[name_m]Hi[/name_m]!
I know some berries don’t like nicknames or don’t like naming a child one name to solely get to another.
My thing, for me, is I like nicknames but not naming for a nickname. When choosing a name, I wouldn’t look for a first name to fit a nickname. The nickname, in my eyes, would be an fun extra. I could see that if someone was trying to honor someone though with a nickname for their child.
Personally, I wouldn’t name my daughter [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] just so I could call her [name_f]Nora[/name_f] 100% of the time. I would just name her [name_f]Nora[/name_f], however they are both beautiful and maybe I would use both. I like childhood nicknames like calling a boy named [name_m]Theodore[/name_m], [name_m]Bear[/name_m], or something fun like that. [name_m]Just[/name_m] my opinion, no offense to anyone
What is your thought on nicknames? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you like them? [name_m]Just[/name_m] wondering 
Thank you!
I personally agree with you on the point that you shouldn’t choose a name as a device of getting to another; I can’t understand the countless posts on the girls’ forum asking for “long forms” or “ways to get to” [name_f]Evie[/name_f]. I also tend to think that planning out a child’s nickname before they’re born is a bit strange; the process of nicknaming is organic and may not take the shape of something within the confines of the child’s real, full name. A lot of my childhood friends went by their last name, for example.
I don’t think I’ve ever picked a name just to get to a nickname, but names that have intriguing nicknames derived from them tend to draw my eye more. I also require a name to have some sort of short form if it’s longer than like three syllables. Otherwise it makes the name seem less versatile. I really am a sucker for a marvelous nickname.i don’t think its pointless to name a child a certain name just to call them a certain nickname, like some anti-nicknamers.
I agree that nicknaming should happen naturally. It’s one of those things that’ll just come to you. A person shouldn’t force it in my opinion. Thanks for replying
I love nicknames too for sure. However, I would prefer to love the whole name first and then the nickname be a little something extra. I find when researching names, any length, I like some form of nickname available that is obvious too. So that in the future, it would come easier to find a nickname based off the name. Thanks for the reply
Well, I wouldn’t ever pick a name I dislike just to get to a nickname I do like; but if there’s a nickname I love and it just so happens I find a long form that can get to the nickname and I love that one also? That’s just cherry. In my family, a person usually gets called a million different names, some of them are a play on the given name, some aren’t. I prefer names that offer lots of options, but I also have every intention of using the full name, and not just when they’re in trouble. 
If I have a [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] I’ll be calling him [name_m]Bear[/name_m]. If I have a [name_f]Pandora[/name_f], she’ll be a Panda; [name_f]Isadora[/name_f], [name_f]Sadie[/name_f]; [name_m]Peregrin[/name_m], [name_m]Pip[/name_m]; etc. I don’t think pre-picking a nickname is any less organic than pre-picking a name. I strongly dislike having a nickname on a birth certificate because that really limits their options for the future. My [name_m]Bear[/name_m] can be [name_u]Theo[/name_u], [name_u]Teddy[/name_u], [name_m]Ted[/name_m], [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] and so on. I’ll call him [name_m]Bear[/name_m], but when he’s able to articulate what he likes to be called, he gets to decide what the world calls him.
I agree with the pp…I wouldn’t choose a name I dislike just for a nickname I like. I think nicknames are a nice way for kids to add their own “style” to a name. : )
As a general rule, I like nicknames, particularly where they offer a younger, more causal form of a name that a child may need time to grown into. For example, I feel like [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] is a serious name; calling a boy [name_u]Theo[/name_u] while he’s young just feels right. BUT importantly, [name_u]Theo[/name_u] isn’t overly cutesy; it will age well, thus giving an older [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] plenty of options. I don’t like nn that are infantilizing, even if there’s a long history behind them (as historically, the nn may have been intended to be a little demeaning).
As for naming to reach a particular nn, I’ve been guilty of searching for names that would lend themselves to a particular nn. Usually, it has been part of a long-running effort to square a promise my husband and I made to his mother with our preferred style of names. I would probably criticize it if it were someone else doing it, though! And quite frankly, after months of searching for the right name, desperation sets in.
I love nicknames but wouldn’t pick a name just to use its nickname. It’s weird though because pretty much all of the names on our list don’t have nicknames and I’m left wondering what we’re gonna call them for short. But, I’ve found through nannying that even names you don’t expect to shorten any further get shortened. Like I have a sibset I watch named [name_f]Ava[/name_f] and [name_m]Ethan[/name_m], who were named that specifically to avoid nicknames, but we call them [name_f]Ave[/name_f] and E/E-man a lot. All in all I think nicknames are fun and a great way to really personalize a name. I’m an [name_f]Emily[/name_f] but I’ve been called [name_f]Em[/name_f], [name_f]Emmy[/name_f], [name_f]Emilia[/name_f], [name_m]Rubin[/name_m] (my last name), E-[name_f]Rubi[/name_f], [name_u]Ruby[/name_u], Rubes, and Booby (don’t ask) haha. [name_f]Every[/name_f] different coach, teacher, friend, parent called me something different because I had a different relationship with each person. If that makes sense at all. [name_m]Long[/name_m] story short, I love nicknames!
I agree with this. There are certain nicknames I think are absolutely adorable but I hate having nicknames on birth certificates, so I would want a longer form (that I love just as much) For me it’s no different than picking a long name and choosing a nickname for it.
I agree with this completely, especially the part I bolded. There are only a few nicknames I like as given names, and I like those ([name_m]Jack[/name_m] and [name_f]Tess[/name_f]) so much that they’re on my list just as they are. Sometimes I’ll start with a nn, but I refuse to use a full name I like any less than I like the nn. For example, I [name_f]LOVE[/name_f] [name_f]Lily[/name_f]. My grandmother’s last gift to me before she was laid to rest was a lily; it was very significant to me. But it just seemed too cutesy, so I keep looking for a full name I love just as much. I usually waffle between [name_f]Liliana[/name_f], [name_f]Lillian[/name_f], and [name_f]Lilia[/name_f]. For now I’m stuck on [name_f]Lilia[/name_f], but who knows what I’ll love tomorrow.
Mostly for. However, it is a pet peeve of mine that everyone is looking for a nickname for a name. Some of them just don’t have, or need, a nickname. Some people question what a nickname could be for Owen, or a name like that. The nickname should be obvious.
I understand that Bear could be a nn for a boy named Theodore who also goes by Teddy, but it’s really odd.
My name doesn’t have a real nickname and I like it that way.
Sorry, I didn’t realize there was a poster that actual calls her Theodore by the nickname Bear. You probably named him Theodore and decided later that calling him Bear would be cute. It’s when people say they like a name like that (a very nicknamey name) then try to work around that nickname. For example, Posy for a girl. It is nicer to love the name Josephine then nickname her Posy, then to try to find a longer name for Posy that might not really be a name that is really loved. In that case, just call the girl Posy or find another name.
i am a little biased but i think nn are awesome it gives you uniqueness if someone is named the same thing… my name is victoria but i have gone by tory my whole life. i like that i can use victoria in professional settings yet go by tory.
I am not for or against nicknames. I can see a nickname being used for a name with many syllables, though I feel you should call the child both names. I have known children that do not even know their real names because the nicknames are the only names used.
I’ll second the need to use both the nn and the formal name regularly!
Thank you for all the replies. I can understand all of them; great points. I love nicknames and probably wouldn’t chose a name that didn’t have a obvious nickname. However, if you have a boy named [name_u]Owen[/name_u] for example, you would probably, over time, find a nickname. It doesn’t have to come from his name, it would come from him and his personality. I, personally, never went by a nickname until I started my first job as a teen several years ago. I went by my full name(four syllables) from everybody until I was 16. Then the nickname came naturally after spending many, many hours a day with my co-workers. I agree I love the uniqueness effect nicknames give someone, but I also love having a full name. Thanks again!
[name_f]Pet[/name_f] names can develop. My son had a pet name when he was very young. I have also called him sweetie and sweetie pie quite often (not in public).
For me, nicknames are great. I am kind of a nicknamer and so is my family. They even tend to call me Ta, as my name ([name_f]Tara[/name_f]) has no nickname, they just shorten it to one terrible syllable! So for me, I knew my family needed something they could shorten which made me want something for my kids that would have an attractive nickname/short version!
I would never pick a name with an obvious nickname that I disliked, unless I had a really good back up option that was intuitive and all. Like, I dislike [name_f]Vickie[/name_f], but love [name_f]Veronica[/name_f], and the option of [name_f]Vera[/name_f] makes it usable to me.
Some names that I love don’t feel substantial to me as full names on birth certificates for adults…like [name_f]Bunny[/name_f] is sweet, but [name_f]Barbara[/name_f] would absolutely be the official name I would choose, even if I rarely or never used it. Or something like [name_f]Theda[/name_f], which I like a lot, I might opt to use [name_f]Theodora[/name_f]. I’m sure many people would just use [name_f]Theda[/name_f] if that is what they were planning to use nearly 100% of the time…[name_f]Bunny[/name_f] maybe not! I personally wouldn’t put [name_f]Hattie[/name_f] or [name_u]Bobby[/name_u] on a birth certificate. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if the only purpose of [name_f]Harriet[/name_f] or [name_m]Robert[/name_m] would be to give my child something to use if they felt they were too serious a type to introduce themselves as [name_f]Hattie[/name_f] or [name_u]Bobby[/name_u].
I find that I grow fond of names that I think could get me to cutesy nicknames that I adore, but wouldn’t saddle a person with. I don’t think it’s odd to seek new ways to get to a beloved nicknamey name.
I wouldn’t choose a name solely for a nickname I like, however I tend to work from nicknames forward when exploring names. For example, if I hear a nickname I love (example: [name_f]Posey[/name_f]), I try to find the full name that goes with it to see if I like the name. If I do, it’s a win win! Unfortunately, this hasn’t happened yet. Like I said, I love [name_f]Posey[/name_f], but can’t get behind [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] or any other name that could lead me to [name_f]Posey[/name_f]. It’s ok though, because the full name is the one that matters and the one you need to love!
I have a no nickname name. So does my husband. We decided to give our kids names that had nickname possibilities. I always liked that I could tell how someone knew my mom by what they called her. She was Suz to her brothers and my dad, [name_f]Suzi[/name_f] to anyone who knew her from childhood or was a very close friend and [name_f]Suzanne[/name_f] to people she worked with or had met later in life. The name she liked to go by changed throughout her life. I’m a sucker for a name that has multiple nickname possibilities. I do firmly agree that it is important to love the full name and all possible nicknames. We thought our our oldest ([name_m]Augustine[/name_m]) might decide to go by [name_u]Gus[/name_u] someday (or even [name_u]August[/name_u] or [name_m]Augustine[/name_m]) but so far he still prefers [name_m]Augie[/name_m]. Our older daughter goes by both [name_f]Indie[/name_f] and [name_f]India[/name_f] ([name_f]India[/name_f] is a very important family name for us). She is also randomly called [name_u]Boo[/name_u] sometimes too. Our younger son ([name_m]Theodore[/name_m]) is usually called [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] but is sometimes called [name_m]Bear[/name_m] and might decide to go by [name_u]Theo[/name_u] at some point. And our youngest [name_f]Philippa[/name_f]? She’s mostly called [name_f]Pippa[/name_f], but also [name_f]Pippi[/name_f] and Pips too. I also heard about a [name_f]Philippa[/name_f] that went by “[name_u]Flip[/name_u].” I would be fine with my kids going by their full names or even their middles (all middles are family names) at some point. So my (long drawn out) point is… We don’t know our kids personalities or future careers at birth. I like giving them (and us) as many options as possible.