I like a lot of nicknamey names, or names that have built in nicknames. Some favorites are:
[name_u]Juniper[/name_u] nn [name_u]June[/name_u]
[name_u]Sullivan[/name_u] nn [name_u]Sully[/name_u]
[name_f]Libby[/name_f] - possibly a nn for [name_f]Liberty[/name_f] or [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Millie[/name_f] - probably from [name_f]Camilla[/name_f] or something similar
[name_m]Callum[/name_m] nn [name_u]Cal[/name_u]
[name_u]Eden[/name_u] nn [name_f]Edie[/name_f]
and others. I also like some shorter names that would probably not end up with nicknames:
[name_m]Graham[/name_m]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f]
[name_f]Opal[/name_f] (I have tried really hard to think of a nn here, but I just don’t know that I would like calling a girl Opie…)
[name_m]Felix[/name_m]
and lots more…
So my question: Is it weird to have a mix of names in a family where some go by nicknames and some don’t? Now that I’m thinking about it, my husband’s family kind of has a mix, but everyone in my family has a nickname. I’m just wondering if I did use a non-nickname name with some of my more nicknamey ones, would that child sound/feel out of place?
I do not think there is anything wrong with families having a mix of people with nicknames and ones without. I do not think a child would feel out of place.
There’s nothing wrong with that! My sisters and I are a mix: [name_f]Abigael[/name_f] “[name_u]Abby[/name_u]”, [name_f]Leah[/name_f], and [name_f]Eliana[/name_f] “[name_f]Ellie[/name_f]”. [name_f]Leah[/name_f] has never felt left out because she doesn’t have a nickname. My mom calls her [name_u]Lee[/name_u] Mee which is all [name_f]Leah[/name_f] needs. I think you could have pet names for the kids without nicknames to make them feel more included. To be honest though, I think nicknames are a pain sometimes. Like every school year starts with 8 people saying:
“[name_f]Abigael[/name_f]?”
“Here, I go by [name_u]Abby[/name_u].”
“Okay, how do you spell that?”
I am jealous that [name_f]Leah[/name_f] has never had to go through that. Oh and when people learn my full name is [name_f]Abigael[/name_f] and suddenly assume it’s okay to call me that. Like no. Sorry I kinda went beyond what your question asked. [name_m]Just[/name_m] read the first paragraph.
Really? I’ve always liked having a nickname! In professional settings I usually introduce myself by my full name, but I like that I have a more casual option as well. I would definitely let them decide what they wanted other people to call them though. For a while, I insisted that everyone except my family call me [name_u]Alexis[/name_u], and then as I got older I became more comfortable with being [name_u]Lexi[/name_u] around people, now about the only place I go by [name_u]Alexis[/name_u] is at work.
There is nothing wrong with mixing it up. One of my brothers had a longer name that we shortened, the other didn’t. People shortened mine and I would correct them as I’ve never liked nicknames. I love some longer names and some shorter so my kids will probably have a mix of nickname-able names and non-nickname-able names.
Nope, not weird. I have two older brothers, one of them has gone almost exclusively by a nickname ([name_m]Jeff[/name_m] for [name_m]Jeffrey[/name_m]), while my other brother and I have kind of “nickname-proof” names. I don’t think anyone was ever bothered by it. My other brother and I developed nicknames within our circles of friends as we got older that may or may not have actually been related to our first names, but we were always called our actual names by our parents. So only [name_m]Jeff[/name_m] had a “nickname” growing up.
I think it’s quite normal to have a mix. Not every name lends itself to a nickname anyway. I think the intuitiveness of a nickname vs not it set my precedent. Let’s say you have a [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] nn [name_u]Theo[/name_u], [name_m]Edmund[/name_m] nn [name_m]Eddie[/name_m], and [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] nn [name_f]Willa[/name_f] and all 3 use their nns exclusively. Then you have baby [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f], and call her only [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f], I would put money on other people assuming to call her [name_f]Annie[/name_f] or [name_f]Anna[/name_f] or a shortform.
[name_f]Camilla[/name_f] nn [name_f]Milly[/name_f], [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] nn [name_u]June[/name_u], and new babies [name_f]Opal[/name_f] & [name_m]Graham[/name_m] wouldn’t make me think twice not having nicknames.
Thanks everyone! This makes me feel better about my mistmatched favorite names list!
Also gr19 [name_f]Polly[/name_f] could maybe work! It probably doesn’t really need a nickname, but I’ve just always liked to have the option of going by a less formal name if I felt like it…
I think it’s perfectly fine to have a mix. My little sister goes exclusively by her nickname, one of my brothers goes by his about half the time, and then my other brother and I don’t have one. None of us have ever been bothered by it one way or another.
Btw, I love the names on your list! [name_m]Graham[/name_m] and [name_f]Libby[/name_f] are two of my particular favorites.
Not at all! My brother and I are mixed, mom and dad coming from families of 5 are mixed, SOs siblings are a mix. Most (not all) of the real life subsets I know are mixed
I have two older brothers, one of them has gone almost exclusively by a nickname ([name_m]Jeff[/name_m] for [name_m]Jeffrey[/name_m]), while my other brother and I have kind of “nickname-proof” names. I don’t think anyone was ever bothered by it. My other brother and I developed nicknames within our circles of friends as we got older that may or may not have actually been related to our first names, but we were always called our actual names by our parents. So only [name_m]Jeff[/name_m] had a “nickname” growing up.