Rainef & mEnglish (Rare) From a surname derived from the Old French nickname reine meaning "queen". A famous bearer was the British socialite Raine Spencer (1929-2016), the stepmother of Princess Diana. In modern times it is also considered a variant of Rain 1.
RaymEnglish Short form of Raymond, often used as an independent name. It coincides with an English word meaning "beam of light". Science-fiction author Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) and musician Ray Charles (1930-2004) are two notable bearers of the name.
ReinmFrisian, Dutch, Estonian Originally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element regin meaning "advice, counsel, decision" (Proto-Germanic *raginą).
RillafEnglish Short form of names ending in rilla. It is short for Marilla in L. M. Montgomery's sequels to her 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables, where it belongs to a daughter of Anne.
RuefEnglish From the name of the bitter medicinal herb, ultimately deriving from Greek ῥυτή (rhyte). This is also sometimes used as a short form of Ruth 1.
Sam 1m & fEnglish Short form of Samuel, Samson, Samantha and other names beginning with Sam. A notable fictional bearer is Sam Spade, a detective in Dashiell Hammett's novel The Maltese Falcon (1930). In J. R. R. Tolkien's 1954 novel The Lord of the Rings (1954) this is a short form of Samwise.
SandromItalian, Georgian Short form of Alessandro (Italian) or Aleksandre (Georgian). Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) was an Italian Renaissance artist, the painter of The Birth of Venus and other famous works.
Slavam & fRussian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Croatian, Slovene Short form of names containing the Slavic element slava meaning "glory". It is typically masculine in Russia and Belarus, unisex in Ukraine, and feminine the South Slavic countries.
SlymEnglish Short form of Sylvester. The actor Sylvester Stallone (1946-) is a well-known bearer of this nickname.
TexmEnglish From a nickname denoting a person who came from the state of Texas. A famous bearer was the American animator Tex Avery (1908-1980), real name Frederick, who was born in Texas.
ÞórafOld Norse, Icelandic Either a feminine form of Þórr (see Thor) or else a short form of the various Old Norse names beginning with the element Þór. In Norse myth Thora was the wife of the Danish king Ragnar Lodbrok.
TiafEnglish Short form of names ending with tia. It has been suggested that its use since the 1950s is the result of the brand name for the coffee liqueur Tia Maria. In the brand name, Tia is not a given name; rather, it means "aunt" in Spanish or Portuguese.
TianafEnglish Short form of Tatiana or Christiana. It was rare in the United States until it jumped in popularity in 1975, perhaps due to the Vietnamese-American actress Tiana Alexandra (1956-), who had some exposure at that time. It was used as the name of the princess in the Disney movie The Princess and the Frog (2009).
Tom 1mEnglish, Dutch, German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish Short form of Thomas. Tom Sawyer is the main character in several of Mark Twain's novels, first appearing in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). Other famous bearers include American actors Tom Hanks (1956-) and Tom Cruise (1962-), as well as American football player Tom Brady (1977-).
VladmRomanian, Russian, Ukrainian Old short form of Vladislav and other names beginning with the Slavic element volděti (Church Slavic vladati) meaning "to rule, to control". This name was borne by several princes of Wallachia (in Romania) including the 15th-century Vlad III Dracula, who was Bram Stoker's inspiration for the name of his vampire Count Dracula.
Waldo 2mGermanic Originally a short form of Germanic names containing the Old Frankish element wald or Old High German element walt meaning "power, authority" (Proto-Germanic *waldaz). This was the name of an 8th-century abbot of Reichenau. It was also borne by the 12th-century French merchant Peter Waldo, who founded the religious order of the Waldensians.
WaltmEnglish Short form of Walter. A famous bearer was the American animator and filmmaker Walt Disney (1901-1966).
WazomGermanic Originally a short form of names beginning with Old Frankish waddi or Old High German wetti meaning "pledge" (Proto-Germanic *wadją), or alternatively war meaning "aware, cautious" (Proto-Germanic *waraz).
WillmEnglish Short form of William and other names beginning with Will. A famous bearer is American actor Will Smith (1968-), whose full name is Willard.
WolfmGerman, Jewish, English (Rare), Germanic Short form of Wolfgang, Wolfram and other names containing the Old German element wolf meaning "wolf" (Proto-Germanic *wulfaz). It can also be simply from the German or English word. As a Jewish name it can be considered a vernacular form of Zeev.
XandermDutch, English (Modern) Short form of Alexander. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by a character on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003).
Zelda 2fEnglish Short form of Griselda. This is the name of a princess in the Legend of Zelda video games, debuting in 1986 and called ゼルダ (Zeruda) in Japanese. According to creator Shigeru Miyamoto she was named after the American socialite Zelda Fitzgerald (1900-1948).
ZéliefFrench Short form of Azélie. This is another name of Saint Marie-Azélie Guérin (1831-1877).