What are your thoughts are the names [name]Persephone[/name] and [name]October[/name], with the nicknames [name]Percy[/name] and [name]Toby[/name]?
I like both–especially [name]October[/name]–but don’t like the nicknames. I get the thought process behind them, but here’s why I couldn’t do it:
A) They are, to my ears at least, very masculine names. ([name]Percy[/name] and [name]Toby[/name], I mean.) It could be done, of course… but still. Names like [name]Cam[/name] and [name]Elliot[/name], etc, sound androgynous and have taken off as androgynous names. I don’t know why exactly, but they have. Names like [name]Michael[/name]… Well, I’ve seen it on a girl once or twice, but it doesn’t identify as androgynous. It’s a boy’s name, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.
B) I can see a lot confusion and teasing in the future of a girl named [name]Percy[/name] or [name]Toby[/name]. I rarely go with the whole “but they’ll be teased” thing, because everyone is teased about something… But these names are just too masculine. I could see a girl really hating it if she had one or the other, even as a nickname. She’d probably insist on being called by her full name once old enough; I would.
Finally, [name]Persephone[/name] and [name]October[/name] are long but pretty. Why shorten them? Some names don’t need nicknames.