Names with “True” as a nickname

names with the nickname True

Let’s say you like the idea of the name True…but you’d prefer that it be a nickname as opposed to a legal name.

Which names out there can be shortened to the nickname “True”?

Let’s start with the most popular options. Each of these saw enough usage last year to be included in the 2018 baby name data, though none of them were common enough to make the top 1,000:

  • Truman comes from an English surname that was originally a nickname for a trustworthy man (trewe means “faithful, trustworthy” in Middle English).
  • Truett & Truitt are also English surnames. They were derived from the place name Trewhitt, which is thought to be made up of the Old Norse word tyri, “resinous pine-wood,” and the Old English word wiht, “river bend.”
  • Gertrude can be traced back to the Germanic words ger, “spear,” and trut, “beloved, dear” — though some sources say the second element is thrud, meaning “strength.” Variant forms include Gertrud and Gertrudis.
  • Trudy & Trudie are diminutive forms of Gertrude or any other –trud(e) name, such as Ermintrude, Hiltrude, or Irmtrude.

The names below have been in the data historically, but none made the cut last year specifically. In fact, several are one-hit wonders.

EtruliaOrtrude*TrubyTrucilla
TrudaTrudellTrudenceTrudis*
TrudithTruelTrulaTruma
TrumaineTrunellTrunettaTrusha

Which of the –tru– names above do you like best?

*Just so happens that Ortrude and Trudis were both 1916 one-hit wonders inspired by literature.

4 thoughts on “Names with “True” as a nickname

  1. What about Gertrude, instead of Ortrude? That name could have “Tru” as a nickname, and also sounds more pleasing than Ortrude. It really struck me as odd that you thought of listing Ortrude and not Gertrude.
    Just my humble observation.
    Thank you!

  2. Gertrude is already up there! :) Just a little higher up — not in the table, but in the bulleted list with the text.

    But thank you for the comment! if I’d forgotten Gertrude, you’re right, that would have been a strange omission and I would have wanted to fix that.

  3. I’ve always liked Gertrude with Trudie as a nickname. Truman is also very nice and probably the only one of the names I’d use for a boy.

    One possible “Tru” name not mentioned is Truvy. That’s the name of Dolly Parton’s character in Steel Magnolias. Not sure if that ever saw much usage after the movie (or the remake) came out.

  4. Good point about Truvy!

    Truvy wasn’t in the data when Steel Magnolias was in theaters — or even when I wrote this post — but it did finally pop up in 2019.

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