Geezer Names for Girls

Not one but two Spice Girls are named Mel, which led to it briefly being more popular for girls than boys in the 90s and early 00s, but it has now fallen out of favor for both sexes.

Old-fashioned nickname for Nora, Honora, Eleanor, Noreen... or any name with that "nor" sound.

It may have a masculine sound and meaning, but Dawson is becoming increasingly popular for baby girls, too. Blame it on Dylan and Logan and the wider trend of surname names for both genders. Over 70 baby girls were given the name in 2020.

Royce is a grandpa name with an upscale link to Rolls Royce, and a surprising rise for girls since the early noughties. Rebel Wilson has a daughter named Royce Lillian.

This waspy name on the rise for boys, hasn't hit yet for girls, but could join others, like Sawyer, that have.

Unlike Sam or even Max, Gus -- short for Augusta or Gusta -- feels a bit too butch to work for a girl.

A jaunty offshoot of Sullivan, Sully will be associated by kids with the beloved character in the Pixar animated film Monsters, Inc. Rare for a girl, but with a cool surnamey style and echoes of midcentury favorite Sally.

Traditionally a masculine diminutive of Moses, Moe could work equally well as a short, sweet, gender-bending nickname for girls – perhaps from Ramona, Moana or Monroe.

Like Mitzi, the bubbly Fritzi shows signs of rising again. Has a bit of a comic-strip feel.

Boyish short form of Regina, which is so clunky it's cool.

Artie is usually short for Arthur, but with boyish nicknames like Billie and Frankie rising, it could make for a sweet retro nickname for a girl too – perhaps short for Artemis or Arlette.

There was an eighties cartoon queen named Jem (& The Holograms), and this is as likely to be a full name as a short form – deriving from Jemma, Jemima or Jameela.

Diminutive of Alvina, and a cute boyish retro nickname we can see making its way back onto a few birth certificates today.

While actress Glenn Close didn't inspire many parents to give their daughters her name in particular, she did help launch a general trend toward boy names for girls.

Sweet old-school nickname name currently trending for boys in the UK, but could also be short for Alba, Alberta or Albertine.

More famously spelled Wallis as a feminine name: the woman for whom the King of England abdicated the throne.

Once a cowboyish old man name, Clem is now more commonly heard as a nickname for the fashionable Clementine, meaning "merciful one". Clemency, Clemence and Clementia are other possible long forms.

Davis may seem an unlikely choice for a girl, but over 50 baby girls received the name in the US last year, perhaps in honor of an ancestral David. Viola Davis is a notable female namesake.

A name halfway between its old milquetoast image and a more jovial Irish-sounding contemporary one. Sounds more feminine than masculine these days.

Short for Samantha or long for Sam, Sammy is a sweet midcentury nickname name that we can see coming back.