Angie

A diminutive of Angela or Angelina, originating from the Greek angelos, meaning messenger. While long used as an informal domestic pet form, American parents began registering it as an independent given name in the late nineteenth century. A hit 1973 rock ballad gave it a distinct push directly into its mid-seventies peak.

The name reads as warm, immediate, and firmly rooted in the cassette era. It suggests someone who skipped formal introductions entirely because the nickname was on the birth certificate from day one. An Angie is widely imagined as someone who owns a denim jacket that has survived four moves. She will offer a stick of gum before the conversation properly starts.