[name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] is pretty much my favorite girl’s name. I know it is in the top 100, it may be in the top 50, I’m not sure, but I would like to avoid using [name_u]Izzy[/name_u]/[name_u]Isa[/name_u]/[name_f]Belle[/name_f]/[name_f]Bella[/name_f]/[name_f]Elle[/name_f]/[name_f]Ellie[/name_f]/[name_f]Ella[/name_f] as her nickname. I have thought about using Isby/Isbie but I’m not sure if I want to use that.
I came up with [name_f]ILSIE[/name_f] and [name_f]ILSA[/name_f].
What do y’all think about those? Could they work? Any suggestions?
It’s a… stretch, obviously. It’s not intuitive and unless you introduce her by that name everytime, nobody is going to call her [name_f]Ilsa[/name_f]/[name_f]Ilsie[/name_f].
I don’t think nicknames have to be intuitive. I think it’s a very clever and cute nickname that would distinguish her from the dozens of other [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]/[name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] kids she’ll be growing up with. [name_f]Ilsie[/name_f] or [name_f]Ilsa[/name_f] totally works.
[name_m]Don[/name_m]'t be discouraged by hearing “people will never call her that.” People will call your child what they want to be called. I had a completely non-intuitive nickname growing up: My name is [name_f]Lilian[/name_f] and I went by [name_f]Elsie[/name_f]. Two of my best friends were [name_f]Leah[/name_f], nn “Mouse” (she went by this from 2nd grade all the way up to high school), and [name_f]Anais[/name_f], nn “Ysi.” Had we gone by our “intuitive” names, we would’ve been [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_f]Leah[/name_f], and [name_f]Ana[/name_f], which is perfectly fine for some people, but not for us. Your child will learn to advocate for themselves, with substitute teachers, soccer coaches, and playground acquaintances. It’s a valuable lifeskill to be able to speak up for yourself to say, “You know what? I usually go by [name_f]Elsie[/name_f],” or just “Please call me [name_f]Elsie[/name_f].” It’s really not a big deal and people will call her what she wants to be called, which also may or may not be what you want her to be called.
I think it’s cute and if it speaks to you, then great! Go for [name_f]Ilsie[/name_f] or [name_f]Ilsa[/name_f]!
I adore Isby as a nickname for [name_f]Isabel[/name_f]/[name_f]Isobel[/name_f]. I discovered Isby as a nickname for [name_f]Thisbe[/name_f] years ago and decided it worked perfectly for [name_f]Isabel[/name_f]/[name_f]Isobel[/name_f].
