So my hubby and I are down to two names we love for our little boy (due in Sept), with his favorite being [name]Patrick[/name] (haven’t decided on a middle name yet). Dh loooves this name, and although I am “in love” with our other top name ([name]Nathaniel[/name]), my gut tells me the little guy might really be a [name]Patrick[/name] (plus I sort of love the concept of daddy having a little more say in naming the boys… not that he gets to pick a name I don’t love, but if it comes down to two, I feel there’s something special about dad bestowing his favorite).
Anyway, the reason for this post I guess is that my only hesitation is the dreaded nickname “[name]Pat[/name].” It’s unisex and lacks all the power and style of the full name [name]IMO[/name].
We shared our top two names with my mom who insisted that his name will “inevitably” be shortened to [name]Pat[/name]. Thing is, I’ve never met a [name]Patrick[/name] under age 40 who went by [name]Pat[/name]… to me it’s an outdated nickname like [name]Bill[/name] and [name]Dick[/name]. I also believe that nowadays, folks tend to respect full names more and don’t automatically nn. Not to mention, [name]Patrick[/name] is hardly a name that needs shortening… it’s easy to say and only has 2 syllables!
But… I suppose there is always the possibility “[name]Pat[/name]” could become a reality, right? And my Dh isn’t averse to it and may even occasionally use it (ugh), although he insists it’s the full name he wants our son to identify with.
So… what would you do? Go with a name you love and risk an nn you hate? Or go with the other name? (I do like the nn [name]Nate[/name] for [name]Nathaniel[/name]).
I say go ahead and use [name]Patrick[/name]. I’ve never known anyone named [name]Patrick[/name] to go by [name]Pat[/name] (same for girls named [name]Patricia[/name]). I think it’s a nickname that was common in the baby boomer generation, but hasn’t been used for about 35 years (kind of like how you never meet any [name]Williams[/name] nicknamed [name]Bill[/name] anymore).
I love [name]Patrick[/name]! I, too, would say go ahead and use it. I’ve only ever met one [name]Patrick[/name] that’s a little boy, and he went by just [name]Patrick[/name], so I definitely think it’s doable! I think you could always try and come up with a nn that’s not [name]Pat[/name] that you could call him often enough that if people couldn’t deal with saying the whole name they’d have an option besides [name]Pat[/name] to use. My favorite option is [name]Pax[/name], but I’ve heard of Trick, [name]Rick[/name]/[name]Ricky[/name], etc., too. I think [name]Patrick[/name] nn [name]Pax[/name] would be pretty cool, though! I also like [name]Patrick[/name] nn [name]Paddy[/name] a lot, but it seems like most aren’t too fond of it? I have also gotten the impression from some that it might be derogatory, but if it is, I don’t know why…
If you end up wanting a nn for [name]Patrick[/name] you could use Patch or [name]Rick[/name] (though I feel [name]Rick[/name] is dated too, maybe Trick?) I found when you meet people who insist on giving someone a nickname if you just give them an alternative short form you like better they’ll pick it up just as easy.
See, this is why I love Nameberry! You all come up with the best ideas! I love the idea of [name]Pax[/name] as an alternative. We’re Catholic, and the word has a lot of significance for us. We’d still want him to identify with [name]Patrick[/name] primarily, but [name]Pax[/name] is great for those who can’t resist a nn!
I have a [name]Gabriel[/name] and can’t stand [name]Gabe[/name] as a nickname. Everyone we know calls him [name]Gabriel[/name] or when he was little, [name]Little[/name] G, now just G, with the exception of his teacher this year who no matter how many times we tell her, still insists on calling him [name]Gabe[/name]. We have a one syllable last name and [name]Gabe[/name] sounds ridiculous with it. Obviously we went ahead with it anyway even though we knew some would try to shorten his name. Mostly we or our son have just said “It’s [name]Gabriel[/name].” and the vast majority of folks get it and then call him by that.
There have been some good suggestions by pp’s on other nicknames for [name]Patrick[/name]. People hear us call our son G rather than [name]Gabe[/name] and they seem to pick it up as well. Most close to you will probably do the same with your son if you have a preferred nickname you’re using. I wouldn’t worry about the [name]Pat[/name] thing.
You are all making me feel better. Btw, [name]Gabriel[/name] is another name I like that was on our list, but I too was hesitant about “[name]Gabe[/name]” (couldn’t get The Office character out of my head). [name]Glad[/name] to hear people are respecting your wishes! (Minus that teacher… sigh).
I think you should go with [name]Patrick[/name]. First of all, if you introduce him at [name]Patrick[/name], then strangers will hardly start calling him [name]Pat[/name] immediately after meeting him. Secondly, if his friends decide to shorten it, well, they’re not around all that much- he’s only [name]Pat[/name] to them. And third, if you want a shorter nickname, then you have the liberty to come up with something other than [name]Pat[/name].
I recently stumbled upon it myself, completely fell for it, but I don’t love [name]Patrick[/name] (or [name]Pax[/name]) enough as a FN myself to use it. I keep throwing it out there, in hopes that somebody will pick up on it and use it, so I’m glad it’ll be meaningful to someone else! [name]Patrick[/name] nn [name]Pax[/name] is just so cool, imo, haha. I’m not Catholic, but I am a fairly devout [name]Christian[/name], and I learned Vivaldi’s “[name]Gloria[/name]” in high school… so I loved the religious connections to [name]Pax[/name] as well! The meaning of “peace” is pretty awesome. [name]Just[/name] another reason why I’m glad it might get used, haha.
My brother’s name is [name]Patrick[/name] and he has always been [name]Patrick[/name], not [name]Pat[/name]. The only time [name]Pat[/name] ever reared its ugly head was with sports. Because of how often you have to call out names during drills, every name - even one syllable names like [name]James[/name]- are shortened. A few teammates and their parents called him [name]Pat[/name] here and there, but we always made a point of saying [name]Patrick[/name], and most people caught on.
Also, I’ll add that I don’t associate the name [name]Pat[/name] with my brother, at all. A few times people have said something about “[name]Pat[/name]” and it took me a while to realize who they were talking about. Seriously. I just think that goes to show that you can keep [name]Patrick[/name] distinct from [name]Pat[/name].
I wouldn’t be worried about him automatically getting [name]Pat[/name]. I would, however, think about whether or not you can tolerate it if [name]Patrick[/name] himself decides later in life that he would like to be called [name]Pat[/name]. [name]Just[/name] from personal experience, I have a sister [name]Elizabeth[/name] (so there are a ton of options for nicknames), and she still chose to go by the only nickname option my parents hated. My father would probably have called her something else if he had known. [name]Just[/name] because [name]Pat[/name] is dated now doesn’t mean it won’t become popular again, so I wouldn’t use that as proof that [name]Pat[/name] won’t happen.
That said, calling him by another nickname would help reduce that chance, I think. [name]Pax[/name] is an amazing idea.
I think [name]Patrick[/name] NN [name]Pax[/name] is a great compromise! I do know a [name]Patrick[/name] who goes by [name]Pat[/name], but I also know a [name]Patrick[/name] who goes by Twix. It’s his favorite candy and just so happens to sound like his name!
[name]Love[/name] [name]Patrick[/name] NN [name]Pax[/name]!
Of the three Patricks I know two go by [name]Patrick[/name] generally. 1 goes by [name]Pat[/name] or Patch (20) and the other guy (teen) sometimes gets Pattycakes.
I think it is up to you to get a suitable nn going. Be aware that as a teen friends call them all sorts of nns -my DD [name]Brooke[/name] gets called babycakes- so it IS possible someone calls him [name]Pat[/name], personally I don’t mind [name]Pat[/name] but probably more as a verbal nn “Come on [name]Pat[/name]” than written nn -eg one he might write onto his school work “[name]Pat[/name] [name]Jones[/name]”.
I agree that a quick, “We’re in a rush so I am going to verbally call you the shortest thing possible” is way better than written “formal” nn like “[name]Pat[/name] [name]Jones[/name].” I think this is what my hubby was trying to warn me about… he may do this (which I understand), but he also agrees the full name should be what he primarily id’s with and goes by while he’s young at least. I think the solution is going to be “[name]Pax[/name]”… if we’re in a rush, we can throw that out there, and thus hopefully minimize other nn’s!
My sister’s name is [name]Elizabeth[/name], so I know how that goes. My parents named her with the hopes she’d never go by “[name]Beth[/name]” (she never has). However, they also hoped she’d always go by the full name (which granted, may have been wishful thinking b/c while I know a few [name]Elizabeth[/name]'s who go by the full name, it’s 4 syllables with tons of nn options too). My sister did ultimately resort to [name]Lizzie[/name] and [name]Liz[/name], BUT in her 30’s she has reverted back to [name]Elizabeth[/name]. Thankfully, because my parents made a point to call her [name]Elizabeth[/name] all these years, she still identifies readily with the name, and I still see her as “[name]Elizabeth[/name]” too (as well as [name]Liz[/name]). So she really has two interchangeable options now.
I think the moral to the story is: The more we call him [name]Patrick[/name] when he’s young, the more likely he’ll identify with the name and revert back to it at any point, even if he does end up with a nn. I am also a big fan of letting kids do what they want with their names when they mature and respecting that, so as much as I don’t love [name]Pat[/name]… if it happens because HE wants it, well, sigh, so be it.
Btw, [name]Gabriel[/name] is another name I like that was on our list, but I too was hesitant about “[name]Gabe[/name]” (couldn’t get The Office character out of my head). [name]Glad[/name] to hear people are respecting your wishes! (Minus that teacher… sigh).