Ok berries. If it isn’t difficult enough to find the perfect name for yourself and your style, it is even more difficult to compromise, especially when you and your s/o have completely different naming styles. My fiancé and I talk about names all the time for the future. We are not pregnant, nor are we ttc, but we think it is good to establish a few names early on.
Long story short, I have always liked Theodore, and he likes it too. We are both into history and politics, and think it would be a nice nod to T. Roosevelt. It took us forever, but we have decided on a shortlist of names (yay!), and Theodore is on it. However, I am not particularly fond of Theo as the nickname, but I LOVE Leo.
So, here’s the burning question: can Leo work as a nn for Theodore? I say yes, because it rhymes with Theo, and nicknames don’t always have to be obvious. Would it be weird or confusing to have the legal name as Theodore and have him go by Leo?
[name_m]Theodore[/name_m] is a lovely name in my opinion, and I agree I don’t really love [name_u]Theo[/name_u] either. If you wanted to keep that nod to [name_m]Roosevelt[/name_m] going with “Teddy” for his relation to the teddy bear is one, and something more unique could be dorie/dory. I love the name [name_m]Leo[/name_m] as well but I think it might get confusing when introducing the name, as people might think they’ve heard it wrong and presume you’ve said [name_u]Theo[/name_u] anyway because [name_u]Theo[/name_u] and [name_m]Leo[/name_m] sound similar. If you wanted that nickname to come from the middle spot, then longer options for [name_m]Leo[/name_m] might be [name_m]Leonard[/name_m], [name_m]Leon[/name_m], [name_m]Leonardo[/name_m], [name_m]Napoleon[/name_m], and [name_u]Lionel[/name_u]. hope that helps
I’m afraid I couldn’t buy into that. Leo’s already an established nickname and name in its own right; I would find it extremely odd to hear it linked to [name_m]Theodore[/name_m], sort of like calling an [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_u]Kelly[/name_u], because it rhymes with [name_f]Ellie[/name_f].
Some other nicknames for [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] might be: [name_m]Odie[/name_m], [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] (obviously), [name_m]Teo[/name_m] (TAY-o), [name_f]Torrie[/name_f], [name_m]Thor[/name_m] (also its own name, so perhaps not), [name_f]Dorie[/name_f].
Then you could find a longer [name_m]Leo[/name_m] name and have brothers, [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] and Leonidus or whatever, [name_m]Odie[/name_m] and [name_m]Leo[/name_m]
It could work for some people but would mostly be confusing. I think people would even mishear [name_m]Leo[/name_m] as [name_u]Theo[/name_u] if they knew his name was [name_m]Theodore[/name_m]. Maybe [name_m]Ted[/name_m] or [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] instead?
[name_m]William[/name_m] → [name_m]Willy[/name_m] or [name_m]Will[/name_m] → [name_u]Billy[/name_u] or [name_m]Bill[/name_m]
Since it could get confusing since [name_m]Leo[/name_m] is not the standard nn for [name_m]Theodore[/name_m], I would introduce him as [name_m]Leo[/name_m] to people if that’s what you want people to call him and leave out the [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] part.
Personally, I prefer [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] if that’s a nn you both like
[name_m]Theodore[/name_m] is such a darling name - great choice!
Unfortunately, I’m not fond of [name_m]Leo[/name_m] and I don’t think it makes much sense. I am a big believer in creative nicknames, but this one’s a stretch even for me. I think he’d spend his whole life correcting people and saying “no, I’m not [name_m]Leonard[/name_m], [name_m]Leopold[/name_m], etc, etc”.
I like [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] and [name_m]Teo[/name_m] as alternative options. [name_u]Or[/name_u] you could use his middle name (if he has one) as nickname inspiration.
Definitely a bit confusing, tbh. For one thing, Leo is its own name and part of a different name family. For another, there is no L in Theodore, which makes it feel unintuitive as a nn.
Would you consider Teddy instead of Theo? It’s a classic nn for Theodore, even worn by Roosevelt.
My other suggestion would be to either a) just use Leo, which works perfectly well on its own or b) use a longer form of Leo with as much history as Theodore, such as Leonard or Leopold. Those examples may not be to your taste, but here is an entire blog post dedicated to ‘Leo’ names, if you’re interested: Leo Names: From Leonard to Leovanni - Appellation Mountain
[name_m]Thor[/name_m] is a wonderful suggestion! I just want to add [name_m]Bear[/name_m], like teddy bear.
[name_m]Theodore[/name_m] [name_m]Leo[/name_m] would be a nice solution for you. [name_u]Or[/name_u] maybe Leo/Leon [name_m]Theodore[/name_m].
On its own, I agree [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] nn [name_m]Leo[/name_m] is too much of a stretch. But [name_m]Linus[/name_m] [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] or [name_m]Lorcan[/name_m] [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] nn [name_m]Leo[/name_m]? That totally works IMO? [name_m]Just[/name_m] a thought that I had when reading through the thread.
