Like we do today, our ancestors sometimes used nicknames to stand out. And knowing about those nicknames can help you find ancestors “hiding” in records. While some might seem obvious, others male nicknames might take you by surprise. We’ve put together a list of alternatives for historically popular male names. You can also check out our list of female nicknames.
The same nickname might be associated with different given names. If all you have is a nickname and you’re looking for possible given names, use control-F (apple-F on a Mac) or go to Edit-Find to search this page for a nickname.
| Given name | Possible Nickname(s) |
| Alexander | Al, Alastair, Alex, Alisdair, Alistair, Eleck, Sandy, Zan |
| Andrew | Andy, Drew |
| Benjamin | Ben, Bennie, Benjy, Jamie |
| Charles | Carl, Charlie, Charley, Chick, Chuck |
| Edward/Edmund | Ed, Eddie, Eddy, Ned, Ted, Teddy |
| Frederick/Alfred | Al, Fred, Freddie, Freddy, Fritz, Rick |
| James/Jameson | Jamie, Jem, Jim, Jimi, Jimmy, Mamey |
| Jonathan | Eon, Ian, Jack, Jock, John, Johannes, Johnny, Jon, Nathan |
| Lawrence/Laurence | Larry, Lon, Lonny, Lorne, Lorry |
| Matthew/Matthias | Matt, Matty, Thias, Thys |
| Michael | Micah, Mick, Mickey, Mickie, Micky, Mike |
| Patrick | Paddy, Pat, Pate |
| Richard | Dick, Dickie, Dickson, Rich, Rick, Ricky |
| Robert | Bob, Bobby, Dob, Dobbin, Rob, Robbie, Robin, Robby, Rupert |
| Thomas | Tam, Tom, Thom, Tomi, Tommie, Tommy |
| William | Bill, Billy, Will, Willy |
| Zachariah/Zachary | Zach, Zachy, Zack, Zak, Zeke |
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