I’m drawn to [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] but really dislike [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], [name_f]Elle[/name_f], [name_f]Nellie[/name_f], [name_f]Nora[/name_f] etc. I don’t mind [name_f]Nell[/name_f] but it doesn’t go with my surname.
Obviously you can just use the full name and state to everyone that’s what you’re going with but I don’t think you can really get away from people naturally shortening it at some point?
Are there any other uncommon nicknames for [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] I could go with?
It wouldn’t be ideal but if I really loved the full name I’d go with it, plus even if I don’t like the nn’s there’s always a possibility that the kid might like them more than their full and decide to go by one. Some other ideas for nn’s~
Elea (I say it ee-lee-uh but could be eh-lee-uh too)
Nori
Lea
Lennie (+ any other spelling)
Ella
Noor
Ana
Ean
Ora (said the same as Aura)
Lean (I’m pronouncing it like Liam with an N)
Eleni
Elena (pronounced how it is in Spanish, eh-leh-nah, or one of the other pronunciations, eh-luh-nuh, would make the most sense as a nn for Eleanor)
[name_f]My[/name_f] baby’s name is [name_m]Gideon[/name_m]. Before he was born we said we didn’t like the nicknames Gid or Giddy and we wouldn’t let anyone call him that. Well as soon as he was born and the name announcement went out one of his aunts immediately responded “Aw little Giddy!” But I have to say we didn’t freak out, and I actually didn’t hate the nickname anymore. I don’t think I would call him that, but she has been calling him that and I think it’s sweet that she has that nickname for him. Sometimes nicknames are different in theory versus in actual use. That being said, Giddy is a “cutesy” nickname and not one that he would go by in his every day life so it is a little different from the names you mentioned. [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] probably would never meet someone new and say “Hi I’m Giddy” but [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] definitely could grow up and tell people to call her [name_f]Ellie[/name_f]. So when she is a baby you can tell people not to call her by any nicknames you don’t like, but when she is old enough to make the decision for herself, how would you react if she wanted to go by one of those names? If it would really bother you to hear your little [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] tell people she goes by [name_f]Nora[/name_f], then I’d say steer clear and pick a different name, but if you’d be ok with it as long as it was her decision then I think you would be ok.
I’ve known a few Eleanors who’ve gone by their full name so it could work. That said, others may nn her and she might even decide she likes one of the nns herself -and tbh, it might grow on you
Some nn for Eleanor…
[name_m]Len[/name_m]
[name_f]Leni[/name_f]
[name_f]Nor[/name_f]
Lor
[name_f]Elora[/name_f]
[name_u]Rory[/name_u]
[name_f]Neelie[/name_f]
I think you could get away with the full Eleanor, but your child may one day choose to go by a nn and you will have to accept that possibility if you want to use it. Gorgeous name, though, OP! Very regal and flowing
Leni/Lena springs to mind, but really disliking all the most obvious nicknames would probably put me off using a name in the first name spot, to be honest. Especially a slightly longer name which is commonly shortened, like [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f].
We used [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] as our first daughter’s middle partly for this reason. I’ve always loved the name (after one of my favourite childhood book characters) but really don’t like [name_f]Tilly[/name_f] or [name_u]Mattie[/name_u], and I just know she’d have ended up as a [name_f]Tilly[/name_f] here in the UK, where it’s a popular name and nickname.
I definitely wouldn’t use a name if I really disliked almost all of the nicknames, especially in this case when they’re obvious ones. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if you don’t call her any of them, if she came to you at 13 and said she wanted to be known as [name_f]Nora[/name_f] or [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] from now on, would you cringe every time you said her name?
I really like [name_f]Leni[/name_f] as a nickname for [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]. I do think though that you can use a name like [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] and avoid nicknames. I know an [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] who only does by [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]. I think people generally follow the lead of the name-wearer/parent.
I love [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] but I’m not keen on [name_u]Penny[/name_u] or [name_u]Nelly[/name_u] so I didn’t end up choosing it In the end. You can probably prevent people from using a nickname you don’t like for the first 5 years or so but after that it’s out of your hands, particularly once they start school. If it would bug you if others used the nickname then I would steer clear.
[name_f]My[/name_f] parents have said my entire life that my name is [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] and if they had liked one of the nicknames they would have just named me that instead. I can remember my mom sitting me down and telling me before kindergarten that the only nickname she could stand was [name_f]Beth[/name_f], and if people really wanted to give me a nickname it had to be that one. But I never loved [name_f]Beth[/name_f] so when my friends in school started calling me [name_f]Lizzy[/name_f] I didn’t object and then it stuck.
If you really love the name, I do think it’s still possible to go by just [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]. It may be a matter of telling relatives, and teachers that she only goes by [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]. However, she could end up liking a nickname and choosing to be called [name_f]Nora[/name_f] instead.
I think [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is one that could go by the full name, unless, as many people have said, she herself wants one of the nicknames. Most ofthe famous Eleanors I can think of are known by the full name, and I never thought of it as one that had to be shortened, unlike the longer classics like [name_f]Margaret[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Victoria[/name_f].
I have the same problem with [name_f]Victoria[/name_f], love the full name, don’t like any of the nicknames. And with my own name [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], I’ve actually gotten people in most contexts to call me the full thing, which I think is harder with 4 syllables than 3.
