What are your suggestions for unusual nicknames for [name]Samuel[/name] that would transition well into adulthood? I’m looking for a nickname that would not end with “am” as that is also ending of our last name.
[name]Do[/name] you think [name]Leo[/name] is a viable option?
[name]Sam[/name] and [name]Sammy[/name] are the only nn’s suitable imo, [name]Leo[/name] is not a viable option.
Is there a particular reason that you want to use [name]Samuel[/name]?
Well - yes, there is a reason for using [name]Samuel[/name].
My baby boy is already here (he is 3 mo’s) and he is named [name]Samuel[/name]. We picked his name the last minute and didn’t really “test-drive” it. So, he was already here when I realized that everyone would call him [name]Sam[/name]. The fact that everyone calls him [name]Sam[/name] is difficult to control.
Also, he was already here when I realized that the [name]Sam[/name]+last name combo would be awkward (I already posted about this on this board a couple of weeks ago).
I feel horrible to have picked a name that is awkward. I am going through excruciating pangs of baby name remorse right now. I keep thinking that my son will be growing up and go through life cringing every time he hears or says his own name.
Right now, I am trying to snap out of my misery by thinking of viable nicknames other than [name]Sam[/name] that would stick.
I have searched the posts of women going through the baby name remorse process. It seems that finding an acceptable nickname alternative seems to be best course of action.
(sigh) I just wish we were in Norway, or a place like that, where babies are named when they are 3-4 months old. I wouldn’t have picked [name]Samuel[/name]…
I am sorry that you are feeling so bad about the choice you made for your son’s name.
It is awkward now I suppose because your little man is accepted as [name]Sam[/name]/[name]Samuel[/name]. If you like his middle name more with the last name why not start calling him by that name?
My family is full of people called by their second name eg [name]Alex[/name] instead of [name]Ronald[/name], and or [name]Jane[/name] which was just a name that the father liked better than [name]Margaret[/name] her given [name]Christian[/name] name.
Best wishes, rollo
You could try changing the name to a [name]Samuel[/name] alternative like [name]Samson[/name]. See list below.
You could shove [name]Samuel[/name] to the middle name slot, and give a new first name that you like ([name]Leo[/name]). [name]Leopold[/name] [name]Samuel[/name] sounds quite nice.
You could leave his first name as [name]Samuel[/name] and give a middle name that you want to call him by. [name]Samuel[/name] [name]Mikel[/name], or [name]Samuel[/name] [name]Edmund[/name] ([name]Eddie[/name]).
Some names just don’t stick. My aunt [name]Bonnie[/name] was originally named [name]Janette[/name], I think, and it just didn’t work for my Grandpa, so they went back to the hospital 9 days later to change it!
International Variations of [name]Samuel[/name]:
[name]Samo[/name], [name]Samko[/name] (Czech) [name]Samuli[/name] (Finnish) [name]Zamiel[/name] ([name]German[/name]) [name]Samouel[/name] (Greek) [name]Shmuel[/name] (Hebrew) [name]Samu[/name], [name]Sami[/name], [name]Samuka[/name] (Hungarian) [name]Somhairle[/name] (Irish) [name]Samuele[/name] (Italian) [name]Samaru[/name] (Japanese) [name]Samuelis[/name] (Lithuanian) [name]Samoyla[/name], [name]Samvel[/name], [name]Samuil[/name] (Russian) [name]Samuelito[/name] (Spanish) [name]Sawyl[/name] (Welsh) [name]Shem[/name], [name]Shemuel[/name], [name]Schmuel[/name] (Yiddish)
you could come up with something that includes his middle/last names. the first letters of each name?
Or just insist that people call him [name]Samuel[/name] and not the nn. I think that is possible, people will get used to it. [name]Do[/name] you still like [name]Samuel[/name]?
What is your last name? Is it really that bad with [name]Sam[/name]?
I think using the middle name is also a very good option. What is it?
When it comes to nicknames, honestly anything goes. I agree that [name]Sam[/name] and [name]Sammy[/name] are technically the only nicknames for [name]Samuel[/name], but, that being said, I know of a young [name]Benjamin[/name] that goes by [name]Banks[/name], a [name]Robert[/name] that goes by [name]Kent[/name] (middle name), and a [name]Jennifer[/name] that goes by [name]Janna[/name] (mashup of her full name, [name]Jennifer[/name] [name]Anna[/name]). You can be very creative with nicknames, I think. Your best bet, I think, is a middle name. Does [name]Samuel[/name] have a middle name yet? I have an unofficial second middle name (my mothers maiden name), that though not on my birth certificate, is known by everyone in my family. Maybe you can do something like that?
Some nicknames that I came up with from [name]Samuel[/name], that are a bit of a stretch, though plausible:
[name]Sully[/name]
[name]Uli[/name]
[name]Wells[/name]
[name]Sal[/name]
[name]Mel[/name]
[name]Shem[/name] (from the Yiddish [name]Shmuel[/name])
[name]Eli[/name]
Ells
[name]Ellis[/name]
hope that helps!
I agree, just nix the nn thing. I was never called [name]Liz[/name] or [name]Liza[/name], I’ve always remained [name]Eliza[/name]. It’s definitely possible to take that route. Good [name]Luck[/name]!! And don’t feel bad, whatever his name is, it will be a part of how he identify’s himself and I doubt he will think it’s awkward when he get’s older. [name]Samuel[/name] is a very mainstream name.
I love freckles’ suggestions of [name]Sully[/name], [name]Wells[/name], and [name]Eli[/name].
If you really prefer a name like [name]Leo[/name] that is a stretch from any of [name]Samuel[/name]'s names, I don’t see a problem in using it anyways. At school when the teacher calls names for the first time and kids respond with their preferred name, he’d be just like any of the kids who go by their middle names or initials. The only difference is that when someone asks him why he goes by [name]Leo[/name] (or whatever you choose) he won’t say “It’s from my middle name.” He’ll say “It’s just what I’ve always been called.”
Also, when he’s introduced to people, it’s not like he hands them his birth certificate. They just hear the name he’s called and won’t know the difference. Once your family and friends currently calling him [name]Sam[/name] get used to his new name, it’ll be easy.
But I do have to say that [name]Sam[/name] is a great name.
I am actually partial to [name]Samuel[/name] as a name. But I dooo have my reasons lol. My husbands name is [name]Samuel[/name] nn [name]Sam[/name] and my son’s middle name is [name]Samuel[/name] after his daddy. His full name is [name]Zachary[/name] [name]Samuel[/name]. In regards to not wanting a nn for a first name. I have encountered that. We named our son after his best friend [name]Zach[/name] and to distiguish between the 2 we called our son [name]Zachary[/name]. Now I cannot see him as anything else. It ended up that since we only called him [name]Zachary[/name] that is what everyone else called him as well. Once he started going to school he decided all on his own that he wanted to be called [name]Zac[/name] at school (he even chose the spelling!!!). He told me one day “Mommy, [name]Zac[/name] is my school and soccer name and [name]Zachary[/name] is my at home name.” So maybe you could just ONLY call him [name]Samuel[/name]? Maybe others would catch on or maybe you could just simply state that you do not call him [name]Sam[/name] you call him [name]Samuel[/name]? Good [name]LUCK[/name]!!!
I think you have gotten some very good advice, and if you do decide you want a different nn my vote is for [name]Sully[/name], so cute n’ handsome!
His full name is [name]Samuel[/name] [name]Tomas[/name] Upham. [name]Tomas[/name] without h is to honor my cultural heritage ( which is Slovak ). I love the name [name]Tomas[/name] in Slovak language pronounced TO-maash, but that definitely doesn’t work here in the U.S.
Ok, so I have a problem with [name]Sam[/name] Upham (pronounced UP-am). I am probably overly analytical about the whole thing. But it does bother me. The fact is that I failed to do my homework when picking the name, which is haunting me now.
My husband is not on board with the “let’s call him [name]Samuel[/name] instead of [name]Sam[/name]” idea. Also, he has a big brother [name]Zac[/name] ([name]Zachary[/name]). So to my dh’s credit, [name]Zac[/name] and [name]Sam[/name] make more sense than [name]Zac[/name] and [name]Samuel[/name]. But here I go again analyzing…
I like [name]Wells[/name] as a nickname. I also like [name]Ellis[/name] a lot. I coincidentally found boy’s name [name]Ellis[/name] in the last months’ issue of the Parents magazine, which is quite interesting… considering that it is a rather unique name.
Anyway - thank you all for your kind words.
I’m sorry you are having naming remorse. I dont think it is too late to change his name though. Have you considered calling him by his mn? I know lots of people that go by there middle names. Also, you could move [name]Samuel[/name] to the middle spot and give him a new fn. He is only 3 months old now so I think if you are going to make a change now is the time to do it. If the name is really akward with your last name then I think most people will understand why you had to change his name, and I dont think your son will ever know the difference (until you tell him of corse).
There really arent any legit nns for [name]Samuel[/name] other than [name]Sam[/name] or [name]Sammy[/name]. [name]Sully[/name] might work, but it still wont stop people from calling him the obvious [name]Sam[/name].
What about a nn like [name]Chip[/name]? He could always put [name]Samuel[/name] on his resume as an adult. The other nns I can think of are [name]Sal[/name]/[name]Saul[/name].
[name]Saul[/name] is nice!