I’m curious to know if anyone else dislikes the use of nicknames? I love several names that all have nicknames the child would inevitably end up being called.
Etc. I, personally, feel like if I really like a nickname, I would just use it as a first name. I never had a nickname, neither did my sister. [name_f]My[/name_f] husband is [name_m]Joseph[/name_m] and goes by [name_m]Joe[/name_m], but I feel like that is more of a shortening than a nickname. [name_u]Joey[/name_u] would be a nickname.
If I go to the trouble to give my child a great name, I don’t want it ruined with a nickname. Does anyone else feel the same? [name_m]How[/name_m] do you set the record straight with people that you don’t want your child given a nickname?
I’m not a fan of nicknames, but I didn’t grow up around people who used nicknames so to me it’s a little weird. I understand when it’s like a pet name, but otherwise I wonder why they didn’t just give the child the nn for a name. For me, a nickname is anything you all called by others and introduce yourself as (besides your given name). It can be related to the name or not. For example, I know someone who goes by [name_m]Zeke[/name_m]; although his name is not anything like [name_m]Zeke[/name_m], I’ve never in my life heard anyone call him anything but that.
In my family, whatever the parents used for a name (given or nickname) is what everyone else used. If someone tried using a nn, I would just say that the child goes by his or her full name.
I love nicknames. When someone calls me by my nickname, I love it, because it means that they’re comfortable enough around me to use that name.
[name_f]My[/name_f] best friends are [name_f]Bella[/name_f] ([name_f]Isabella[/name_f]) and [name_f]Milly[/name_f] ([name_f]Amelia[/name_f]), I also know an [name_u]Issy[/name_u] ([name_f]Isabella[/name_f]), Madi ([name_u]Madison[/name_u]), [name_u]Georgie[/name_u] ([name_f]Georgina[/name_f]) and the like.
[name_f]My[/name_f] brother is also PJ.
There are some that I don’t care for - I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] [name_f]Isobel[/name_f], but don’t like [name_u]Issy[/name_u]/[name_u]Izzy[/name_u]. Not sure about [name_f]Bel[/name_f] though.
Personally, I don’t see the point of using a great name, and not using it the majority of the time. I actually feel like it’s a bit odd when parents don’t use their kids full names. I feel like out of everyone, parents are almost expected to be the ones to say ‘[name_f]Rosalind[/name_f]’ instead of ‘[name_f]Rosie[/name_f]’ or ‘[name_f]Matilda[/name_f]’ instead of ‘[name_f]Tilly[/name_f]’. [name_f]Pet[/name_f] names make a bit more sense to me, probably because my mum has so many for me, but it’s only when she’s all ‘you’re still my little baby’ that she uses them. Sometimes my friends call me by a nn, some more than others, but but I don’t understand why anyone would pick a name they love and not use it.
I mostly dislike nicknames, except for a few names. [name_f]My[/name_f] mother never called me by a nn and I don’t plan on calling my children nick names on a regular basis either. It is however inevitable that they will have them, especially in Aus where if you were named [name_m]Ted[/name_m], you would inevitably be called [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] and if your name was [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] you would be called [name_m]Ted[/name_m]. Diminutives and nn are an integral part of Aussie culture, and there are no qualms about taking the shortest names and adding syllables to make nns, and as such, I will choose my preferred nn for my kids, just use them sparingly.
I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] them nicknames! They give a child flexibility to grow into their name and multiple personality choices within a name.
[name_f]My[/name_f] name is [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]. You can imagine that would have been difficult for a toddler to say, so I was always [name_u]Jo[/name_u]. As I got older, I tried [name_u]Josie[/name_u] for a month or two, but decided I hated it, and I have been [name_u]Jo[/name_u] ever since. I love having a nickname, I go by [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] professionally and for people who don’t know me, but friends and family call me [name_u]Jo[/name_u]. It’s lovely.
I knew from a young age that my name was both [name_u]Jo[/name_u] and [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] and I would respond to both. I also knew from a young age that I HATED being called [name_u]Joey[/name_u], and would go so far to tell people not to call me that.
Where I am from (I don’t know if this is all of Australia or just my area), pretty much everyone has nicknames. All my siblings do. [name_f]My[/name_f] husband does. [name_f]My[/name_f] in-laws do. And it’s great. It’s just more friendly and approachable and less formal. I love my name [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], it’s gorgeous, but it doesn’t mean I want to be called it over dinner or playing sport.
The names I love are all longer and all have the possibilities to have nicknames, because that’s how we do it. [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] has [name_u]Charlie[/name_u] and [name_f]Lottie[/name_f]. [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] has [name_u]Mattie[/name_u] and [name_f]Tillie[/name_f]. [name_f]Adelaide[/name_f] has [name_f]Ada[/name_f] and [name_f]Adele[/name_f]. And so on.
If my child decides that they don’t like a nickname like I did with [name_u]Joey[/name_u], that’s fair enough, but while they are young, I’m not going to try to force a 15 month old to say [name_f]Adelaide[/name_f].
Generally, people use the name the child is introduced as unless told other. If someone introduced their child as [name_f]Valentina[/name_f], I would call her [name_f]Valentina[/name_f] unless told and were call her [name_f]Tina[/name_f]. If I heard another Mom shouting [name_f]Valentina[/name_f] on the playground that is what I would assume everyone calls her. Of course, some people do revert to nicknames. It just means correcting people who use the nickname. When someone calls [name_f]Valentina[/name_f], [name_u]Val[/name_u], you need to say “she goes by Her full name.”
But you do not have control over your daughters name after she gets old enough to decide for herself what to be called. (Often around kindergarten.) she may prefer to be called [name_u]Val[/name_u] or [name_f]Tina[/name_f]. At that point, you won’t have much say in how she introduces herself so if you really dislike an obvious nickname, then. I would avoid the name or start calling her by a nickname you do like when she is young.
For example, if you like the name [name_f]Theodora[/name_f] but hate the nickname [name_f]Dora[/name_f], you may want to use [name_f]Theodora[/name_f] and [name_f]Thea[/name_f] interchangeably when she is young so both are her name to her.
Well, I think nicknames are sometimes necessary to make a name more usable. For example, two of my GPs are Euphrosyne “[name_f]Rosie[/name_f]” and [name_f]Euphemia[/name_f]-[name_u]Padget[/name_u] “[name_f]Effie[/name_f]”. [name_m]Both[/name_m] full names are long, clunky, and obscure, with perfectly acceptable nicknames. I mean, I’d never use them, because I know there are places where you need to write your full name, but it’s easier to look at them on my list this way.
Personally I love nicknames! I think they’re cute and friendly! I still appreciate the charm of the full name but they can sometimes feel a little stuffy
[name_f]My[/name_f] mother ensured I was only ever [name_f]Catherine[/name_f], not [name_f]Cathy[/name_f] or Cath. The teacher asked all the Catherines in the class to chose a nn to make life easier and I refused so it can be done; you just need to be stubborn. I love nn when they are imaginative but hate the shorten-to-first-syllabul-or-add-an-o that happens in Australia eg Stevo, Johnno, [name_m]Ky[/name_m] for [name_f]Kylee[/name_f], [name_m]Geoff[/name_m] for [name_m]Geoffrey[/name_m]. That’s just lazy.
I also really dislike nicknames in most cases. There are really beautiful names out there that I wouldn’t want to use because I really dislike the nickname. With other names it’s not so bad (like, I personally don’t mind [name_u]Theo[/name_u] for [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] at all, for example) but there are other nick names that are so common and so bland compared to the full name that I wouldn’t be ok with people calling my children that instead of their full names.
But you can only do so much to avoid it! You never know, you child may prefer the nickname a lot more. But I know that in my case I would try to name them something that either has a nickname you can live with or that is hard to nickname (what nickname would you give an [name_m]Xavier[/name_m], for example? lol) and see how it goes.
I think it depends on the name. Some names are so beautiful that shortening it would do it a disservice. For example my fiance’s name is [name_f]Onoria[/name_f] (pronounced uh-nor-ee-uh) I think its BEAUTIFUL. But she hates it so she goes by Oni (pronounced o-nee) and I HATE it. In fact I only ever call her that when referring to her. If I am talking to her and saying her name, I say [name_f]Onoria[/name_f]. To me it also depends on the length of the name. It is really hard for kids to say long names like [name_f]Madeline[/name_f] and I’ve noticed a lot of kids have a hard time saying certain letters like R’s and L’s so some like [name_f]Madeline[/name_f] and [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] and up being Madewine and Cawowine. Lol. So shortening them so they can say it easier, is okay to me. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if it is cute hearing them mess it up. (:
Interesting to hear both sides. [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] into [name_u]Theo[/name_u] isn’t bad, because I find I would use [name_u]Theo[/name_u] as it’s own name by itself anyway.
I like [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], but really dislike [name_u]Charlie[/name_u] and [name_f]Lottie[/name_f] as nicknames. [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] is so beautiful, why ruin it? But if that’s how things are done in Australia, then it sounds like a cultural difference. [name_f]My[/name_f] name is [name_f]Heather[/name_f], so how would someone in Australia give me a nickname? I hate [name_m]Heath[/name_m] – it’s a boys name and I wouldn’t want that as my nickname.
[name_f]My[/name_f] nephew is [name_m]Xavier[/name_m] (pronounced without the “X” sound – like Zay-Vee-Er) and in text messages, we refer to him as X, but there is no other nickname that I know of.
If my child preferred a nickname, then sure… it’s their name, but as the parent, I would avoid giving them one as much as possible and make sure everyone used the formal name. I mean, I gave the child that name for a reason.
Edit to add that I think it’s really adorable to hear children try to say their name and introduce themselves to others, even if it is mispronounced. It’s polite and good manners and I think they should learn to say full names of other people as well. Little children have a hard time saying my name, Heather, which usually becomes Hella or Hedder or Heddo, but it’s adorable and they will eventually grow up to say it properly.
Most of my favorite names have nicknames that I can not stand.
Name I love - Nickname(s) I hate
[name_m]David[/name_m] - [name_m]Dave[/name_m]/[name_m]Davie[/name_m]
[name_m]Gerard[/name_m] - [name_u]Gerry[/name_u]
[name_m]Thomas[/name_m] - [name_m]Tom[/name_m]/[name_m]Tommy[/name_m]
[name_m]Henry[/name_m] - [name_m]Hank[/name_m]
[name_f]Alice[/name_f] - [name_u]Ali[/name_u]
[name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f] - [name_f]Liz[/name_f]/[name_f]Lizzy[/name_f]/[name_f]Beth[/name_f]/[name_f]Betsy[/name_f]/[name_f]Ellie[/name_f]
[name_f]Theodora[/name_f] - [name_f]Thea[/name_f]/[name_u]Theo[/name_u]
But some of my favorite names, I have nicknames I love!
[name_m]David[/name_m] - DW (middle is [name_m]Walter[/name_m])
Castiel - [name_m]Cas[/name_m]
[name_m]Gerard[/name_m] - [name_m]Gee[/name_m] (geek without the K)
[name_u]Dexter[/name_u] - [name_m]Dex[/name_m]
[name_m]Kipling[/name_m] - [name_m]Kip[/name_m]
[name_f]Hermione[/name_f] - Mione (my-oh-knee)
[name_f]Athena[/name_f] - Thena
[name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f] - [name_f]Elsa[/name_f]
[name_f]Amabel[/name_f] - [name_f]Ama[/name_f]
[name_f]Dahlia[/name_f] - Dahlie
[name_f]Theodora[/name_f] - [name_f]Dora[/name_f]
[name_u]Vivian[/name_u] - [name_f]Viv[/name_f]
I guess it depends on the name. For Castiel, I think a cute nickname like [name_m]Cas[/name_m] could go well in school, but when he applies for a job, its not just [name_m]Cas[/name_m] on the application. Same goes for every one of my names.
This is a difficult topic! For the most part, I prefer using the name on the birth certificate. However, some nicknames are very appealing to me, such as [name_m]Archie[/name_m], but I couldn’t imagine using that as a legal name. It would have to be [name_m]Archer[/name_m] or [name_m]Archibald[/name_m] officially. With all that said, I think [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] stands on its own. It’s all very random for me!
Whether you use a nickname or not is just a personal preference. If you want [name_f]Valentina[/name_f] to go by her full name and introduce her as such.
