I will be attending college/university pretty soon (less than 2 years). My name is [name_f]Anjali[/name_f] (pronounced UN-juh-lee). I have always liked my name, and lots of people have complimented my name, telling me how pretty it is.
While I do like my name, I’ve always loved the idea of having a nickname to go by. I don’t like most of the nicknames that [name_f]Anjali[/name_f] provides (I’ve tried almost all of them and I hate them). One name that I really do love but might be a bit of a stretch as a nickname is [name_f]Anya[/name_f]. [name_f]Anya[/name_f] is common enough to English/non-[name_f]Indian[/name_f] speakers to pronounce, spell and recognize, but is also an [name_f]Indian[/name_f] name and holds cultural significance, which is very important to me.
One of my closest friends has a very long name, and only her family calls her by a very short, common nickname (think along the lines of [name_f]Mia[/name_f] or [name_f]Ellie[/name_f]). She said she wants to go by her shorter nickname in college as well.
I would still want my family calling me [name_f]Anjali[/name_f], and my high school friends. [name_m]Even[/name_m] my college professors. Really I would just want my college friends to call me [name_f]Anya[/name_f].
If I end up going to a college in-state (which I most likely will), how hard do you think it will be to make the transition from [name_f]Anjali[/name_f] to [name_f]Anya[/name_f]? Introducing myself with “My name is [name_f]Anjali[/name_f] but you can call me [name_f]Anya[/name_f]”? What are some tips on getting a feel for if [name_f]Anya[/name_f] is the right nickname for me?
Also, do you think [name_f]Anjali[/name_f] is a nicer name than [name_f]Anya[/name_f] to begin with? Should I even make this decision? I don’t know what feels right at all!
I think [name_f]Anya[/name_f] is a lovely name. I don’t find any problem at all with [name_f]Anya[/name_f] being a nn or short form for [name_f]Anjali[/name_f] (which is also lovely). In fact [name_f]Anya[/name_f] seems a quite natural short form to me.
I don’t think you need to say the whole ‘my name is [name_f]Anjali[/name_f] but call me [name_f]Anya[/name_f]’ - just introduce yourself as [name_f]Anya[/name_f] to friends. I know plenty of people who, to use an example, would write [name_f]Deborah[/name_f] or [name_f]Samantha[/name_f] and use this in more formal situations such as with lecturers, but happily introduce themselves as [name_f]Debbie[/name_f] or [name_u]Sam[/name_u] to friends.
I think [name_f]Anya[/name_f] and [name_f]Anjali[/name_f] are both lovely - it really comes down to which you prefer.
If you want to give [name_f]Anya[/name_f] a try, I can’t think of any reason you shouldn’t use it. Maybe try it out a bit first (on strangers, as your facebook name, with your friends or family if you think they’ll be up for it as a temporary thing, etc) and see how it feels. If it’s still feeling good by the time you go to college, then go for it.
I don’t know all the details of how college works in the USA (if that’s where you live), but my university friends are a mix of people I met in different classes and at different times in my degree combined with people I met in social settings, and their friends, and so on. If you get to second or third year and realise [name_f]Anya[/name_f] isn’t working, just start introducing yourself as [name_f]Anjali[/name_f] again. You’ll have some friends who call you one thing, and others who call you something else. That’s really no big deal.
I agree with @araminty - you can just introduce yourself as [name_f]Anya[/name_f]. If you share classes, they might read/hear your full name anyway. If your friendship develops to the point where they need to know how to spell your name they’ll either ask or give you an opportunity to clarify when you write back. Becoming Facebook friends or exchanging phone numbers is a good opportunity to clear up any potential confusion. And if they comment on your name - with a compliment, clarification (‘like on [name_f]Buffy[/name_f]?’), anecdote (‘I had a
penpal/teacher/teddy bear named [name_f]Anya[/name_f]’) or question (‘oh, how interesting. Is that an [name_f]Indian[/name_f] name?’) - you can always use that as an opportunity to clarify things (‘thanks. My full name’s [name_f]Anjali[/name_f], but I prefer [name_f]Anya[/name_f]’).
I think it’s nice to try out a nn for yourself while in college! I did it and it just made it clear to me that the nn didn’t suit me and I preferred my whole name. I did the “My name is X but you can call me y” thing, and it was just super awkward and long, especially when like multiple people were introducing themselves (ie. walking into a college dorm room with 3 friends, when everyone in the room introduces themselves, you want to be able to just say “[name_f]Anya[/name_f]” or “[name_f]Anjali[/name_f]”). I would just introduce yourself as [name_f]Anya[/name_f]. I think [name_f]Anya[/name_f] is a perfectly logical nn for [name_f]Anjali[/name_f].
If you’re asking if [name_f]Anya[/name_f] could work for you, I think it can.
However, I think beautiful ethnic names are something to be proud of. College is the perfect place to be yourself, be comfortable in your own skin, and embrace/be proud of your heritage - especially since you’ll be surrounded by all types from all places.
I think [name_f]Anjali[/name_f] is a pretty, non-complicated name, and I’d stick with it! It will also make you more memorable off the bat to your new friends, professors, and dorm-mates.
I’ve also got an ethnic name, and while sometimes it feels inconvenient, in the long run I’m very happy about it.
As a human being who has seen Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I can’t help but love the name [name_f]Anjali[/name_f] with all my heart! That said, I think [name_f]Anya[/name_f] is absolutely usable as a nickname if you feel you need one. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if you don’t think you can make the transition and get long-time acquaintances to use it, it might be good to use as your “Starbucks name,” aka the name you give out to strangers who you’ll never see again (but who need to spell your name right.) I have a friend with a very complicated J- name who just uses “[name_u]Jay[/name_u]” for food orders/registering for store rewards programs/etc, and I think it works well for her.
@araminty Thank you! I think just because I don’t feel ready to completely let go of being “[name_f]Anjali[/name_f]” and just [name_f]Anya[/name_f], I would still probably introduce myself first as [name_f]Anjali[/name_f], and then [name_f]Anya[/name_f].
@kmdharrington I feel like [name_f]Anja[/name_f] would just be more spelling confusing and I like the spelling [name_f]Anya[/name_f] better, but thank you for the suggestion!
@waverly123 Hopefully this experience will make things more clear to me as well! Again, back to what I said to @araminty, I don’t feel like I will be ready to totally ditch “[name_f]Anjali[/name_f]” so even though it may feel long/awkward I think it might be the best thing for me to do! Thanks for the advice!
@flamingo Thanks for the advice! I definitely do like my name and the ethnicity of it, that’s why I still want to maintain an ethnic nickname for myself! And thank you for the compliment about my name:) Sometimes it just doesn’t totally feel like I “love” it, though, which is why I am considering this entire thing anyways!
@geeknamezyo Haha yess Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is a cinematic masterpiece and I love sharing my name with (both) [name_f]Anjali[/name_f]'s in the movie! The whole “Starbucks name” idea is genius, I think it will be a great way to see if [name_f]Anya[/name_f] truly “fits” me!
People would pick up on your full name more quickly than you think, particularly young college people.
However, many people pick up a nickname when they are high school or college age, sometimes one they pick and sometimes one their peers pick for them out of affection. Or they shift from a childish nickname to their formal name in preparation for their profession. So this is very common.
I would say, if you want to do this, do it! [name_m]Just[/name_m] remember to enter your full name on important forms. Things like roommate lists, it’s not important to do that.
