My sweet little babe is 5 months old and I’m still up at night worrying about her name! We wanted an “Ann” name to honor my late mother who was Annie as a child then changed her name to Ana as an adult. For months we planned to name her Annie, then she was born! We named her Anaïs Luna but for the first 6 weeks pronounced it An-eye-us as we are in English speaking NW USA. We didn’t realize there are 4 different ways people pronounce this name!! Then after much debate decided to stick with the French pronunciation Ah-na-ees, which I love. Making that change felt huge to teach everyone how to pronounce her name differently.
About 1/2 the people I introduce her to just give me a blank stare when I say her name or they call her Annaliese. At this point we’re looking for a useable nickname, without wanting her actual name to disappear. Would likely have her nickname be her primary name through her school age years for ease of pronunciation. Or should we change all together?!?
Of these options, which do you think is best?
Anaïs nn Ani
Anaïs nn Ana
Anaïs nn Annie (this seems to me people would forget about her actual name since it’s so different from Anaïs - but we LOVE Annie)
Change name to Anaïs Annie Luna (then likely call her Annie)
Drop Anaïs and change name to Annie Luna
Thank you sooo much! I hate the anxiety of name regret.
I think just stick with your preferred Ah-na-ees since you love it and people will get used to it when they see her regularly. I like [name_f]Annie[/name_f] as a pet name especially since you considered it for her name and that would work well for one time introductions, like when you’re not likely to interact with them much if ever again.
It’s really hard for people to act normal when taking in a new or unfamiliar name but their blank stares don’t mean they hate it. They’re just processing lol. Once people know her better and interact with her more when she’s older it will be no big deal.
I definitely don’t think you need to change her name!
[name_f]Anaïs[/name_f] [name_f]Luna[/name_f] is beautiful! I’d go with [name_f]Ani[/name_f] (pronounced Annie) to keep the pronunciation you love, but keep it close to her actual name
First of all, [name_f]Anaïs[/name_f] is lovely! For a nickname, my vote goes to Annie–mostly because it’s the one you seem most enthusiastic about, but also because if pronunciation is a concern for you, I’m guessing it’s the one that will most alleviate that challenge. [name_f]Anaïs[/name_f] nn. [name_f]Annie[/name_f] seems perfectly logical to me, and I love it! (Of course, I may be partly biased by the fact that [name_f]Annie[/name_f] is one of my favorites in general )
I should say the nicknames of [name_f]Ani[/name_f] and [name_f]Annie[/name_f] are both cute ! They seem very intuitive to [name_f]Anais[/name_f]. Congratulations on your sweet baby girl!
Can you elaborate? Do you think the pronunciation of Anaïs could cause problems or do you think having a frequently used nickname with an uncommon/unusual name could cause problems? She’s 5 months old so giving her a whole new name is out.
Well you have the “Ann” part in Hannah so I think it’s intuitive! Can I ask you - how did your Annie nickname come about? Did your parents give it to you or did you adopt it later in life? I’ve never had a nn so curious how it feels to have two names. thank u!
Not sure if you like Anneliese (& of course, other spellings) but the names are super similar so I think it would be easier enough to adjust to, especially with you calling her Annie
I adore [name_f]Anaïs[/name_f]! Its a beautiful, sleek, and glamorous name. [name_f]Anaïs[/name_f] [name_f]Luna[/name_f] is stunning
I think that [name_f]Anaïs[/name_f] nn ‘Annie’ makes total sense! [name_f]Anaïs[/name_f] is afterall, a [name_u]French[/name_u] version of [name_f]Anna[/name_f] (or Annie), so I definitely wouldnt be surprised if an [name_f]Annie[/name_f] had [name_f]Anaïs[/name_f] as their full name. All of your nickname options work just fine! The only one of your options I would probably avoid is [name_f]Anaïs[/name_f] [name_f]Annie[/name_f] [name_f]Luna[/name_f], only because [name_f]Anaïs[/name_f] and [name_f]Annie[/name_f] are basically the same name → [name_f]Anna[/name_f].
I dont think calling her [name_f]Annie[/name_f] means that her full name disappear, but if she only ever gets called [name_f]Annie[/name_f] there is a chance it might happen. For example, I know a [name_f]Magdalena[/name_f] who only ever was called ‘Maggie’, to her, [name_f]Magdalena[/name_f] just feels like a formality and now she never goes by it. But then again, some people go by their nicknames when they’re younger and choose to swap to their full names as they get older. I suppose you never truly know how it will turn out, if you do start calling her [name_f]Annie[/name_f] would there be anyone who still calls her [name_f]Anaïs[/name_f]?
People will eventually get used to it. Chhosing a nickname is a good idea! I don’t think [name_f]Annie[/name_f] is different from [name_f]Anais[/name_f], I really wouldn’t be surprised to learn [name_f]Annie[/name_f] is actually an [name_f]Anais[/name_f]
I actually really like [name_f]Anais[/name_f]! I had one in one of my classes back in high school and everyone learned her name really quickly! She never went by any nicknames! [name_f]Anais[/name_f] is also the name of a character on a really popular kids show “The Amazing World of Gumball” so other kids might be more familiar with her name then adults!
From the options I would go [name_f]Anais[/name_f] nn [name_f]Annie[/name_f]! If people forget her full name she can just remind them!
I also had an [name_f]Anais[/name_f] as a classmate, in middle school. Everyone learned her name quickly, I don’t think it was a problem at all. I do think [name_f]Annie[/name_f] works as a nickname, especially since it was a name option and you love it so much. I say keep [name_f]Anaïs[/name_f] as the full name and offer [name_f]Annie[/name_f] as a nickname for those who struggle. [name_f]My[/name_f] only hesitancy is if it would bother you if people did ‘forget’ her full name. I don’t think anyone really would, especially people who know you or your daughter well. But people who know her more casually might think [name_f]Ann[/name_f] or [name_f]Annie[/name_f] is her full name. I don’t think it matters for casual acquaintances but if it does to you then you might want to stick with going by [name_f]Anaïs[/name_f].
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thank u!
