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"Aunt B" was my step-grandma's older sister, who died a couple years ago. For a long time I'd only heard my step-siblings refer to her as "Aunt B," and I'd actually misheard it as "Aunt Bea" and thought her name was Beatrice. Surprise, surprise, one day Grandma was looking through old photos with her kids, and I got to see Aunt B's name written out: Billie Rose. She would've been born in the 30s, so it tracks with the popularity of the name.

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Honestly, I quite like Billie for a girl - either as its own name, or a nickname for Willow or Wilhelmina. I think nowadays the name is most often associated with Billie Eilish, and it's likely because of her that the name cracked the Top 1000 in the US for the first time in over 20 years.

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It's funny, though: I've actually always disliked Billy for a boy, full name or nickname for William. (Don't like Bill, either.) And I disliked it for a boy long before I was even truly aware of Billie as a feminine name. Maybe subconsciously I always thought of the sound as feminine.

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Please rate my personal name lists:

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www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/117507
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www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/132018