Thank you for the responses! I can see where all of you are coming from. I was just trying to say, I think loving the full name is important if you chose it for the nickname. My example, (I used using [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] to get [name_f]Nora[/name_f]) probably wasn’t the best example. I should have said something like naming my child [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] so I can call her [name_f]Evie[/name_f] instead or something like that. [name_f]Nora[/name_f] is a perfectly acceptable first name while [name_f]Evie[/name_f] screams nickname to me. I like the option of [name_f]Evie[/name_f] but I don’t like [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f]. I’d chose [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] instead and use [name_f]Evie[/name_f] as a nickname because I like both and would use both. I like variety and options to be original. No offense to anyone about any of this, just my opinion. Doesn’t really matter 
And I agree, lovemysweeties, someone might name their child, [name_u]Ryan[/name_u], but call him Lovebug. It just happens
Also, elo, I admire your childrens name. I noticed them the other day and was amazed. One of the most perfect sibling sets I’ve seen
I can’t stand nicknames as a given name. It seems infantilizing.
I know a few people whose given name is a nickname and they all HATE it. People will come up with nicknames regardless, unless you kindly ask to be called by your full given name. People, especially children, will give your child a nickname whether you like it or not.
You name your son [name_m]Timothy[/name_m], intending for him to always be [name_m]Timothy[/name_m]. He gets to kindergarten, and suddenly, he’s [name_m]Tim[/name_m] or [name_m]Timmy[/name_m].
You pick [name_f]Emma[/name_f], thinking it is nickname-less. Grandma starts calling her [name_f]Em[/name_f] or [name_f]Emmy[/name_f].
You name your son [name_u]Kyle[/name_u], thinking a nickname is impossible from one syllable. Friends dub him [name_m]Ky[/name_m].
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f] is a distinguished, beautiful name. [name_f]Maggie[/name_f], [name_f]Peggy[/name_f], or [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] seems forever a child. Naming a kid [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] when you dislike the name, but love the name [name_f]Maggie[/name_f], seems a bit odd to me, but I feel that the full name fits an adult. [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] could be [name_f]Margo[/name_f], [name_f]Mari[/name_f], [name_f]Margie[/name_f], or at least a dozen others. I’ve met very few Margarets who actually go by [name_f]Margaret[/name_f].
Heck, you could name your daughter [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] and end up with a nickname like [name_u]Sunny[/name_u], with a long, colorful story behind it. My own sister has a nickname like this, totally unrelated to her given name.
Nicknames as given names make me wonder if the parents have considered their baby will one day be an adult, filling out job applications, resumes, and college applications, one day getting married and having children of their own. They’ll face a lifetime of, “But what is your real name?” I’ve spoken to several adults who’ve said their given nickname has held them back in life, to some degree.
I tend to go for names where I love both the name itself and it’s nickname. Unless it’s a shorter name, then I’m happy with it as it is. Some of my names have sort of developed from nicknames. I’ve always loved the name [name_f]Rosie[/name_f] and a few years ago I would happily have just had a [name_f]Rosie[/name_f]. Then I fell in love with [name_f]Rosamund[/name_f] so now I get two names in one.
Each to their own, I say.
Personally, I wouldn’t use a name just for a particular nickname, I’d have to love the “formal” name too (even if I didn’t love it as much as the nickname).
[name_m]Even[/name_m] though I prefer to use a “formal” name, I’d rather just use the nickname, as opposed to use a name I didn’t love. [name_m]Case[/name_m] in point is [name_f]Tess[/name_f], which is one of my signature names, there isn’t a full name for it that I’d want to use, so I’d rather just use [name_f]Tess[/name_f].
I thought I had a set in stone opinion on nicknames, but this post has me a little confused! Generally, I prefer a full name with a nickname as an added bonus. But I do think you should give your child a name that you love through and through- so if that means naming a little girl [name_f]Nora[/name_f] over [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], that’s fine with me. It’s a nickname that makes sense as a full name, to me anyway. Stumped for an example right now, but I think you know what I mean. However, I did read a comment on a blog a few days ago from a woman named [name_f]Millie[/name_f]. [name_m]Just[/name_m] [name_f]Millie[/name_f]. She said that the biggest problem with a nickname name is that people are forever asking you, “What’s your full name? You can’t really be just [name_f]Millie[/name_f], right?” [name_m]Just[/name_m] some things to keep in mind.
Sorry, didn’t mean to confuse anybody! I was just looking for opinions. I, myself, are in between the idea to name the baby what he/she will be called and to name the baby a name but plan to use a different name. If that makes sense I love nicknames and they sometimes help me fall in love with the actual name but I wouldn’t name my child a name just so I could use a different name. I’d want to love the entire thing, name and nickname. I must have a nickname option for a name. Even if it’s weird of doesn’t fit. Maybe I’d use the meaning or a obvious nickname from the name. I personally like a more formal name that I also love so there are options and variety and room to be original. If I named my child [name_u]Barrett[/name_u], just so I can call him [name_m]Bear[/name_m], he’d be [name_m]Bear[/name_m] from me and my family but he’d be [name_u]Barrett[/name_u] for his whole life possibly instead of [name_m]Bear[/name_m]. Does that just make things more confusing? I guess I’m pretty good at that. Haha
Thank you for all the replies!
Exactly this.
Exactly this
I absolutely love nicknames but I would want a full name to go on the birth certificate so that they have more choice. At the minute I love animal nicknames such as [name_f]Bunny[/name_f], [name_f]Birdie[/name_f], [name_m]Bear[/name_m] and [name_f]Cricket[/name_f] but wouldn’t name my child this, well not in the fn spot. I’ve been trying to find names that relate to these or that have these as their meanings. I wouldn’t really want to use a nickname that has nothing to do with the name so my choices can have contrite connections sometimes eg [name_f]Holiday[/name_f]–Lady–Lady [name_u]Bird[/name_u]–[name_f]Birdie[/name_f]. I have a common name so nns help us to stand out and avoid confusion haha X
For, I know a heap of just somethings and their fine
I look for names that i like as full names and can see myself using, and that have at least some nickname available that doesn’t make me cringe. (for example, i love [name_f]Clementine[/name_f], but [name_u]Clem[/name_u]/[name_u]Clemmie[/name_u] is horrifying to me…but I’m aware that once i have a [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] in my arms, i might feel differently. It might suddenly feel right. So I’m not going to throw out a name i love because of that. And if i have a [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] and still hate [name_u]Clem[/name_u]/[name_u]Clemmie[/name_u], i have about a dozen other options)
I’m also perfectly aware that you can fully plan on a nickname and it just won’t “fit” your child the way the full name fits them. My sister planned on my oldest niece having a very different nickname than the one she has now. The one she planned on just never felt right. When we told my niece what her nickname was originally supposed to be, she wrinkled up her nose and said “that’s so not me!” So the best-laid plans can fail. I like the name [name_f]Imogen[/name_f] nn [name_f]Immy[/name_f], but I’m fully aware that it’s possible that she just won’t feel like an [name_f]Immy[/name_f], in which case I’m fine with her being a [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] or just [name_f]Imogen[/name_f].
I’m not a fan of naming your child one thing and calling them another all the time. People say giving them a more formal full name gives your child options, but unless you use the full name almost as often as you use the nickname it just makes it incredibly hard to change nicknames. I suppose because I’ve always been known as my nickname and it’s caused some problems (half of my teachers use my nickname, half use my full name, which means I sometimes forget to respond when they’re taking the role) I tend to like names that don’t really have nicknames.
One thing I really like, though, is when you have a nickname that only gets used sometimes. Like for my favorite name, [name_m]Calvin[/name_m]. I might call him [name_u]Cal[/name_u] sometimes but he’d generally be known as [name_m]Calvin[/name_m]. Some with [name_m]Roland[/name_m]. [name_f]Ro[/name_f] might be cute every so often but he’d pretty much always be called [name_m]Roland[/name_m]. My favorite girl names don’t really have that, though.
It’s strange how nicknames work. My dad is [name_m]Scott[/name_m], and he’s been called [name_u]Scotty[/name_u] and Scooter. I knew an [name_f]Imogen[/name_f] who was only ever called [name_f]Imogen[/name_f]. And my friend [name_f]Amy[/name_f] has been Ames, [name_f]Ammy[/name_f] and [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] (okay, I’m the only one who ever called her [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], but still). [name_f]Jane[/name_f] might get called [name_f]Janey[/name_f], [name_u]Jay[/name_u] and JJ, and [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] might just be [name_f]Clementine[/name_f]. You don’t know how it’s going to work out.
Using a nickname has helped me tremendously. I took on my nickname in middle school, when I became sick of always answering to First Name Last Initial. I have one of the top ten names of my generation, only a less common spelling. Most women with my name don’t use my nickname, or any nickname. If people ask for me by my full name, I have no clue who they’re speaking to, or maybe they’re just a bank teller or doctor. By using a nickname, I don’t turn my head every time someone says my full first name. It sets me apart, because I have a fairly uncommon nickname, and rarely come across someone around my age with my nickname. However, I do meet lots of baby boomers with my nickname.
I am against nicknames if they are making a name shorter. Something like [name_m]Tom[/name_m] for [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] or [name_f]Liz[/name_f] for [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]. If you are going to use [name_m]Tom[/name_m] or [name_f]Liz[/name_f], as supposed to [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] or [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]. Then name them [name_m]Tom[/name_m] and [name_f]Liz[/name_f]. Since that is the name you prefer. I have no problem with a nickname like pumpkin.
I love nicknames, though I don’t think I’d choose a name I dislike just to get to a nickname I like, but I wouldn’t want a nickname on the birth certificate, either. I prefer nicknames where you can easily tell what the full name is. Like, [name_f]Lizzie[/name_f] for [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], and [name_u]Jules[/name_u] for [name_m]Julien[/name_m]. If a name is one-syllable, I usually add -ie to the end. I think it’s cute. [name_m]Paulie[/name_m], [name_u]Georgie[/name_u], [name_f]Judie[/name_f], etc. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though those sound like girl names. lol
I love nicknames and honestly don’t understand people can be against nicknames! (I know some people are but it honestly baffles me) My girls have multiple nicknames but they do tend to get called their full names about 50% of the time and there is one “main” nickname the are called more often than the others.
But what if, like in my situation, I chose, as a teen, to shorten my name, because it is the name I prefer? My parents usually called me by my full name, and occasionally a nn derived from my full given name, generally because it was such a mouthful to call me and all my siblings down to dinner. The choice to go by the nn in my daily life was my choice alone. I don’t like my given name so much. I don’t even care for my nn too much either, but I prefer it to my full name. I don’t see where the issue is. It’d be a lot of paperwork and annoyance to legally change my name a second time in life. (I changed my ln when I got married). I’d also have to constantly explain to people, “yeah, that is my name.”