Leading with nicknames

 Leading with nicknames

All of the experts I spoke with said more and more clients have been choosing baby names based on nicknames they know they want to use. “I'll get clients who love a nickname—like, they want to call their daughter Winnie or Birdie—and they want a full name to go behind that,” says Timm.

Other parents are simply skipping the formal name altogether and just using the nickname, full stop. Even those who do want a formal name are favoring ones with multiple nickname options. “Any name that can produce the nickname Ellie for a little girl, we're being inundated with,” says Paquette. “Eleanor has been a strong contender for a minute now, but it's shooting off into names like Eilana.” For boys, Theodore has emerged has a hugely popular option. “Everyone loves names that can be made into like three different nicknames. With Theodore, people are loving that you can use Teddy or Theo.”