I have noticed a growing trend where people feel compelled to figure out possible nicknames for any name they come across or consider using. This is especially true for names of fictional characters. I don’t understand it because to me nicknames seem like they should come naturally, not be pre-decided. Can anyone explain why this is a thing?
My mom liked my nickname more than my full name but wanted to give me a full name to fall back on if I felt that [name_u]Abby[/name_u] was too immature. I’ve been called [name_u]Abby[/name_u] since the day I was born. Sometimes it’s a way to use a more uncommon name without putting it outright on the birth certificate.
Idk about fictional characters. Nicknames are common in real life so it could help make a realistic story.
Well for fictional characters i guess it is because the nickname will not come naturally. It isn’t a real person so you have to be more thoughtful about all the aspects of that person. Nicknames are a way to make them feel real and give them a history.
For real life people i can only give you a story of when i was searching for a nickname option. I am not pregnant and won’t be until late next year at earliest. But it is pretty certain i will use the name [name_m]Odin[/name_m] for a boy. When my [name_f]MIL[/name_f] heard this she said she didn’t like the name and she would call him [name_m]Odi[/name_m]. I don’t like this beacuse that is is the name of the dog from garfield. So it became about me trying to find something else to suggest to her so she didn’t nickname him after a dog… I guess you don’t want the nickname to be something you hate so you want to explore what options you can live with?
I hope this make sense to you!
For some of the names, I just wanted a longer version of a short name eg [name_f]Lene[/name_f] or [name_u]Cai[/name_u]. For other names, I simply prefer one nickname over the other, [name_f]Aly[/name_f] is nice but I prefer [name_f]Sia[/name_f] for [name_f]Alessia[/name_f], if future [name_f]Alessia[/name_f] prefers [name_f]Aly[/name_f], I’m happy for her to be called [name_f]Aly[/name_f] but I will call her [name_f]Sia[/name_f].
Fiction wise, nicknames do make it more believable, but for me, I just get lazy writing the full name so I shortened it.
My name is 3 letters and 2 syllables, I never had a nickname. My son’s name is 4 letters and also 2 syllables, he does not have a nickname. I love to say his name, I didn’t want an alternative. I am not against nicknames, a few I even like, but I too do not understand why a lot of people want to chop up their most favorite name in the whole world. Especially when it ends up being the same number of syllables or even more.
I can see analyzing a potential name for nicknames you do not like, this may make you decide not to use the name. But those should be fairly obvious.
[name_f]Pet[/name_f] names are a different thing entirely. But I always thought they were something unplanned that just slipped out of your mouth one day or were based on personality or appearance. Planning that seems odd to me, children are surprising and unique, and rarely what you’d imagine them to be.
Of course if it is a writer trying to develop a character, then it makes sense. And while it may not be my first concern, I do enjoy giving suggestions.
For fictional character, I agree that it’s because it won’t come naturally.
For a real child, I’ll try to make my favourite nickname to be the default nickname, but once my kid is older and can choose hos or her own preferred nickname or friends call him/her with something else and the kid doesn’t mind anyway, I have no problem. I want my [name_f]Seraphina[/name_f] to be called [name_u]Seren[/name_u], but if she ends up with [name_f]Sera[/name_f] or [name_f]Fina[/name_f], so be it. If I dislike an obvious nickname, I’d rather not use that name itself.
I wouldn’t try to find a nickname for a real child at first. My parents never used nicknames for me; as I grew older I began using [name_u]Jess[/name_u] instead of [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] among my peers more often, but I still go by my full name for the most part.
But for me, with fictional characters - at least the ones I create - they spring into my mind as teenagers or adults, somewhat developed. I can give some of them nicknames right off the back. Some of them will never have nicknames. That’s fine.
I also really hate cutesy nicknames. Two of my favourite names are [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] and [name_f]Louisa[/name_f], and I would never bestow [name_u]Jojo[/name_u] or [name_f]Lulu[/name_f] on a kid. [name_u]Jo[/name_u]/[name_u]Josie[/name_u] or [name_u]Lou[/name_u] work just fine for me - they’re short, cute but sophisticated, and work just as well for older kids and not just toddlers.
I think part of the appeal is to have an “easier” name for people to fall back on if your favourite name ever is long or is spelt differently from the norm… my full name I’ve been able to spell since I was about 3 but other people still misspell it now I’m in my 20’s, because most people assume it’s spelt a more common way. But a nickname is shorter and therefore usually far easier to spell. Also if you have a common name where you’re likely to be one of 3 [name_f]Rebekah[/name_f]/[name_f]Rebecca[/name_f]'s in a class nicknames stop you going by [name_f]Rebekah[/name_f]/[name_f]Rebecca[/name_f]'s G, A and W for example. [name_m]Even[/name_m] now in my volunteer work there are two of us with the same name so I go by my nickname and the other girl goes by her full name.
Finally its nice to look up what your child might end up being called by others even if you never intend on using a nn (my mother was adamant that my name would always be used in full until people started shortening it anyway) i guess its nice to know if someone’s going to possibly shorten your favourite name eg [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] for me to something you really don’t like eg [name_f]Vangie[/name_f] so you have time to suggest ither options or come to terms with it. I guess really if people aren’t going to use your chosen name in full anyway they might as well use a nn you approve of?
Thanks y’all for the thoughtful answers!
I guess the reason I ask is because I have always thought of nicknames as being either…
a) like what someone said about the parents wanting to use the NN but giving a different name in case the child wanted it someday (e.g. [name_u]Abby[/name_u]/[name_f]Abigail[/name_f] or [name_f]Sally[/name_f]/[name_f]Sarah[/name_f] or [name_u]Theo[/name_u]/[name_m]Theodore[/name_m]) or
b) natural and spontaneous, either an easy shortening of a name or else given in affection by a family member or friend and ultimately catching on so it’s widely used (e.g. [name_m]Miles[/name_m] being called [name_f]Miley[/name_f] or [name_f]Kira[/name_f] being called [name_f]Kiki[/name_f]).
Otherwise, to me they feel forced and unnatural. On fictional characters, I think if they’re developed enough the NN could arise through dialogue with other characters instead of being forced from the beginning. But it’s JMO.
I agree. Nicknames should come naturally to the child, not be forced on them like a pair of ill-fitting shoes. Nameberry is very bad about coming up with nicknames that make little to no sense in the real world. “WDYT of [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] nn [name_f]Posy[/name_f]? [name_f]Violet[/name_f] nn [name_f]Winnie[/name_f]?” Like, just stop and name the kid what you want to call them.
I am that person. Because with a formal name & a nickname, you get the best of both worlds! If little [name_m]Archibald[/name_m] ends up a spunky, devil may care kid, he can lose the stuffy name & be [name_m]Archie[/name_m]. If [name_m]Archie[/name_m] runs for president, he can be the stately & stuffy [name_m]Archibald[/name_m]. My son is [name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m], which I only chose as a gateway to [name_m]Nate[/name_m]. I’m just [name_f]Kristi[/name_f], & as a kid I longed to be [name_f]Kristina[/name_f] or even [name_f]Kristen[/name_f]. I like options!
I wonder if Mum and Dad are trying to head off the child and schoolmates coming up with something pretty ghastly (being kids and all) by ‘enforcing’ a nickname. Doesn’t usually work, but I can see it being well-meaning, trying and find one that the child will be comfortable with, but obsessing about it is a tad pointless since peers trump parents…
I don’t get why every name needs a nickname but as a [name_f]Kathryn[/name_f] who goes by [name_f]Kate[/name_f], I like options, I’m glad I wasn’t just named [name_f]Kate[/name_f] (though I desperately wish that my parents had of gone for [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] instead - much nicer imo). I would generally rather go for the long name so that a kid has the choice of a bunch of nicknames.
I do also like seeing the nicknames that people on here come up with, sometimes it’s definitely a bit of a stretch but sometimes it’s something which seems perfectly natural and I had just never thought of it. It’s nice to see the options, as they grow up they might go from being [name_f]Katherine[/name_f], to [name_f]Kate[/name_f], to Kath or even [name_u]Wren[/name_u] or [name_f]Rin[/name_f] depending on how the little one’s personality develops.
Personally I agree with this a lot. But I can see why a nickname might be important for parents - especially if they can honor say a granddad [name_m]Leo[/name_m] with the name [name_m]Leon[/name_m]. My question is why do parents name their kids names where they only like a couple of the nicknames.
For my husband and I, it’s all about compromise. He wants to use [name_f]Viola[/name_f] to honor his grandmother. I don’t really like the name [name_f]Viola[/name_f] but if it means a lot to him and there is a nickname I can use, I’ll consider it. That’s how we came to [name_f]Viola[/name_f] “[name_f]Lola[/name_f]” and that’s why I’m now searching for similar names. I would personally use [name_f]Lola[/name_f] on it’s own but it’s not my decision alone.
My name does not come with any nicknames (or at least not any good ones) and I have always wanted one. To me they convey affection and familiarity. So I do consider possible nicknames for my favourite names, but I have accepted that some names (like [name_m]Felix[/name_m]) just don’t come with nicknames.
I’m always inclined to give a nickname, it’s just who I am as a person, because of that I love to run through all the nickname options, just to make sure there is at least one or two I really like. So I like [name_f]Alice[/name_f] nn [name_f]Alsie[/name_f]. It’s the nickname I have basically ‘decided’ on. I don’t feel like it will be unnatural on a child, even though it has been pre-decided, because it is natural for me to use a nickname. I like names that have a lot of options, so that the child has choice. The way I see if I know I’m more likely to use certain nicknames than others, and if I’m going to be using a nickname on the child from the moment they’re born (or, if we don’t go team green, earlier!) then that’s just as ‘planned’ and ‘forced on the child’. If they want another nickname when they’re older then fine, but I’m going to use my favourite one from the start and see how it goes. Most spontaneous nicknames would still need to come from the name itself unless it’s a generic term of endearment, so when I have multiple nicknames that I like e.g. for [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] I like [name_f]Lizzie[/name_f], E, and [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], then there’s still a level of spontaneity about which one ends up being the preference. For [name_f]Alice[/name_f] I mostly want something in place in case people want to call her [name_u]Allie[/name_u] - I don’t want one nickname option to rule out a whole name for me, so I like to have something else prepared so when she’s too young to speak for herself if people use a nickname I dislike I can correct them. If she decided to be [name_u]Allie[/name_u], fine, but while I have a say, it won’t happen (also it’s less likely to happen if no one ever calls her that).
Also, for all I know a different nickname to the one I have planned will come naturally to me, and then that will happen.
Also, like @lainy it’s not just my choice - my S/O will likely only ever use the full name, no nicknames at all, and I will probably flit to and fro from a full name and a nickname.
I view nicknames as forms of affection, so I don’t think it is any different for me to plan to use a particular nickname than it is for me to plan a birthday present etc. it’s just another way for me to show love.
I’ve never heard of nicknaming fictional characters from anyone who isn’t
I understand nickname to full name - but not the other way around. For example I love the name [name_f]Emmy[/name_f] but personally feel like it should have a longer name to fall back on, so I would use [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] or [name_u]Emerson[/name_u]. I understand it that way around - when you have a ‘nickname’ and want a full name.
However if you call your child [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] because you like the name [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], why does she need to be called [name_f]Mia[/name_f] or [name_f]Millie[/name_f] for short? Same with [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] becoming [name_u]Charlie[/name_u] or [name_f]Lottie[/name_f]. If you’re giving your child that name because you love it, why nickname it?
The names we have picked out for our future children don’t have any nicknames as such, just ‘pet names.’ And like you said, nicknames/pet names usually form naturally!
As for fictional character names, I guess its to make it easier for the reader?
I have a story with a character called [name_f]Elenora[/name_f] who goes by [name_f]Leni[/name_f] as she is a tomboy.
I love long names that you can get many nn. I love that nicknames can give children so many options. For girls, i love longer girly names and if my girl isn’t a girly girl then she could go with a nn that isn’t so girly. Like [name_f]Esmeralda[/name_f] could go with [name_f]Esme[/name_f], [name_f]Mera[/name_f] or [name_f]Zelda[/name_f] depending on personality but since I prefer [name_f]Esme[/name_f], I would probably call her that unless she prefered another nn. With [name_f]Araminta[/name_f] I love [name_f]Minty[/name_f], [name_f]Minta[/name_f], [name_f]Minna[/name_f], [name_f]Aminta[/name_f], [name_u]Ari[/name_u] and I would see what nn comes naturally. For my son Allister, I was planning on calling him [name_u]Ali[/name_u], prn as [name_m]Ah[/name_m]-lee but it didn’t come natural so I call him [name_u]Ali[/name_u] prn [name_m]Al[/name_m]-lee instead. But we also use Gator and Alligator as pet names too. For me I like choosing the nickname I like the most but letting the “pet” name come naturally. And obviously if the nn I chose feels forced (as it did with my son) then I’ll change to the one that comes naturally.
I think it’s due to the fact that once you put as much thought into a name as some berries do, you don’t want the name they may very possibly end up being called by others to be something you really dislike.
Personally, I do have some full name - unusual nickname combinations that I love but they only go as far as [name_f]Dot[/name_f]/tie instead of Ot/tie or [name_f]Tilly[/name_f] for [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] as I think the more removed the nickname is from the actual name, the more difficult it will be to sell to other people and the more likely it will be that friends and family will come up with their own nicknames after all.
I also think that nicknames are a sign of love, you don’t tend to get called them by everyone unless it’s a super common one ([name_u]Michael[/name_u] nn [name_m]Mike[/name_m], [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] nn [name_f]Jen[/name_f], etc.), so even if I disliked the name, I’d be happy that my child is so loved by others.