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Monday, March 4, 2013

How to Get Your Nickname: Millie

 The nickname Millie, traditionally a nickname, recently has made it into the top 1000 on its own as a given name, ranking 816th in 2011. If you think its cute, but prefer to keep it as a nickname, here are some longer names it can come from.

Amelia - By far the most popular/trendy option, ranked 30th in 2011. It is Latin and Old German meaning "industrious, striving". Closely related names that are also options would be Emily, Emilia, Amalia,or Amelie. Emily is very common in the U.S. and has been for ages. However, using the nickname for it would give it a new twist.

Amil - This is a form of Amy meaning "beloved". It is so short and sweet it may not need a nickname at all, but the option is there.

Camilla/Camille - Camilla is a Latin name meaning "helper to the priest". The most popular spelling/version is actually Camila, ranked 48th. Spellings with a "k" are also an option (Kamille/Kamilla etc).

Mildred - Mildred, of Old German origin, means Gentle Strength. There is a Saint Mildred who was known for kindness. Mildred has not been in the top 1000 since 1984, it was most popular from 1915-1920, when it ranked 5th. I try to be positive about most baby names, but I had to admit this is one of my least favorite baby names out there. This name is actually what inspired this post, because I think Millie is adorable, but could not bear the idea of Mildred. The reason for my dislike - the like sound word "Mildew" and the inclusion of the syllable "dred" (just like dread). That said, it is a perfectly good name and has a nice strong meaning.

Millicent - With Old French origins meaning "brave and strong," Millicent has never been in the top 400 names, and hasn't been in the top thousand since 1965. For some reason, it reminds me of the evil queen in Disney's version of Sleeping Beauty, but her name is actually Maleficent, so its not really that close of a connection.

Milana - This is a slavic name meaning "favored". The very similar Miliana is of Latin/Spanish origin and means eager.

Milagros- Like Miliana, Milagros is Spanish, meaning miracle. With Miracle becoming a popular "word as a name" name in many communities, Milagros could fit in well.

Vermillion - When I discussed red names, I labelled Vermillion as having a more masculine feel to me, but really it could work quite well for a girl and Millie would be the perfect nickname.

Do you like the nickname Millie? Would you use it as a given name, or opt for one of the above options? I think my favorite is Camille.

3 comments:

  1. Love the idea of Vermillion nn Millie - such an unexpected name, but charming nickname.

    Only problem I can see is Vermillion sounds a little like Vermin, but I guess that's just another reason to have nn Millie :)

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  2. Emilia and Emmeline could be turned into Millie ... there's also an Australian Aboriginal name Milba.

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  3. My name is Emilse and my nick is Millie :)

    (pronounced like Emilia but changing the end with "se", witch is pronounced like in the word "SEparate"

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