Babys First Year Blog
Is Your Baby’s Name Nickname-Proof?
Baby G is so far nickname-less
I haven’t conducted a scientific poll or anything, but in my anecdotal experience, one of the top criteria for parents in choosing a name for their baby is that the name be “nickname proof.” For example, I’ve heard parents say that they love the name James, but would never choose it because they would be worried that little James would end up being called “Jim” or “Jimmy.” Occasionally, of course, parents choose a name because they like the nickname for that moniker, and intend for their baby to go by “Bella” rather than her full name of ”Isabella.” But more often, I think people hope for a name that sticks as-is.
My children are named Henry, Jane, Elliot, Charlotte and Georgia. With Henry, I loved the nickname “Hank,” so I wouldn’t have minded a bit if people had called him that, but they never did. We do sometimes call Jane, “Janie” and “Janieboodles” within our family, but those are just terms of endearment as opposed to actual nicknames that people use to address her on a regular basis. And Elliot’s name really is pretty much nickname-proof.
Then we come to 3 year old Charlotte.
My husband REALLY wanted to name the baby Charlotte. I liked the name very well, but it wasn’t my top pick (“Annabel” was my top pick). But I let him have the final say, and now I can’t imagine her being anyone but Charlotte. Neither of us planned to use any sort of nickname for Charlotte. In fact, we both discussed how we would have to remain on guard to be sure she didn’t end up with a nickname we hated. But somehow, over time, Charlotte has become “Charley.” And it suits her. I don’t know who called her that for the first time, or when, but now I love her nickname, and we call her that as much or more than we call her “Charlotte,” as do friends and other family members.
Baby Georgia’s name seems to be as nickname-proof as Elliot’s is. We call her silly things like “Georgia Peach,” but I don’t foresee a real nickname coming from her actual name (which I love and fervently pray does not become the next “Ava” or “Madison” in terms of popularity). So far, no one seems inclined to shorten Georgia’s name, or call her some cutesy version of it. But I guess time will tell. As I learned with 3 year old C, you just can’t always predict or control nicknames.
Did you consider nicknames when you chose your baby’s name? Has your child ended up with a nickname, and if so, do you like it? Tell me in the omments below.
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70 Comments
Danielle commented on Jan 02 11 at 9:52 amMy oldest is named Madeleine, and we all call her Maddy. My 4 month old is named Abigail, and we all call her Abby. I considered how the nicknames would work together when I named the baby. My stepfather was getting the two names mixed up constantly, so he now calls the baby “AJ” (her initials), which I actually like also.
Clisby commented on Jan 02 11 at 10:04 amWe picked 2 names we liked – Emma and Joseph – and never shortened them. Not too many people try to shorten Emma, but she’s had to learn to say, “Please don’t call me Em.” It’s mostly adults who try to call my son “Joe” – I’ve never heard friends/classmates do it. His lack of response (at 8, he often doesn’t realize they’re talking to him since “Joe” isn’t his name) usually clues them in after awhile.
Katy E commented on Jan 02 11 at 10:10 amI hesitate to tell you this but… 8 years ago I named my beautiful boxer puppy “Sweet Georgia Brown”. We mostly call her “Georgia” but her name has evolved several nicknames… Usually “Georbie Cakes” or “Georgie” or “George”. Still, you have excellent taste in names.
Katy E commented on Jan 02 11 at 10:14 amAlso, my brother’s name is “James” and he has always been quick to correct anyone who dare call him “Jim” or “Jimmy” even as a small child. He’s only allowed himself to be called “James”, “Jamesy” or “Bulldog”
Carol commented on Jan 02 11 at 10:22 amWe definitely talked about nicknames when naming both our girls. My husband was adamant that we choose names that were difficult or impossible to shorten. My name is pretty much unshortenable and my husband goes by a shortened name to most of the world. He doesn’t like it so much. When asked why he doesn’t correct people calling him a name he generally doesn’t like, he shrugs and says its just the way it is or its too late to change things now.
Melissa commented on Jan 02 11 at 10:23 amI have a Jakob who goes by Jake and an Abbigail who goes by Abby – both are used equally and were picked knowing we could use those alternatives if they fit. Our third is Raegan, and there is not much you can do to that – other than referring to her as my Little Rae Rae of Sunshine – as a term of endearment as you said. Now…we get to our final baby – John Timothy (after our both of our fathers) – and some people want to call him J.T. I realllllly wish I would’ve thought about that before settling on that name because while there is nothing wrong with J.T. – I certainly did not name him that – I named him John! I not usually one to be snotty and quick to correct things, but I cannot help it with this! Argh ; )
Julia commented on Jan 02 11 at 10:32 amMy parents named my sister and I Alison and Julia (respectively) thinking they didn’t have nicknames…ha! Well, my sister seemed to stay Alison and only one friend calls her Ali, surprisingly. She’s not really an Ali anyway. I have loads of ‘em…Jules, Juju, Juj…oops.
heather commented on Jan 02 11 at 10:41 amI have a Clare, so there isn’t much you can do to shorten that name. We lengthen it all the time (which seems to defeat the ‘nick naming’ but there you go) to ClareBear, Clarie, and Clari-belle. Interestingly other nicknames seem to stick with her. I’ve called her Bug for several months now (short for LoveBug, CuddleBug or even StinkBug) and now I’ve noticed that her father, grandparents and caregiver have started. Whoops! My sweet, beautiful baby girl may be forever known as Bug!
Sydney Hart commented on Jan 02 11 at 10:48 amMy son’s name is Aviv. The closest anyone has come is “Avivy,” which I hate, or “Avivelito” which I can tolerate. The name is Hebrew and the endearment, “Avivelah,” is Yiddish. Since his first name is so unusual in the U.S., I gave him two very American middle names (Jesse David). Since my boy is 13, we’ve had discussions about his name when he said he didn’t like being the only one with it. I think he must really identify with his name, though, because he has never changed it to either of the middles or used initials.
Beth from SJ commented on Jan 02 11 at 10:53 amFredrick – Freddie, Nicholas – Nicky, & Jenna – Jenna! We’ve never even used “Jen” with our daughter and suprisingly no one else has either.
I do have a question about your daughter, Charlotte’s nickname – is the “Ch” pronounced as it is in Charlotte – “Sh” like Sharley or is it pronounced like Charlie?
Charlene commented on Jan 02 11 at 11:03 amHi Katie,
My name is Charlene and my family and close friends call me Char. I am very annoyed when people who don’t know me call me Char and vice versa it really bugs me when my family calls me Charlene. LOL! OH and it is pronounced “SHar” not “CHar”. I have one pair of inlaws that calls me “CHar” and I find that annoying as well! LOL.
We have already picked out names for our children if we are ever blessed with them, and they are based off of Family names. I’m not really concerned with nicknames, except I guess I’d like to be the one that picks them.
My brother named his son after him, but they never call him that. They call him Trey and always have since he was born. My brother’s nickname is “Slicker” and Even now that I’m almost 40 and he’s 38 I still refer to him as “Slicker” as does the rest of my family. I guess that’s a pretty unique nickname, since his actual name is Richard.
My aunt specifically chose her daughter’s name Carisa because she didn’t want anyone to call her a nickname… unfortunately she’s now known as “Reesie” or “Reesie Cup” or just “Rees”. So much for that plan :)
I love Georgia’s name! I have a family friend named Virginia and her family calls her Gigi. I suppose that could be a nickname for Georgia at some point.
Hugs,
Charlene
Melanie commented on Jan 02 11 at 11:07 amWith my oldest, my husband loved the idea of CJ – so we chose a “C” first name to go with the J middle name I loved, but we have never called him CJ. His name is Colin and that’s what everyone calls him. Our Nathaniel is Nate, which I’m fine with — I’m only annoyed when people assume his name his Nathan (my annoyance has no sense, I realize!) and our 3rd is Lydia — no nickname for her either.
Margaret commented on Jan 02 11 at 11:07 amThis was absolutely my express purpose in naming my daughters. That, and their names had to pass the Supreme Court Justice Test. Meaning, we had to agree that the full name could, legitimately, be the name of a Supreme Court Justice. (Nothing too frivolous!) And by the way, my older daughter was very almost Georgia. I love the name so much, although I think the name we chose for her at birth, Aviva, is better suited to her than Georgia would have been.
Corey commented on Jan 02 11 at 11:07 amWe named our daugter Alice knowing it could turn to Allie. I didn’t mind that and now a couple of her friends call her that. I never really do though. My parents named me Corey partly for the lack of nickname, but my dad called me Core for a good part of my childhood so you never know!
A.K. commented on Jan 02 11 at 11:18 amMy husband’s name is Thomas, and that’s precisely what he likes to be called — NOT Tom or Tommy. Some people are stubborn, though, and he’s actually had to be quite firm sometimes with people and insist that his name actually is Thomas. Those other monikers belong to his dad. Consequently, we chose names for our boys that can’t be shortened: Levi and Simon.
My name is a whole different story, and it too contributed to the selection of our boys’ names. My name is spelled in a way that breaks phonetic rules, and no one can look at it and pronounce it correctly. It is pronounced “Ann – iss” — like “Janice” with no “J.” However the spelling is such that it looks like it ought to be pronounced “An – neice.”
Growing up, I always had to correct people, and I had to insist that I was not Ann — because folks wanted to shorten it. So, with my boys, I decided I would choose names and spellings that could not be mispronounced, and my husband wanted names that would be complete as they were.
However, I will concede that “Charley” is awfully cute on that sweet little girl.
rose commented on Jan 02 11 at 11:31 amGeorge.
Leslie commented on Jan 02 11 at 11:42 amI never really thought about nicknames with number one, Emily. However, when she started saying her own name, she called herself “Emmy,” which family members and those who have known her since she was little still use. Number two is John for his father, so we wanted a nickname. The priest who married us had a brother named John who went by Jake, and I had also seen that in a book, so that is what we chose. Number three was named because of the nickname I wanted to use. His middle name is Theodore and we call him Teddy. However, at ten he decided he would be Theo and that is now his school name (we are still allowed to call him Teddy at home). Number four is William and we swore up and down he would stay William but now he is always Willie (but that is a family and close friends nickname–he writes William and would say William if you asked his name). Because I cannot help but add “e” to the end of everyone’s name (Georgia would be Georgie if she were mine, and we all call Jake “Jakie” at home.) I was worried about number five’s name, Lorelei. I don’t care for Lori and not only was I afraid other people would say it, I was afraid I would end up saying it too! So we came up with “Leilie” for her pet name before she even arrived. Again, though, that is just a pet name–she would never say that was her name if asked.
Chrissy commented on Jan 02 11 at 11:48 amWe named our son Alexander, knowing that he could have the choice of going by Alex or Alexander or Xander. We’ve called him Xander from birth though, because it suits him, but like that we picked a name that he can personalize to his liking or various phases in his life. I think of that Margaret Atwood story Hairball, when the character of Catherine goes through many nicknames through her life (Cathy, Kath, Kat, etc.)
Steph commented on Jan 02 11 at 11:55 amUnfortunately you can’t decide these things! As teens we called everyone by the nickname we gave them, Amy became Aim, Zoe became Zo, Cait became Caitie and I’ve always been Steph despite how much my mother hates it and insists on Stephanie. I’m in my thirties and she still cringes. My youngest brother she still insists on calling Christopher while everyone else calls him Chris… I wonder if my mum would have ever gone for Stephanie and Christopher if she had known we would forever be called Steph and Chris? For my daughter we went for Lola as we loved the name and although we call her Lolly, I mostly call her Lola. But as for what her friends call her, I have no control! My husband and a close friend both have given me a nickname based on my last name, so there’s no telling where a nickname might actually come from!
elizabeth commented on Jan 02 11 at 11:59 amOur first – my husband wanted to name her Katie – I was like: “You can’t name her Katie! She has to have a real name”….so she’s Katherine, we call her Katie of course. Our second, is Margaret – called Maggie. I am Elizabeth – I was always Liz until I graduated high school and a with a fresh start I wanted to be “Elizabeth” and now, yes, people automatically assume they can call me “Liz” which I promptly correct. My opinion is that I wanted to give the girls options – they know what they’re called, and they know what their big-girl or grown-up names are and there are tons of other options as they get older… Our third (someday) – I fear we’ve set up a pattern that she’ll have to have a nickname ending in “-ie”….who knows….
Claire R commented on Jan 02 11 at 12:14 pmMy parents gave us all 1-syllable names, thinking there would be no nicknames. In fact, I don’t have one. I am Claire. My sisters are Eve and Jill. No nicknames.
22 years ago, I chose the name Madeleine, which has since become incredibly popular. Her name was actually chosen 15 years prior when I met a magical child with that name, and vowed to use it if I ever had a daughter. I call her Madeleine, but most people call her Maddie. My second daughter was adopted at 3, so came fully named: Monique. Nobody here calls her anything but Monique, however…however…some of her friends call her “Momo” which I HATE. She doesn’t seem to mind.
In my opinion, Henry, Jane, Elliot, Charlotte (always a consideration for me) and Georgia are all terrific names. Really wonderful, classic, beautiful names.
liz commented on Jan 02 11 at 12:14 pmIt seems like middle school is when kids’ friends decide what they’re going to call them. I was Elizabeth until 7th grade and everyone started calling me Liz. I never liked Liz, I would have preferred Beth but that didn’t happen. As it turns out, I married a Jeff and Beth and Jeff would have been a terrible pairing of names, so it worked out great. My nephew’s mom never allowed him to be called Nick, just Nicholas, and now he is definitely a Nick. Another nephew went by Tripp because he is a third and now he is called by the old-mannish name that they were trying to avoid when they started calling him Tripp. I guess those names are coming back as I keep meeting baby girls named Hazel.
Karen commented on Jan 02 11 at 12:44 pmI WANTED names that could be made into nicknames (I never had one and wished that I did). Of course I ended up naming my girls Juliana and Rachel, so there goes that idea. But we usually end up calling Juliana “J” or “JJ” and Rachel has turned into “Rachie” or “Rachie-roo”. But please not Julie!!!!!!
Aimee V commented on Jan 02 11 at 12:56 pmMy oldest (17) is Derick Jerome – no actual nickname, though I did like the fact the he could be called DJ (his initials if he wanted too). We did a call him DJ for a while when he was a baby but it never really stuck. Some of us do call him “D” or “Der Bear” but not a real nickname. When his youngest 2 siblings came along, we all started calling him “Bubba” for brother. Now, all of the family calls him “Bubba” or Derick. My next (12) is Lacey Michelle – not a really nicknamey type name. But, ever since I was pregnant w/her we have all called her “Lacey Bug” or just “Bug”. Sometimes we call her “Lace” for short but noone else does. We also call her “Punk” and “Princess”. When her youngest 2 siblings were born, we all started calling her “Sissy” for sister but Joshua couldn’t say “Sissy” so he called her “DeeDee”. Thus, she is now “DeeDee” in our family! I never thought I would have a “DeeDee” and a “Bubba” for my children’s names but they all call each other by those names and even grandparents and other family members do too! I don’t mind at all. Now, my next child (4) is Joshua Daniel. I knew there were lots of nicknames for his name. Of course I knew we would all eventually call him “Josh” and that didn’t bother me at all. I like the name “Josh”. I also thought some people might use his initials and call him JD but noone ever did. So, he goes by Joshua, Josh, and Joshy. Finally, my dear youngest (3) is Emily Rene’. We all call her “Emmy” or “Em” for short. That’s it – just Emily, Emmy or Em. I am sure when my kids are all grown, they will all go by their given names. They fit their names perfectly. Derick, Lacey, Joshua and Emily and I love all of them!!
Patricia commented on Jan 02 11 at 1:27 pmI laughed at the guest who posted that she used the Supreme Court test when she named her kids. We used the trailer park test … in other words, can you scream their names from the front door when you are angry and you need to get them home immediately. Hey, it mattered. Jeffrey and Michael easily roll off the tongue when I am mad. The single syllable middle names we used also make it easier when you are truly angry.
Jeffrey does often get shortened to Jeff, but that is only as he has come to prefer it. Michael was a tough call because I don’t like the shortened “Mike.” But I doubt I have much control over it.
Val commented on Jan 02 11 at 1:54 pmWe named our son Jonathan Daniel with the nicknames Jon and JD in mind. I call him by all three depending on the situation. If I’m texting someone, it’s quite convenient to type “JD did this or that” instead of Jonathan. Sometimes nicknames just happen and stick no matter what you do. A friend of mine named Elizabeth has been called “Buffy” from the time she was a baby. Her family and friends from school still call her Buffy. She uses Elizabeth in her professional life, but outside of work it’s always Buffy.
Liz commented on Jan 02 11 at 2:06 pmI agree with the above posters that a nickname is often out of the parents’ control. I had come to grips with that before I had my kids. My parents named me Elizabeth and thought that they could make it stick (Crazy, right?) but by high school, all my friends called me Liz and that was that.
Our kids are Samuel and Isaac. We knew Sam would be Sam and Sammy and he is. Isaac is only a year and who knows what will happen. We’re not fans of Izzy (although my MIL claims that is usually a nickname for Israel, not Isaac so we’re safe) and I like Ike (ha!) but my husband does not so we haven’t come up with the winner. His big brother calls him Isaac-ee but I don’t imagine that will leave the family. We shall see.
Kelly commented on Jan 02 11 at 2:25 pmHi Katie,
We have a Jackson. And, we like “Jackson.” It bothers me a little when people call him Jack. Shortening to “Jax” (which my brother tends to do I swear to annoy me), we despise. I totally understand you crafting your children’s names around the impossibly nicknameless. You have fabulous taste. Take care. Happy 2011.
cocoscmoco commented on Jan 02 11 at 2:47 pmWe just named our younger son Jamie, the nickname is built in, ha ha. My husband and I did disagree over names based on nicknames (we eventually rejected Vincent bc my husband hated all nicknames from that one…). I have a niece also named Georgia, and the only nickname anyone came up with for her was Gigi, which her parents hate. She does go by Georgie sometimes.
Kristin commented on Jan 02 11 at 3:43 pmMy husband has a one-syllable last name and he, his parents, and two of his three brothers have first names that have been shortened to one syllable through nicknames. I have a long last name, and the one-syllable first name, one-syllable last name struck me as too plain (silly, I know). So we chose multi-syllabic names for our kids that couldn’t easily be shortened to one syllable. Meredith, Julianne and Danielle. Everyone calls them by their full names, at least so far, and they are 9, 7, and 5. Danielle is the one that could be a problem — so many people will want to call her Dani, but she really does not strike me as a Dani at all. At this point they completely identify with their full names. When I was getting ready to start school, my mother sat me down and informed me that some people at school might want to call me Kris or Krissy, but that was not my name and I was to correct them. But my 2nd-grade teacher called me Kris, no matter how many times I asked her not to, so some of my friends started too. I learned to like it a lot, and I was always both. But those who called me Kristin always did; likewise those who called me Kris. Once we all hit our 20s, long-time friends who had called me Kris for years suddenly stopped and now call me Kristin again. Don’t know why, but it works for me. No one ever calls me Kris anymore — it has been close to 20 years since anyone has.
Debra commented on Jan 02 11 at 4:01 pmGiGi
JJ commented on Jan 02 11 at 4:12 pmWe went the other route and for the first two picked 3-syllable names that had nicknames we liked and that were appropriate both for kids and adults (Nicholas — Nick). Second son ended up with a different nickname than we thought and that we liked better — he uses the nickname as much as possible, liking its relative uniqueness. I just didn’t want a 40 yo stuck with a goofy nickname.
Third son, we ran out of 3 syllable names with good nicknames (well, I didn’t but husband despised “Benjamin/Ben” which I really like.) Third is James — and we thought he might be a Jim, but nope. He’s never been a Jim or Jimmy and at 8 it seems unlikely it’ll ever take. The fact that he doesn’t respond at all when called Jim/Jimmy certainly helps — it isn’t his name, he’s never been called it, it really didn’t register with him!
Sheryl commented on Jan 02 11 at 4:22 pmMy 13 y/old Caroline (that’s with a long “i”, and is often mispronounced as CaroLYN, which drives me nuts) somehow got the nickname Caro a couple of years ago. It’s sort of unusual, I think, and somehow fits her.
jeneria commented on Jan 02 11 at 4:23 pmI’m a Jennifer but my nickname is Jake or Jakie (Jake + ee). My dad started it in 3rd grade when I was on a softball team with four other Jennifers. I’ve always hated the name Jenny.
Belle commented on Jan 02 11 at 4:45 pmI’m 61 years old and one of four siblings. My folks named us all with “no” nickname possibilities, so they thought. My full name is Beverly, which I hate with a passion and always have. I go by Bev, and always insist everyone call me that. My elderly mother will go to her grave without having ever called me “Bev” but that will never ever change.
We named our firstborn a regular name but had always planned on calling him by the name we really wanted, which didn’t even sound like his “real” name. I was hung up on the “oh it sounds and looks like a nickname” but by the time he was six months old, I went down to the courthouse and legally changed it to the name we were calling him. It’s only 3 letters and very unusual but he loves it. Daughter has a name that has never been shortened but she has many nicknames, anyway, because she just has that kind of personality that is ripe for all kinds of endearments.
Elissa commented on Jan 02 11 at 5:54 pm@ Karen. I was the same. I have beautiful name but I’ve never really had a nickname that stuck. We were pretty careful to consider how happy we would be with the possible nicknames. Roscoe, for example, got scratched off the list because I couldn’t stand the idea of him being called Ross. We settled on Archer (along with some cool middle names), knowing full well that it will get shortened to Archie. That’s a cute nickname so we really don’t mind, and even use it ourselves.
Eliza commented on Jan 02 11 at 5:56 pmMy 18-year-old Teresa was Tess until first grade when she announced that, “Tess is a little girl’s name.” Sixteen-year-old son Nikola has been Nik since before birth. No one has ever called him Nikola, but he says he still prefers that he’s not one of a zillion boys named Nicholas.
Heather commented on Jan 02 11 at 6:09 pmMy name is mostly nickname free. When I was young I babysat for a little girl that called me Hahe instead of Heather and that stuck for a while. I had to break a good friend of calling me that at work when we started working together – not professional!! I named my kids Victoria and Zachary. I love the name Victoria but hated the nickname Vickie so we decided to beat everybody to the punch and have called her Tori since we found out she was a girl @ 20 weeks in utero! She’s now 13 and some friends at school dubbed her Toto so know she’s Tori, Toribelle, Belle, Toto or Victoria since some teachers refuse to use nicknames! Zachary is either Zack or Zachary and doesn’t mind either.
Lee commented on Jan 02 11 at 7:10 pmMy given name is Leslie and I hated that I did not have a nick name growing up. All the kids had them and I felt like I was left out. My sister also had a name that was not likely to inspire a nickname. When it came time to name my children I chose names I truly liked but ones that also lent themselves to nick names should they so desire. I have a Gregory who I envisioned being called Greg. Instead he chose the nickname Chet for himself in 6th grade and at 25 that is still what everyone calls him. I have a Robert that we call Rob or Robbie, a Kenneth Carl that we call KC and Elisabeth Ann that is Lissa.
Mia commented on Jan 02 11 at 7:26 pmMy name is Amelia and ever since I remember I’ve been Mia, not Millie (which is how my parents wanted it). If someone called me Millie as a child we just corrected them. From my point of view, it wasn’t that I didn’t like the nickname; I was just taught that it wasn’t my name – so I corrected people almost like you’d correct someone if they called you by your sibling’s name. This worked with my sister as well, whose name is Alexandra but is called Lexy (not Alex). I guess this approach probably only works if you provide an alternative nickname though; forcing people to call your child Alexandra is a bit of a mouthful and unlikely to work!
Another Claire commented on Jan 02 11 at 7:31 pmMy name like the poster above is Claire and you can’t really shorten it…so instead like above…I was ClaireBear or if my brothers were being mean Clarabelle (as in the cow).
I picked a family name for my firstborn son’s middle name “Jay” and wanted a long name to go with it…Alexander is what we chose. I thought he would be a cute AJ but no one ever called him that…he has always been this tiny little thing with the long name Alexander. His baby brother used to call him Xander and that was so cute for such a long time (but he was the only one allowed to do it). I do think some classmates call him Alex but generally he is Alexander.
Second son is Sean…not much you can do to that. Sometimes he gets Seanie from us but Sean is pretty nickname proof.
Kathy commented on Jan 02 11 at 8:35 pmSophia Katherine, and Eleanor Claire, and we use either their real names or their nicknames Sophie and Ellie pretty interchangeably. But Ellie is proud to point out that while “Ellie” is a popular nickname, most girls with that nickname have Ella for their real name –Eleanor is more unusual.
Michelle commented on Jan 02 11 at 9:23 pmI have a cousin who was taught at a very young age to correct anyone who tried to shorten Lucinda to “Cindy,” a nickname her mother despised. Then she went overseas to a country where the natives couldn’t pronounce her full name and shortened it to “Lucy,” a nickname that stuck and my cousin likes.
Kate commented on Jan 02 11 at 9:41 pmI think the issue of nicknames goes both ways. Some parents give a full name to achieve a nickname and some parents would prefer to avoid nicknames. I don’t have any kids, but I’m from a family where we all have formal full names that go unused. We all go by nicknames. To me, they are a way I establish intimacy. I don’t identify at all with my full name and have actually considered changing it because it really does cause confusion. I’ve found a lot of people do not connect the name they know me as (Kate) with my actual name (Katherine), despite the fact it has to be probably the most common nickname for Katherine.
I personally think I will tend toward naming with a full name and using a nickname as a call name, even despite my own story. I like the idea of providing any future children with options.
Melissa commented on Jan 02 11 at 9:48 pmMy two girls are Bryn and Cara. Our last name is a long Italian name, so names like Isabella or Juliana (both things my husband liked) would have made them sound like Italian grandmothers with bowls of pasta. We actually call them B and C, and Cara was originally going to be CJ since her middle name is Jacqueline. Her sister couldn’t say “CJ” since she was only 20 months old, but she could make out something close to Cara, so Cara it is. I’m not against nicknames, but I think you should respect people’s wishes. As a teacher, I try really hard NOT to call kids anything but what they tell me. On day one, they have to fill out a form with Given Name in one blank and Name I Want to be Called in the other.
Julie commented on Jan 02 11 at 11:21 pmI’ve been arguing with friends and family since I was pregnant because everyone wants to shorten my son’s name to “Lucy.” It drives me nuts, and nobody seems to get where I’m coming from when I say that for one, if I’d intended him to have a nickname, I’d have named him that instead, and for another, it’s a freaking GIRL’S NAME. You’d be amazed at the amount of people who’ve insisted that Lucy is unisex. I’ve never met a boy who went by it personally, nor even heard of it previously. And either way, in our situation, we’re unique due to the fact everyone wants to shorten his name because they don’t like what we chose. So yeah, while I don’t mind nicknames for other people’s kids, it bugs me that people want to change his name just because they hate it.
Jessica commented on Jan 03 11 at 8:40 amKate i agree with you i wanted to give my kids options because thankfully i had them for some reason i never liked my full name Jessica and if people would call me that i’d tell them my name is Jessi i just prefer to go by that… So I named both my kids so i could shorten their names if i wanted to my son is named Ryan and we call him Ry or Ry Ry alot his middle named is Jeffrey so he could go by RJ but so far only a great-aunt calls him that. My daughter is named Alexis and mostly she goes by Lexi or LuLu or Lexi LuLu :) her middle name is Jade so she could go by AJ but no one has called her that yet but only time will tell. I’m pretty easy going though so if someone calls my kids by something other than their full name it doesn’t really bother me as long as it doesn’t bug them. They have both had soo many nicknames since birth most of them have nothing to do with their name and so far they dont seem to mind. As they get older i can’t wait to see what nicknames their friends and they come up with.
Kate commented on Jan 03 11 at 10:24 amMy parents named my brother Nathan and named me Katelynn, swearing up and down they NEVER thought we would ever used nicknames. Uh, right. We go by Nate and Kate, respectively, and everyone seems to think the rhyming is hilarious. Good on you for avoiding the awkward nicknames.
Tia commented on Jan 03 11 at 10:39 amMy sister who is almost 19 still gets called Beans by her friends. Her name sort of rhymes with that sweet endearment and Beans stuck (her name is Alina). My mom hoped she would get nicknamed Ali if anything but nope. My name is three letters long so everyone asks all the time what it is short for (nothing) or just calls me T. So if a three letter name can be shortened, anything can be.
Mandy commented on Jan 03 11 at 11:51 amI grew up with a nickname for a name and for some reason, people still shortened Mandy to “Man”…which is utterly ridiculous. My husband’s name is Keith and everyone in his family called him “Keithy” or “Keithy Boy” and our nephew calls him “Kee”. So it really doesn’t matter if you intend to have a nickname for your child or not, people will call them whatever they feel like. We have names picked out for our kids that could go either way.
Jennifer commented on Jan 03 11 at 12:32 pmWe have a Jackson who we call Jack. We knew we would call him Jack but wanted him to have the option of a formal name if he choose so later on in life. It is also the name of the man that raised my husband. My mom used to threaten to call him Jackie, I told her no and she never has.
Carrie commented on Jan 03 11 at 12:53 pmI have an Annabel. Spelled the same way as your 1st choice. I LOVE her name and call her by the whole thing, but I must admit it’s very prone to nicknamey-ness. When i picked the name (after both of my grandmothers, Anna & Belle) I liked the idea that someday she would have choices as to how she’d like to called: Anna, Bel, Reese (middle), Annie, Bella – whatever.
I never would have predicted that my husband would start callingher belly. Yes, as in the body part – ugh.
Joy commented on Jan 03 11 at 1:13 pmI’m Joy, and I’ve never had a nickname. My last name is Jennings, and when people ask, “Does anyone ever call you JJ?” My response is, “Only once.”
Black Sheep commented on Jan 03 11 at 3:47 pmThat’s funny, my daughter Annabel was almost named Charlotte! Those were our final two names. She looked more like an Annabel than a Charlotte when we saw her.
Claire commented on Jan 03 11 at 3:52 pmI’m Claire, and have pretty much always been called that(except for the occasionally “Claire-bear”, though that was usually by my father.) I have an Alice, Evangeline, Charles and Rowan. Alice is called Allie or Alice, both equally as much. As for Evangeline, she’s almost always called an Evie(unless of course she’s in trouble :P) Same for Charles, I think I’ve referred to him as Charlie 99.9% of the time. Rowan’s our newest little one at only 9 days old, but we usually just call him Rowan. Occasionally I’ll shorten it to Ro, but I don’t see that sticking throughout his life. As for my husband, he’s Lucas but I’m almost always referring to him as Luke.
Beth commented on Jan 03 11 at 4:10 pmI have the opposite problem. Beth is my given name, right there on my birth certificate. Most people assume it’s a nickname, and so call me “Bethany” or (less often) “Elizabeth”. I just have to remind them that neither of those is the name my parents gave me, although some think it’s funny to persist. I’ve also been called all manner of longer names besides those: Bethlehem, Betharoo, Betharino.
In contrast, my younger brother has been, is, and always will be Benjamin to his immediate family. However, somewhere along the line (I think it was in middle school), it started getting shortened to Ben. He now (despite his preference) generally goes by Ben outside of our family. I think he just got tired of correcting people.
I think people use nicknames/alternate names to feel connected or intimate with others. Really, no matter which way it goes, most people end up with “pet” names of some sort. However, I love my name and don’t resent not having a longer name. My dad picked it because (as he told my mom at the time) “Beth is a sweet girl’s name – I’ve never met a Beth I didn’t like.” So it’s special to me. I just know that when I start considering names for my children, associated nicknames will play a big role in the decision.
Kirsty commented on Jan 03 11 at 4:46 pmMy name is Kirsty and I’ve always been known as Kirsty to other family and friends, my mum and brother tend to call me Kirst and my Dad for some strange reason calls me ‘Lil’ . . .?
If I am lucky enough to have kids, I would like Seth David – which is pretty unshorten-able (lol) and
Beatrix Belle which lends itself to lots of nicknames – Bee (which is the nickname I can see myself using) BB, Trix, Trixie, Trixiebelle etc etc . . .
That said, a little girl I grew up with was called Lydia and was known as Scout from the day her parents found out they were expecting a girl to now (she’s 27!!) so there you go.
Kata commented on Jan 04 11 at 6:10 amI picked a name for my son keeping in mind that he will grow up in 2 cultures, so it had to be a good name in both. He is Thomas, with the nickname Tomi, referred to by the Hungarian family. I wouldn’t mind people nicknaming him Tommy or Tom either, anything fits him, he is just so very Thomas, with all the nicknames to it! Interestingly, he picked up by now, that in English he is referred to as Thomas, and in Hungarian Tomi(ka), and he calls himself those two names too, depending on which language he is using and who he is talking to! :)
I get it with the nicknames, though, my name is Kata, but it used to be Katalin, which I never liked, and never anyone called me that except for my Maths teacher. When I turned 18, I shortened it to Kata. Lots of people call me still Kati though, the official nickname for Katalin or Kata in Hungarian, which I really hated when I was younger. I don’t much mind now when it’s a stranger using it, but any closer aquintances, not to mention friends must learn I am no Kati, I really hate any nicknames of my name that have an O or an I in it, no idea why. :) My fiancee is Derek – some close freinds/family call him Del or Delboy, or Derra, which he all HATES. So he is mostly called Derek.
Erin commented on Jan 04 11 at 3:16 pmMy mother didn’t like nicknames either so she named me Erin (actually my Godfather named me after three days in the hospital with no name – but that’s another story). Anyway, I went through all of my formative years with no nickname. I made it through elementary, junior high, high school and college until I met one of my husband’s good friends. I was in my thirties when I met her and she decided to call me “E”! She has become one of my dearest best friends and I actually kind of like the nickname she has given me. I guess that just goes to show you that any name can be shortened.
Stephanie commented on Feb 03 11 at 2:54 pmMy husband and I argued for months (even before we got pregnant) on names. Every name I said he immediately came up with a nickname. I know it’s inevitable that the kid will have a nickname, but it just irked me. We finally came up with Sophie Madelyn and Aidan Maxwell (we wanted to be surprised with what we were having.) Well Sophie is here now and he calls her Soph or Sophster. IT DRIVES ME INSANE! Not to mention my step dad was calling her Soph, which I continually corrected.
Tami commented on Mar 09 11 at 3:04 pmWe searched long & hard for names that wouldn’t be shortened into something that could be made fun of or initials that spelled something inappropriate. We choose Kaya Maria for our oldest. She is almost 3, and while trying to teach her her full name, she repeated back, my name is Kaya-rriah. My husband looked at men& through his tears of laughter said “we never thought of that one!”
faye commented on Mar 28 11 at 11:05 am(Hey Stephanie [ commenting on Feb 03 at 2:54pm] – at least she isnt referred to as Sofa instead of sophie !! i knew someone who was teased by that. )
my name is Faye Michelle. you cant really shorten it because it sounds the same with no E lol. im turning 27 and have only met a handful of people with my name and most of them being online. or in the 60′s-80′s! although in middle school i tried the name Michelle and Shelli stuck with a few people.
my husband goes by Jon (not john!) he is really Jonathan James which he hates hates hates!
my son is Jackson. chosing his name, i wanted edison levi but my husband hated it.my sister and a friends try to call him Jack which im sorry, but my son is JACKSON lol not Jack, Jackie, Jaxon or Jay. of any nickname, im fond of Jacks more so than any others. but not Jax!
my cousin whos name is Stephenie (not stephanie or stefany or stephany) hated how her name was spelled differently than everyone elses. she constantly had to correct people. and being teased as a child she was referred to as “step on me’ or steff which she doesnt like.
and i have a friend called Candi, when her name is Candida !! her moms name is Candy.
Lakeisha commented on Mar 28 11 at 4:03 pmMy name is Lakeisha. Most people call me Keisha which outside of work I prefer. However, I kinda feel like you can call me whatever you want such Kei, Keke, K, La-Ke (which one Israeli former co-worker used to call me and I absolutely adored it), Keish, etc. But do not call me Latisha, Leticia, Lakreisha or any other horrible variables like that. Annoys the heck out of me.
Vadkins commented on Apr 01 11 at 11:34 amGeorgie, porgie, puddin’, and pie!!
(sorry!)
Amy commented on Apr 07 11 at 7:43 pmWe named my son Owen, wanting to pick a name that didn’t have a “little boy” nickname – I have friends that are still fighting the “Dan not Danny” “Jim not Jimmy” battle with their families and people they grew up with. But of course, in his daycare class there was a Joey, short for Joseph, so my son became O-ey (like Joey without the J) to his classmates. Never saw that one coming! Its cute, but hopefully he’ll leave it behind in preschool.
Stephanie commented on Apr 11 11 at 9:44 pmI am Stephanie which always gets shortened to Steph… My family however calls me Steffy, and that is how they spel it .. I dont know why .. Its Stephanie not Steffanie, but whatever … LOL My sisters are Jennifer and Christy… Now usually Jen or to family Jenny, then theres Christy who to friends is Chris, or Chrissy to family.
My kids are David Tyler … named after his father ( David.. called Dave) so we call him Tyler… or TyTy… usually TyTy… Henry Jacob … Who we call Henry J.. or Bug… and then there’s lil Danielle Julia( again named after Daddy cept its his middle name) who we only call Dani….unless she is in trouble..LOL
Leah commented on Apr 12 11 at 12:42 pmMy son is Liston and nobody has tried to come up with a different version of his name which i am thankful for. My daughter is Frankie Jaye named after her daddy whose name is Frank, my sister is the only one that calls her “Frank-Frank” and she gets away with it right now. I always thought Frankie was cute for a little girl but the added bonus is my husband’s family calls him Frankie and he absolutely hates being called that so now people are more careful of what they refer to him as and he is pleased with that.
Crystal commented on Apr 13 11 at 12:53 amMy twin boys from my first marriage are Michael (Mike or Mikey) and Thomas (Tom or Tommy). My daughter from my current marriage is Mickayla (Kayla). When we were choosing her name, there were very few Mickaylas, now it seems like they’re EVERYWHERE. All my kids have nicknames and that’s perfectly fine with them, they use them more than their “birth” names. Of course after I got remarried, Mike became “junior” since my husband is also Mike. Even though he’s not his bio father, my son don’t mind the “junior” thing at all. I’ve gone by Chris or Chrissy for as long as I can remember. I like the idea of nicknames as long as they’re nicknames that can be used in adulthood also. My boys are almost 19yrs old and still go by their nicknames (even junior) and my almost 11yr old daughter uses her nickname in school. She does have a few other nicknames that are only used by family members but Kayla is the main one.
Mattie commented on Apr 13 11 at 9:52 pmMy daughters are named Layla and Keira. Keira has been Kiki since day one from my mother in law and her older cousin. It doesn’t bother me at all. Layla has recently decided that she wants the nick name Laylee which I hope she grows out of only because I can see people when she’s older saying Lay Me. I love the name Georgia but think it might be shortened to Gigi with my MIL. LOL
Jamie commented on May 28 11 at 7:38 pmmy full first name is Jamielyn, all one word, no seperation please!but i prefer jamie people always look and think jamie and lyn are my first and middle name whereas my actual middle name is kelsey
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