Nickname vs. Pet Name/Term of Endearment?

There is lots of talk about nicknames on Nameberry, but I am realizing that the way that I define that may not be the same way as other people do.

I distinguish between nicknames and pet names/terms of endearment. For instance, my name is [name]Alison[/name]. That is how I introduce myself, it is how I think of myself, and how the vast majority of people I know refer to me. However, there are a couple of close friends and my grandfather who call me [name]Ally[/name]. I don’t consider [name]Ally[/name] to be a nickname, it is a pet name. People who are close to me use it in a very personal and affectionate manner.

I think that this is very different from someone with the given name [name]Alexandra[/name] who introduces herself as [name]Lexie[/name] that is how everyone refers to her and thinks about her. That is what I think of as a nickname. Something that you routinely use instead of your given name.

Is this how others define it? When people talk about nicknames on this site, which usage are they referring to?

I think of nicknames and pet names the same way you do. To me, a nickname is something you go by the majority of the time and what you usually introduce yourself as, especially when you’re in a casual setting. [name]Pet[/name] names are usually just affectionate names that people close to you use occasionally. So an example of a nickname situation would be an [name]Alexandra[/name] who goes by [name]Lexi[/name] most of the time or who’s family and friends call her [name]Lexi[/name] while at work she goes by [name]Alexandra[/name]. A pet name situation wold be a [name]Brooke[/name] who gets called [name]Brookie[/name] every once and awhile by her mom or best friend but no one else uses it.

I typically think of a pet name as a sort of goofy name that’s used only occasionally by people who are very close to you and may bear no relation to your given name. Examples include Tootsie, [name]Gidget[/name], [name]Bear[/name], Bebop, and [name]Birdie[/name]. To me, nicknames are usually either shortened forms of longer names, like [name]Ally[/name] for [name]Alison[/name] and [name]Matt[/name] for [name]Matthew[/name], or elaborated forms of single syllable names, like [name]Markie[/name] for [name]Mark[/name] and [name]Brookie[/name] for [name]Brooke[/name]. My opinion doesn’t change if they’re used frequently or infrequently, by only a few close friends or by everyone.

Funnily enough, I’m also an [name]Alison[/name] who goes by [name]Alison[/name] almost exclusively. A few immediate family members call me [name]Allie[/name], and I view it as a nickname. When they break out the pet names, I get [name]Allie[/name]-gator and Gasoline [name]Allie[/name].

I think of nicknames and pet names in the same way. For example, my boyfriend’s name is [name]Gerald[/name], but he almost always introduces himself as [name]Jerry[/name], and is called [name]Jerry[/name] among friends and family. The only exception are more formal situations such as work.

My name is [name]Natalie[/name] and that’s how I’m always introduced, so I don’t really have any nicknames. I have plenty of pet names friends and family use, such as [name]Nattie[/name] or [name]Nata[/name], but I never introduce myself to strangers as such.

So when Berries say a name is “too nicknamey”, I get confused when to me I think they’re trying to say a name (or certain form of a name) is exclusively a term of endearment.

I think of a nickname as a name inspired from their given name, or another distinctive trait. Any other name is a pet name.

I know a [name]Leah[/name] who’s mother calls her [name]Bella[/name], that’s a pet name to me.
If her mother also called her [name]Leelee[/name], then that’s a nickname to me.

Also, if the name is commonly used by others as well then that’s a nickname.

Like pp mentioned, I tend to think of pet names as goofy things your family or close ones call you. My grandfather used call me [name]Dolly[/name], doll or his little dolly, none of which bear resemblance to my name. A few friends have weird names they call me too, like [name]Lolo[/name] Waffles & Agent Waffles, which are also pet names. Nicknames are names that relate to your full name, like [name]Eleanor[/name] nn [name]Ellie[/name].

To me a nickname is anything that relates to the name, so in my opinion, [name]Ally[/name] would be a nickname, as well as [name]Jerry[/name].

[name]Pet[/name] names to me are goofy or made up or something you’d only call a baby. For example: [name]Honey[/name] bee, sweet heart, goober, pooka, pumpkin or something like Ezzi for [name]Ezra[/name], and as someone else mentioned [name]Leelee[/name].

To me a nickname related to the name. [name]Alexandra[/name] to [name]Alex[/name], [name]Michael[/name] to [name]Mike[/name], [name]Katherine[/name] to [name]Kate[/name], even [name]Emily[/name] to [name]Em[/name]. A pet name has no relation, like [name]Honey[/name].

I posted similar in another forum about nicknames, but now I can’t remember which one! :stuck_out_tongue:

Anyway, I think of a nickname as something you commonly go by, something that (almost) everyone calls you, what you introduce yourself as. Basically, the name you use on everything but official documents. A nickname can even be something you go by at work. For example, I know a [name]Janet[/name] who always goes by [name]Jan[/name], even at work, and a [name]David[/name] who goes by both [name]Dave[/name] and [name]David[/name] at work. Nicknames are derived from someone’s actual name or middle name.

A pet name is something only friends or close family call you. It may or may not be derived from your real name. You wouldn’t introduce yourself by a pet name. E.g. [name]Petey[/name] or little lady.

For me, both categories that you listed are nicknames. They’re shorter forms of the full name that could be used either formally ([name]Lexie[/name]) or informally ([name]Ally[/name]). To me, a pet name is something like “babe”, “sweetie”, “darlin” etc., a term of endearment that really has nothing to do with your name.

[name]Ally[/name] and [name]Lexie[/name] are both nicknames. It doesn’t matter who calls you that or how often.

[name]Pet[/name] names/terms of endearment are general terms that you affectionally use: honey, baby, dear, bear, bug, dolly

Agree with nat108.

A nickname is something that someone (or multiple people) habitually call you, that is not the name on your birth certificate. [name]Dan[/name] for [name]Daniel[/name], [name]Liz[/name] for [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Molly[/name] for [name]Margaret[/name].

A pet name is a term of endearment.

[name]Just[/name] an aside, I get a bit irritated when people on here ask things like, ‘Can [name]Maisie[/name] be a nickname for [name]Michaela[/name]?’

If you answer ‘no, too much of a stretch’, other posters/the OP get huffy and say ‘Anything can be a nickname for anything!’ Which is true, actually, but then why ask the question?? I always assume that they’re really asking, ‘Does [name]Maisie[/name] sound like a nickname that would naturally be derived from [name]Michaela[/name]?’ (Which, [name]IMO[/name], would be a ‘no’. [name]Miki[/name] might, [name]Maisie[/name] doesn’t.)

Good question. I guess I hadn’t thought of it that way. I tend to agree with nat108 too. I suppose I think of [name]Ally[/name] as a “nickname” for [name]Allison[/name] regardless if that fits every [name]Allison[/name]'s actual situation. Or, [name]Becky[/name] is a “nickname” for [name]Rebecca[/name] in the general sense of the term, so if someone were to want to name their daughter just [name]Becky[/name] or [name]Ally[/name], I would say it’s too “nickname-y.”

I can see why people think about it slightly differently though.

I’d agree that nicknames are related to your given name. Eg. Steh for [name]Stephanie[/name]. It’s like a long established abbreviation. So calling a called [name]Teddy[/name] can be described as ‘too nicknamey’ because it was originally a nickname and is not seen as formal enough.

[name]Pet[/name] names aren’t usually but can be related to the given name. Eg Im a [name]Stephanie[/name] who introduces herself as [name]Steph[/name] (nickname) my parents call me Stephie (pet name) and my hubby calls me [name]Willis[/name] (pet name) (no idea where [name]Willis[/name] came from tho lol)

I agree with the OP. And I do think pet names can relate to the original name. For my daughter Katharine my husband and I have both come up with pet names for her. Everyone calls her Kat some. Base on this my husband frequently calls her Mauw-Kat (no real way to spell Mauw - it developed from meow and is pronounced like Meow but without the long “E” sound. It rhymes with how). There is no way that she is going to introduce herself as Mauw-Kat at school. Similarly, I use to call her Kit Kat. Again a lovely name of endearment and a combo of two possible nicknames for Katharine but she’s not going to use Kit Kat at school either.

That is exactly how I feel about it! However, I think that you stated it more eloquently than I did.

So, there are definitely different interpretations of “nickname.” [name]How[/name] does this play out when responding to posts? As I said originally, to me, a nickname is something that you introduce yourself as and use in most situations (aside from formal documents). However, it is obvious that this is not how everyone interprets that. Is there any good way to know when responding to someone who wants a nickname how they intend to use it? My responses might vary a lot depending of if they actually want a name that will be used by most people or something that will only be used informally by close friends and family.