I’ve been thinking recently about why some names are accepted by society as being perfectly acceptable names, even if they are indeed nicknames. While other nicknames are immediately deemed as too “cutesy” or incomplete to be a real name.
Currently I’m pregnant with my 6th child (unsure of the gender) and I was thinking if it was a boy, then I would go with the name [name_u]Teddy[/name_u]. It is my husband’s nickname, his first name has nothing to do with [name_u]Teddy[/name_u]/[name_m]Theodore[/name_m]/[name_m]Edward[/name_m]/etc. It is simply a name that we call him. I know I could go ahead and give the boy a “whole” name with [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] or [name_m]Edward[/name_m], but those are not my style.
I’m going to call him [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] anyway, so it makes sense to me to name him that. If he finds that it is too cutesy or hinders him as he grows older, then he could always go by Ted.
I’ve asked about this on other forums and most people were not fans of nick-namey names! Most found [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] to be TOO cutesy. What do you think?
I personally don’t find it different than any other “Y” ending names like [name_m]Harry[/name_m], [name_u]Percy[/name_u], [name_f]Daisy[/name_f], or [name_u]Penny[/name_u]. Your opinion? 
There are nicknames that work as “official” first names, and some that don’t. [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is one that doesn’t work to me. My name often gets shortened and I hate it. I’m glad my parents gave me a “full” name. [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is cute on a bear and a kid, but not a grown man.
I think it depends on how established a name is and how cute/childish it sounds. [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is very much associated with [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] Bears, which are cute childhood toys to most people so the name does not feel very mature, Ted, on the other hand, feels very ageless while the nn [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is a cute childhood nickname.
[name_f]Daisy[/name_f], [name_m]Harry[/name_m], [name_m]Eddie[/name_m], etc. do not have these associations which is why they feel less childish.
I have always loved [name_u]Teddy[/name_u]. I think given that if you have a boy he can use Ted if he wanted to makes it usable. I personally have a tendency to like nickname-y names, like [name_f]Rosie[/name_f], [name_f]Evie[/name_f], [name_m]Eddie[/name_m] etc.
Personally I prefer to have a full name with a nickname… on my children! But I never see the issue when other people choose to just use a nickname on the birth certificate. Especially something that’s well established like [name_u]Teddy[/name_u]. here in the UK, some nickname names are very common, including [name_u]Alfie[/name_u], [name_m]Archie[/name_m] and [name_u]Freddie[/name_u], if [name_u]Freddie[/name_u] can work, [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] definitely can! The only reason I like to have a full name if because i tend to shorten lots, so even if I gave them a nickname on their birth certificate, I’d feel the need to then shorten it further in a kind of cutesy affectionate way, I suppose with [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] that isn’t an issue because I love Ted too.
I love [name_u]Teddy[/name_u]… as a nickname. For me it has to do with how a name sounds on a real, adult person. When an adult man comes up to me and introduces himself as [name_u]Teddy[/name_u], it’s very hard to take him seriously. I don’t get the same feeling with names like [name_m]Harry[/name_m] or [name_f]Edie[/name_f] because they don’t sound quite so childish.
I’m torn on [name_u]Teddy[/name_u]. Like you, I really love it as a full name. But at the same time I do think it sounds very “cute”, possiibly too cute for a grown man. Of course, your husband is proof that it can and does work on a man as an affectionate nickname, but as a full legal name? I’m just trying to picture it on a fully-grown teacher or scientist or businessman or builder… I’m just not sure.
It’s #66 at the moment here in the UK, so plenty of people don’t see a problem with it. As others have said, he could always shorten it further to Ted, which is also a nice name. Or he could just own [name_u]Teddy[/name_u], which I’m sure he would in reality. It’s often hard to imagine in theory how names will work throughout a lifetime, especially as [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] and other “cute” nicknamey names are newly popular at the moment so almost always heard on young children, but I think once you actually know a person with a particular name, it just works.
Good luck and congratulations on baby #6! 
For me, it depends on the name. [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] seems fine, because like you mentioned, he can easily go by Ted in the future. Professionalism isn’t necessarily the be all end all of picking a baby name, especially not when people are choosing names like [name_m]Oakleigh[/name_m] and [name_m]Zaiden[/name_m] for their kids. Yes, everyone wants to envision their child as a successful, upstanding member of society, but there are plenty of famous people with not-so-standard names. Not just actors and artists who are allowed to get away with it, but scientists and politicians too. President [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] [name_m]Roosevelt[/name_m] still gets called [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] [name_m]Roosevelt[/name_m] as a nickname.
I’ve known grown men that still go by [name_m]Timmy[/name_m] and [name_m]Tommy[/name_m], so [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] seems like a reasonable choice. It’s not like you’re naming him Snuggle Bug and are expecting people to take him seriously. [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] has plenty of history and it’s a familiar name. I don’t think you should have to pick out a longer name just to put on paper if you’re only ever going to call him [name_u]Teddy[/name_u].
Best of luck!
I think [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is gorgeous! Its no more cute than [name_u]Alfie[/name_u], [name_m]Archie[/name_m], [name_u]Freddie[/name_u] etc and he could choose between Ted or [name_m]Ed[/name_m]/[name_m]Eddie[/name_m] as nicknames.
I vote full names every time. That being said, I have a three syllable “fancy” last name, a name like [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] or [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] would look silly on. I believe more name berries would be angry with me not taking more advantage of it. EX: [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] De [name_u]Winter[/name_u]. I wouldn’t presume to tell you how to name your child. But I think of Wedding invites, where the formal occasion will come up and a boy named [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] next to hundreds of [name_m]Luke[/name_m], Ethans, Elijahs etc. I think it’s your decision.
Personally, I don’t “leave” boys names to my husband, but he kind of gets last day (I love some many ) he’s a guy and would know what a boy/guy would like to be named. If I worry about an association I bring it to his attention but he’s like “no a kid would this x-x was cool.” Or “no not that.”
Hopes this helps
I think [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is lovely, but for me, it’s more of a childhood, cutesy nickname. I love it - it’s my favourite nickname for [name_m]Edward[/name_m] and [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] but I would give it a longer name like these two to carry it past childhood and then at least there is always the option of a longer formal name and other nns too.
That being said, if other nicknamey names can do it, then why can’t [name_u]Teddy[/name_u]? It reminds me of [name_u]Alfie[/name_u], which until recently with its overuse, I think had a very classic feel to it, as does a [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] and with the option of a more formal nn like Ted, I think it can work.
I’m English where names like [name_u]Freddie[/name_u], [name_f]Maisie[/name_f], [name_f]Mollie[/name_f], [name_f]Tilly[/name_f], [name_u]Teddy[/name_u], [name_m]Will[/name_m], [name_u]Sam[/name_u] etc are used as full names and are acceptable so I see it as anything goes. If you’re only going to call him [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] and don’t like the longer versions, then I don’t see why you can’t just pick [name_u]Teddy[/name_u].
“Nicknames” as given names is acceptable 90% of the time, [name_f]IMO[/name_f].
I feel like I’ve said this 100 times on this forum, but my name is [name_u]Abby[/name_u], not [name_f]Abigail[/name_f]. I have never wished to be [name_f]Abigail[/name_f]. I’m a professional adult with a professional career. It is not burdensome to answer the occasional “Is it short for [name_f]Abigail[/name_f]?” with one word: “Nope.” Frankly, it seems from my perspective that it would be more of a pain to be someone who has a full name but goes by another.
[name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is fine as a first name to me, and like a pp said, if [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] seems to childish later on, he can choose to go by Ted.
There are several names that I only like the common nicknames of but not the full name, such as [name_u]Charlie[/name_u], [name_u]Sam[/name_u] (from [name_f]Samantha[/name_f]), [name_u]Nick[/name_u], [name_f]Gen[/name_f]/[name_f]Jen[/name_f], and [name_u]Jesse[/name_u] (From [name_f]Jessica[/name_f]). I think [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is a perfectly acceptable name! As you said, he can always go by Ted if when he grows up he believes [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] to be too youthful.
I think [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is absolutely fine! ANd [name_m]Ted[/name_m] is great too if he doesn’t like it when he gets older.
I say: go for it! It has meaning to you and [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is an acceptable nickname, so why not a full name? The story alone (it being your husbands NN despite not having much of a name connection) is awesome. In any case, it’s YOUR child and you can make your own associations to the name. On a side note, if anyone has seen [name_m]Bob[/name_m]'s Burgers (TV show) there is a grown man with that name, so I refuse to believe it’s too “cute-sy”. The name will grow with the person!
If you’re only going to call him [name_u]Teddy[/name_u], I think his name should be [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] officially. He has the added option of Ted as well if he chooses to use it.
I’ve said this several times on here before, but we have a [name_u]Finn[/name_u], and he is not [name_m]Finnegan[/name_m] or [name_u]Finley[/name_u] or any other variation. Our next baby will be [name_f]Kate[/name_f] or [name_m]Leo[/name_m]–not [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] or [name_m]Leonardo[/name_m]. If you plan to use both names interchangeably, then I understand, but if you only plan to use a short version, then that should be the name.
I don’t think [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is too cute to be it’s own name. There are plenty of cute names that are considered acceptable on their own ([name_f]Cindy[/name_f], [name_f]Candy[/name_f], [name_f]Daisy[/name_f], [name_f]Katie[/name_f]–for boys, [name_u]Freddie[/name_u], [name_m]Johnny[/name_m], [name_u]Jamie[/name_u], etc.) Not to mention all of the subjectively “odd” names that are also considered by many to be perfectly usable. [name_u]Teddy[/name_u], to me, is absolutely fine.
Congrats on number six!