I was just thinking of [name]Regina[/name] “[name]Gretchen[/name], stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen! It’s never going to happen!” [name]George[/name].
Before I joined the site, I was doing random web searches for “[name]Huckleberry[/name]” (the name we’ve decided on for number two) to get a feel for how it might be received. While the full [name]Huckleberry[/name] was pretty much shut down across the board, I noticed that there was actually some amount of interest and positive feedback for the nickname [name]Huck[/name].
Some future moms were asking what other full names might work for the nickname [name]Huck[/name], and some commenters were jumping in to suggest that while, for the love of god, you cannot name your child [name]Huckleberry[/name], you might consider naming him something like [name]Henry[/name] or [name]Harry[/name] and just calling him [name]Huck[/name].
Anyhow, I’ve noticed this sort of recurring theme of “choosing and insisting a preferred nickname that is not the traditional nickname” in a whole bunch of threads on this site, and I’m wondering how well that turns out in folks’ experiences.
(P.S. We’re still pretty set on [name]Huckleberry[/name], but I’m just sort of curious:))
I think this question is a very interesting one to pose to the many on Nameberry. While I do not have any personal stories to contribute, I just wanted to say that your son and soon to be son’s names are AMAZING! [name]Holden[/name] and [name]Huckleberry[/name] “[name]Huck[/name]” are gorgeous together not only as individual names, as a pair of names, but as a pair of literary references for your boys. Good pickin’! And might I add that of your “other names you dig” I think it would drop dead if I ever met a pair of siblings named [name]Holden[/name], [name]Huck[/name], and [name]Scout[/name].
I think you can make a nickname “happen” because people will follow the parents’ lead. If you named your child [name]Henry[/name] and called him [name]Huck[/name], others would follow suit. You may run into problems when your child hits high school. In primary school, they tend to tell other children to call them what their parents want them to be called, but, once they’re in high school, other nicknames will happen instead! However, if you name your child [name]Huckleberry[/name], he’ll definitely be nicknamed [name]Huck[/name]!
I think if you just start out using the nickname from the get go you’ll be in pretty good shape. And you can introduce him as [name]Huck[/name]. If they ask his full name and you were to say [name]Henry[/name], they may ask how you got the nickname, but i’m pretty sure, more often than not, they’ll just let it go without probing. I’ve known a few people throughout my life who’ve had nicknames that have zero to do with their actual name. Sometimes they get it in sports they play, or just a nickname that came about in early childhood.
My own example:
My nickname in high school became [name]Frankie[/name] for a while, even though it obviously has nothing to do with my real name in any way. It was because I had to get stitches a few times. Twice on my face. Basically, it was a nod to me looking like Frankenstein’s monster with all my green bruises and stitches everywhere.
It didn’t carry over after I graduated and made new friends obviously. But the remaining few people I know from HS still use it once a year when they wish me happy birthday on facebook. Haha
Honestly, I think you can name him whatever you want and nickname him whatever you want (even something completely unrelated). People will call him whatever you tell them he’s called. My mom has an uncle named [name]John[/name], but as a child she never knew his name was [name]John[/name] because he was always called [name]Bud[/name]. She also has an uncle [name]Harry[/name] or [name]Henry[/name] or something (see? I can’t even remember) who is referred to as [name]Butch[/name]. These weren’t nicknames their friends gave them in school or when they were in the service or whatever. That’s what their parents called them (probably because they were named after other family members with the same first names).
stephanie413: Your story made me think of a friend of mine who named his daughter [name]Francesca[/name] because he was in love with the idea of [name]Frankie[/name] as a nickname. Then he and his wife just ended up calling her “Checkie.” Go figure:)
I think you kind of have more leeway with choosing a nickname if it’s a more normal one. [name]Say[/name] you’ve always called your son [name]Theodore[/name] ‘[name]Teddy[/name]’. By the time he goes to school it’s just kinda gonna be his name. But say you’ve always called your [name]Elizabeth[/name] ‘Bitsy’, chances are once she gets to school the kids will change it to [name]Beth[/name] or [name]Liz[/name].
I think if you call your kid by their nickname enough, it will stick, and they’ll tell other people to call them that as well…which for [name]Huck[/name] is great; however if you give cutesy nicknames its also something to watch out for. I knew a girl who insisted on going by her parents’ nickname for her well through high school…that nickname happened to be “Fuzzy.” So she insisted that her high school teachers and peers called her Fuzzy as well.
People will call your child whatever you do, whether its the nn or going by their full given name when a nn is usually used. For instance, my friend has a [name]Benjamin[/name]…not a “[name]Ben[/name]”, he is [name]Benjamin[/name] and while it was odd for me at first to call him not “[name]Ben[/name]” I am used to it and that’s his name! Same goes with an adult [name]Matthew[/name] I know, not [name]Matt[/name], [name]Matthew[/name]. I think at least when I was growing up (in the 80’s) pretty much every name was shortened that could be, and so many beautiful and handsome names were never said in their entirety due to this (I love [name]Elizabeth[/name] but all the girls were [name]Liz[/name] or [name]Beth[/name] etc) and now it seems much more common.
I have limited experience, but here is mine so far, we named our son [name]Theodore[/name] last year with the intention of calling him [name]Theo[/name] most of the time. So far we do, with the occasional full [name]Theodore[/name] thrown in there and EVERYONE calls him [name]Theo[/name]. We have not had one person try to call him anything else. If I introduce him as [name]Theodore[/name], I do get “[name]Teddy[/name]?” occasionally, and I simply respond with “We call him [name]Theo[/name]”… [name]Huck[/name] is the intuitive nickname for [name]Huckleberry[/name] so I think people will take to it easily.
If I met a [name]Henry[/name] nicknamed [name]Huck[/name], after hearing the parents say it a few times I’m sure [name]Huck[/name] would just feel like his name, simple as that
I think the nickname you choose usually sticks. [name]One[/name] exception might be where a given name has a very natural, common nickname, and the nickname you are going for is more unusual. For example, you could name your son [name]Christoper[/name] and want him to go by [name]Topher[/name], but it is likely (though not definite) that at some point the other kids will start calling him [name]Chris[/name]. The other exception would be if your kid chooses to change his nickname once he is old enough to decide for himself. This would again probably be more common with unusual nicknames.
I think the stronger possibility with [name]Huckleberry[/name] is that the full first name could be dropped entirely. If I were named [name]Huckleberry[/name], I would use [name]Huck[/name] for everything you didn’t need to have your legal name on.
A H3nry I know introduces himself as Ha nk, so everyone calls him hank. Occasionally I call him H3nry but that’s just because I have a habit of calling people by their full names lol. I think huck should be for huckleberry but if he introduced himself as huck then it’s no problem.
I went to school with a girl named [name]Elizabeth[/name] but she went by Reka fully. The only time you heard her called [name]Elizabeth[/name] was on the first day of class if the teacher didn’t know her yet. I don’t think I ever even asked how she came to be a Reka and not a [name]Liz[/name] or [name]Beth[/name]. I didn’t even think of it cause she told me Reka was her name and Reka it was. I think [name]Holden[/name] is a fantastic name and I applaud you for the guts to use [name]Huckleberry[/name]!! [name]Huck[/name] is adorable and they’re both great literary references
Yes, you absolutely can make a nickname happen. If you call him and introduce him by his nickname 100% of the time, then no one will know any different. [name]Even[/name] places that require a legal name (like doctor’s office and schools) usually include a place to list the child’s “preferred name” and I’ve noticed that 95% of the time the individuals who work at these places are respectful of this. I think it’s common enough that most people think nothing of it.
Everyone wants to call me CC. I don’t let them. Simple as that. I am [name]Cecilia[/name]. The more time you spend around me, the more likely you are to call me [name]Celia[/name] though. I’ve considered going to college and calling myself Celi, see how it goes, but I’ve got a friend going with me so I don’t know how that’ll work out.
People call your kid what you tell them to, or by their given name, because it’s extremely rude to both child and parents to do otherwise.
I think if you introduce him and say, “This is my son, [name]Henry[/name] who we call [name]Huck[/name]. Please call him [name]Huck[/name].” is odd. If you just introduce him as [name]Huck[/name] it will work. I’ve known a boy called [name]Van[/name] who I only recently discovered is actually [name]Ivan[/name]. I met him as [name]Van[/name] so I call him that.
[name]Just[/name] don’t use a BC name that you don’t really love cause he might opt to use it as he gets older and than goodbye beloved [name]Huck[/name], hello [name]Henry[/name]. So if [name]Henry[/name] does nothing for you, maybe don’t use it?
I was quite happy to learn that [name]Van[/name] had such a nice proper name though. I do think that [name]Huck[/name] as a nickname for a more formal choice is nicer than [name]Huckleberry[/name], which is a mouthful and has cartoonish associations for me.
I think you can most definitely make a nickname happen. From the time I was in kindergarten until I graduated high school, I was in class with a guy named [name]Bubba[/name]. Later on I learned that his real name was [name]William[/name], but he was/is always [name]Bubba[/name] to me. That was what he and/or his parents wanted him to be known as, and all these years later it stuck! It is even his name on Facebook, if I am remembering correctly. I also went to school K-12 with a girl named [name]Esther[/name] SuzeAnne, she has always went by [name]Suzy[/name] though. I definitely think you can control the nickname given to your child, at least until they are adults.
