Nickname Finder: Old Nicknames and Their Formal Names
Why Polly was Mary, Patsy was Martha and Jack was John. Look up the formal name behind common historical nicknames.
Many old nicknames don't look anything like the formal name, so an ancestor can seem to vanish when she switches from "Polly" to "Mary." Search either the nickname or the formal name. For more on names, read Nicknames and Naming Patterns.
| Nickname | Formal name |
|---|---|
| Abby, Nabby | Abigail |
| Becky | Rebecca |
| Betsy, Betty, Bess, Eliza, Lizzie, Libby | Elizabeth |
| Biddy, Delia | Bridget (Delia may also be Adelia or Cordelia) |
| Dolly | Dorothy, Dorothea |
| Effie | Euphemia |
| Fanny | Frances |
| Hattie | Harriet, Henrietta |
| Hetty | Hester, Mehitable |
| Jenny, Jennie, Jinsey | Jane, Janet |
| Kate, Kitty, Katy | Catherine |
| Lettie | Letitia |
| Lottie | Charlotte |
| Milly | Mildred, Millicent, Amelia |
| Minnie | Wilhelmina, Mary |
| Molly, Polly, Mamie | Mary (Mamie may also be Margaret) |
| Nancy, Nan | Ann, Anne, Agnes |
| Nellie, Nell | Ellen, Eleanor, Helen |
| Patsy, Patty | Martha, Matilda |
| Peggy, Maggie, Meg, Madge, Daisy | Margaret |
| Sally, Sadie | Sarah |
| Sukey, Sukie, Susie | Susanna, Susan |
| Tabby | Tabitha |
| Tillie | Matilda |
| Winnie | Winifred |
| Abe | Abraham, Abram |
| Andy, Drew | Andrew |
| Ben | Benjamin |
| Bill, Billy, Will | William |
| Bob, Rob, Dobbin | Robert |
| Charlie, Chuck | Charles |
| Dan | Daniel |
| Dick | Richard |
| Ed, Ned, Ted | Edward, Edwin, Edmund (Ted may also be Theodore) |
| Fred | Frederick, Alfred |
| Gus | Augustus, Gustav |
| Hal, Hank, Harry | Henry (Harry may also be Harold) |
| Hez | Hezekiah |
| Ike | Isaac |
| Jack, Johnny | John |
| Jake | Jacob |
| Jem, Jim, Jimmy | James |
| Jerry | Jeremiah, Gerald |
| Kit | Christopher |
| Lige | Elijah |
| Lon, Lonnie | Alonzo |
| Mose | Moses |
| Nat | Nathaniel, Nathan |
| Rafe | Ralph |
| Sandy, Alec | Alexander |
| Si | Silas, Josiah |
| Sol | Solomon |
| Tom | Thomas |
| Tony | Anthony |
| Wat | Walter |
| Zeke | Ezekiel |