[name_f]Do[/name_f] you think it’s better to have a longer name with nicknames
or
a short name that can stand on its own?
I think short names have a certain confidence to them. But I like the freedom nicknames give as you grow.
For example:
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] vs. [name_f]Elle[/name_f]
[name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] vs. [name_f]Eve[/name_f]
[name_m]Alexander[/name_m] vs. [name_u]Alex[/name_u]
[name_m]Leonardo[/name_m] vs. [name_m]Leo[/name_m]
What are some names you prefer short or think are better as a nickname?
It’s interesting, because I actually typically prefer short names/nicknames, but the names I hope will be my future children’s names are all longwe with nicknames (except one). But like I said, I love nicknames as full names! Big fan! I agree they have a certain confidence about them and I just tend to like them better than their full form. I think they 100% work on their own. There’s veeery few I feel don’t.
I prefer shorter names overall, and I agree with the fact that if you are planning on calling them by a nickname all the time, might as well just make that their name. [name_f]My[/name_f] name is [name_f]Elle[/name_f] and my parents had a bunch of [name_f]El[/name_f] names on their list but realized they liked this best and would call me this anyway. If you plan to call your child the longer name at least half of the time then I would go with the longer name.
My head says that longer names which give plenty of options for shortenings and nicknames are the more versatile choice, and possibly more tailored to the bearer, as they can decide which form they feel best suits them at any given time or situation.
But my heart says short names! That’s just my personal style, I just love short, sparky, spirited names that feel sweet but complete, no nicknames required.
I totally understand that. A lot of the names I like, I feel like they have a common sound that I like.
For example, I like [name_f]Gabrielle[/name_f], but I hate the nicknames [name_u]Gabby[/name_u] or [name_f]Bri[/name_f], so why use the longer version when she might be called those anyway.
We chose short names for our kids because I couldn’t picture calling them anything else and I didn’t want my son to grow up saying “my name is [name_m]Leonardo[/name_m], but I only go by [name_m]Leo[/name_m].” It just seemed if I was only going to call him [name_m]Leo[/name_m], he should be [name_m]Leo[/name_m]. I love that their names are short and sweet yet strong and I think they go quite well together because they share that style. Going forward, our name tastes have begun to get longer to a more average length, so we might not be able to keep up the pattern, but so far so good!
I don’t think there’s a “better” or “worse” here. I think some people have preferences for one or the other. I think the long full name is excessive at times… When literally no one calls the child by that name, not even their parents. But to each their own!
Some that I love:
[name_u]Alfie[/name_u] instead of [name_m]Alfred[/name_m]
[name_u]Sam[/name_u] instead of [name_m]Samuel[/name_m]
[name_m]Zander[/name_m] instead of [name_m]Alexander[/name_m]
[name_f]Cassie[/name_f] instead of [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f]
[name_f]Eliza[/name_f] instead of [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Maggie[/name_f] instead of [name_f]Margaret[/name_f]
[name_u]Max[/name_u] instead of [name_f]Maxine[/name_f]
But there’s other names were I prefer the long version
Both options seem valid. I can understand wanting the formality and complexity of a long name, but wanting to make things familiar and casual with a nickname. However, short names have charm and presence on their own. [name_m]Long[/name_m] last names or repeated names in a family sometimes call for short names.
There are some long names I like and don’t love in the short name form, like [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f], [name_m]Gustav[/name_m] and [name_m]Frederick[/name_m]. I’m okay with [name_u]Alex[/name_u]/Lexie, [name_u]Gus[/name_u] and [name_m]Fred[/name_m] as nicknames, but the long name cannot be replaced in my heart or mind.
Then there are the short names I like as such, like [name_u]Theo[/name_u], [name_u]Nico[/name_u], [name_f]Nell[/name_f] and [name_f]Willa[/name_f]. Nothing against [name_m]Theodore[/name_m], [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m], [name_f]Helena[/name_f] and [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f], but the short forms are near and dear my heart.
I’m sure most of us have a few favorites on both sides of the aisle.
Short name. Me? I’d name the kid what you want to call him. If you only see yourself calling him Max, name him Max, not Maximilian. If you only plan on calling him Gabe, it makes little sense to name him Gabriel.
I much prefer short names and nicknames.
It bothers me when a parent names their child a long name, but then they go by a short nickname the rest of their live. As in, they never go by their full name, and it’s almost forgotten about.
I really love both nickname-y names as stand alones and short names. I tend to gravitate toward names that can’t be made into nicknames, actually, I guess because if I wanted to call my child something, I would just call them that rather than naming them one thing and then almost exclusively calling them something else ie naming a girl [name_f]Maggie[/name_f] from the get go versus naming her [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] (which I don’t like as much as [name_f]Maggie[/name_f]) just to give her a formal name, but only call her [name_f]Maggie[/name_f].
I think either is fine. It really depends on the name! I don’t understand choosing the long form if you only like the nickname, but I only consider long names if I like the full name (and there are quite a few I like!); if I don’t, I might choose a shorter form.
TLDR;
Name your kid something you love that you intend to call them (at least some of the time) within reason.
