I happen to like these names, especially [name]Bessie[/name] but I think maybe they’re too ‘nicknamey’. Although, a lot of names like [name]Flossie[/name] etc were popular on their own in the past so do you think it’s okay to do that now?
For instance, I like in [name]England[/name] and meet so many children called [name]Evie[/name], [name]Millie[/name], [name]Archie[/name], [name]Harry[/name], [name]Charlie[/name], [name]Maisie[/name] etc…no full names. Thoughts?
Also, what are people’s opinions on [name]Ethel[/name] with the nickname [name]Effie[/name]? Or [name]Esther[/name] with [name]Essie[/name]?
For me it’s too nicknamey. I considered [name]Estella[/name] nn [name]Essie[/name] or [name]Esther[/name] is cute for [name]Essie[/name]. I’m not big on nicknamey type names I feel they’re too youthful, especially names ending in an “ee” sound.
I [name]LOVE[/name] nicknames as full names. I know the arguments against it–resume, professionalism, etc–but it does not stop me from loving them, and you’re right, they used to stand on their own anyway. [name]Essie[/name] is, at the moment, my name crush for a little girl. No full name, just [name]Essie[/name] ([name]Nessa[/name] is a close second that you might also like, but I would not call a [name]Nessa[/name] “[name]Essie[/name]”–I view them as two different names). I know of an elderly woman born in the early 1900s who was named [name]Essie[/name], and it is also a name on [name]Anne[/name] of [name]Green[/name] Gables, though it’s unclear if that character has a more formal name or really is just [name]Essie[/name]. [name]Elsie[/name], in my opinion, is absolutely a full name on its own, along the lines of [name]Chelsea[/name], [name]Kelsey[/name], or [name]Elsa[/name]. [name]Bessie[/name] is not my style, but I love the idea of using it on its own with no “formal” name. I just don’t really like it when people have full names that they never use; I love when parents just put the “nickname” on the birth certificate if that’s what the child will be called. Personal preference.
I have a nickname name myself, so I’m a little biased. [name]Bessie[/name] sounds really cute and [name]Essie[/name] is awesome! I’ve heard other people on the forums talking about [name]Essie[/name] as a nickname for [name]Estella[/name]. [name]Esther[/name] would be a cute full name for that one too. [name]Ethel[/name] and [name]Effie[/name] don’t sound very similar to me, but I don’t like [name]Ethel[/name] anyways and [name]Effie[/name] is too Hunger Games-ish. I’d have to say a lot more people are ditching traditional full names and just using their nicknames nowadays. This is really common in [name]England[/name] now, as you said, and is starting to take off in the US.
I love [name]Esther[/name] nn [name]Essie[/name]!
[name]Bessie[/name] and [name]Elsie[/name] do seem like cow names, but I think that association is fading.
I like [name]Essie[/name] as a stand-alone name. A genuine ‘pet name’ for my full name, [name]Leslie[/name], is [name]Lessie[/name]. I have been called [name]Essie[/name] as well, and find it’s one of my favorite nn’s. [name]Esther[/name] could also definitely work for a full name to [name]Essie[/name], [name]IMO[/name].