24. Wiggles
  25. Zippy

Nature names are a hot trend right now—and many of them are unisex, for which is extra appealing for those who like to keep things gender neutral. For families who don't want to go full call-of-the-wild on a real name, a nature-inspired nickname might do the trick.

  1. Branch
  2. Breezy
  3. Bud
  4. Daisy
  5. Flurry
  6. Gem
  7. Buttercup
  8. Rainbow
  9. Rosie
  10. Sprout
  11. Starry
  12. Stormy
  13. Sunrise
  14. Sunshine
  15. Twig

Looking for more baby-name inspiration?

Check out these Good Housekeeping lists: Disney Baby Names | Indian/Hindu Boy Names | Indian/Hindu Girl Names | Italian Baby Names | Japanese Baby Names | French Baby Names| Hispanic Boy Names | Hispanic Girl Names | Irish Boy Names | Irish Girl Names | Long Names for Boys | Long Names for Girls | Nature Baby Names | Short Names for Boys | Short Names for Girls | Gender-Neutral Names | Western/Cowboy Baby Names | 1920s Names | 1930s Names | 1940s Names | 1950s Names| 1960s Names | 1970s Names | 1980s Names | 1990s Names | Y2K Names