I’m really torn with this name. I cannot stand the nicknames [name]Sue[/name] or [name]Susie[/name], and that always put me off [name]Susanna[/name], but I’m coming to like it more and more now. As far as nicknames go, I like [name]Sanna[/name], [name]Sosie[/name] (which I hear more often as a nickname for [name]Josephine[/name]) and [name]Sandy[/name] is fairly sweet - but I know the dreaded [name]Sue[/name]/[name]Susie[/name] will be far more obvious choices for most people. I think it’s the ‘sanna’ part that appeals to me most, but I don’t like the name [name]Sanna[/name] on it’s own, or Hosanna/[name]Josanna[/name].
In terms of alternatives, I think this is definitely my spelling preference, as I don’t like [name]Suzanna/name (my ex’s sister’s name :/), [name]Susana/name or [name]Susannah[/name]. The name [name]Shoshannah[/name] is cute, but I couldn’t see myself ever using it. And I don’t like [name]Suzanne[/name]/[name]Susanne[/name] at all.
What I’m really asking for here is your general opinions on the name [name]Susanna[/name], and whether you can ever escape from [name]Sue[/name]/[name]Susie[/name] if you use it
This name just came back to my favorites list! This is a big deal for me because I had been avoiding it with my SO last name, but I kept saying it out loud and I think it works! [name]Susanna[/name] is girlie, not THAT popular but also not out there, and it has a pretty meaning. I don’t think the [name]Susie[/name] nn is unavoidable. I teach 2 [name]Catherine[/name]/Katherines and both go by the full name. No [name]Kate[/name], [name]Katie[/name], etc. I mention it because I think that if you enforce the full name, they will be called that. As a teacher, I always ask my students if they have something they would rather I call them and then stick to it.
I think an [name]Anna[/name]/[name]Annie[/name] nn could work with [name]Susanna[/name]. [name]Sanna[/name] is cute as well.
I like it. I also like [name]Shoshana[/name], admittedly.
[name]One[/name] of the traditional nicknames for [name]Susanna[/name] is [name]Suki[/name]. That might be what people gravitate to as much as [name]Susie[/name], but I don’t know if you’d hate it any less?
There’s also [name]Zuzu[/name] but really I would probably go for the related [name]Zuzanna[/name] if I was determined to make [name]Zuzu[/name] stick and wall off any chance of [name]Susie[/name].
dindlee - The “unpopularity” was what first brought it back to my attention, as only 83 girls were given the name [name]Susanna[/name]/[name]Suzanna[/name]/[name]Susannah[/name] etc in the UK last year and I’m trying to find some less common names for my list (as I’m going to have to strike off my beloved [name]Alice[/name] and [name]Grace[/name] due to very high popularity). I definitely see what you mean with the [name]Catherine[/name] example, as I’ve known people who refused to go by a nickname and for the most part people went along with it. I like the nickname [name]Anna[/name] too, and your combo of [name]Susanna[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] is lovely
stripedsocks - I think [name]Suki[/name] is reasonable, I don’t like it but I don’t hate it either. I could deal with it. [name]Zuzu[/name], I think is adorable, but perhaps not for an older child/teen. In theory I do like [name]Zuzanna[/name], but in practice I wouldn’t use it myself.
I love [name]Susanna[/name], it’s beautiful. I know one, she goes by her full name, sometimes by Suss (only her brothers). I think [name]Sosie[/name] is an adorable nickname, I’d absolutely use that - and I don’t really like nicknames!
I know a twenty two year old [name]Susannah[/name]. She goes by [name]Sue[/name], [name]Susie[/name] or her full name. I don’t think it’d be a problem if you just wanted her to go by [name]Susanna[/name]. Like one of the above posters I know a [name]Catherine[/name] who’s just [name]Catherine[/name], no nicknames
I really love it! But I prefer [name]Susie[/name] & [name]Sue[/name] (which I find vintagey & sweet over [name]Sanna[/name]. [name]Sosie[/name] & [name]Zuzu[/name] are ok but a bit try-hard next to [name]Susie[/name].
I wouldn’t use a name if I truly disliked the most obvious nn. You can only correct everyone around you & your child for so long before they are independent in the world & might like [name]Susie[/name] anyway.
I love it! I think for the most part you can avoid the nicknames [name]Sue[/name] and [name]Susie[/name]. I’m a [name]Susan[/name](not quite [name]Susanna[/name] of course) and have been known as [name]Susan[/name] my entire life. I occasionally get [name]Susie[/name], Sus (pronounced like Suze), or [name]Zuzu[/name] but that’s only from close friends.
I think [name]Susanna[/name] is sweet, classic, and feminine without being over the top or frilly.
[name]One[/name] of my best friends from childhood is named [name]Susannah[/name] and no one calls her [name]Sue[/name] or [name]Susie[/name], only [name]Susannah[/name]. She introduces herself as [name]Susannah[/name] and so people just call her that. Anytime someone ever calls her [name]Sue[/name] or [name]Susie[/name] she politely tells them she prefers [name]Susannah[/name], and it sticks. I think it’s a very pretty name. You CAN escape middle names. [name]Just[/name] because a name has one, doesn’t mean you have to go by it.
I’ve really started to come around to [name]Susanna[/name]! Especially as a MN. I really find the [name]Susannah[/name] spelling very unappealing still, but [name]Susanna[/name]? Very sweet. I’m still not sure I love the sound, but I’m starting to like how it looks. I really like the more international variants [name]Shoshana[/name] and [name]Zuzanna[/name] ([name]Zuzu[/name] is too cute!). My favorite nns are [name]Annie[/name], [name]Zuzu[/name], and [name]Sosie[/name], and yes, I think [name]Sanna[/name] (or even the Dutch [name]Sanne[/name]) could work.
I do like [name]Susanna[/name] but I think I prefer the [name]Susannah[/name] spelling because the h gives it a completeness for me, I suppose. [name]Both[/name] spellings look correct to me though.
I really like the [name]Zuzu[/name] nickname, I think it’s adorable and would work fine on a teen. I am 18 (as are most of my friends) and I have a floor mate named [name]Christine[/name] but she goes exclusively by [name]Chrissy[/name]. I thought it odd originally because it sounded kind of childish to me, but it totally works and I don’t think about it for a second now. I think [name]Zuzu[/name] would be the same way. It may seem odd at first, but people will get used to it, and I think it’s really spunky and cute. I also think she could just go by [name]Susanna[/name] in class, for example, and then be called [name]Zuzu[/name] by your family and maybe friends as well if that suits you
[name]Sosie[/name] is pretty cute as well! And like above posters, I know Catherines who go by their full names as well as Elizabeths and the like, so it’s not outlandish to expect people to comply with just using [name]Susanna[/name]!
I don’t know about making [name]Sosie[/name]/[name]Sanna[/name] stick (as they’re less intuitive) but I definitely agree you could make [name]Susanna[/name] itself stand alone, unabbreviated. It’s a wonderful name itself.
[name]Sosie[/name] seems a little contrived though, like its specifically avoiding [name]Susie[/name] juuust enough, rather self-consciously. [name]Sanna[/name] seems fairly natural on its own though.
I adore the name [name]Susanna[/name]. However, like you, I am not thrilled with [name]Sue[/name] and [name]Suzy[/name]. If I had a chance to give the name to a daughter, I would call her by the full name most of the time, but imagine I’d sometimes call her [name]Anna[/name], [name]Sanna[/name], or more likely ‘[name]Zanna[/name].’ For people who find it necessary to call her by a nickname, I would try to steer them to use [name]Zanna[/name] or [name]Anna[/name].
Thank you all! I’m tentatively trying it out on my list now - though I’m not in love with the combo I have now, so if anyone has any better middle suggestions than [name]Susanna[/name] [name]Lily[/name] [name]June[/name] I’d love to hear them!
I love [name]Susanna[/name] although I prefer the spelling [name]Susannah[/name]. I agree it is hard to avoid nicknames and hard to dictate the nickname. My daughter’s middle name is [name]Josephine[/name]… I wanted it for a first name but had the same problem as didn’t want [name]Jo[/name] or [name]Josie[/name].
[name]Susanna[/name] [name]Lily[/name] [name]June[/name] is gorgeous! Although as [name]Susanna[/name] means [name]Lily[/name], her name would essentially be [name]Lily[/name] [name]Lily[/name] [name]June[/name].
I feel the same way about [name]Sue[/name]/[name]Susie[/name]. [name]Susanna[/name] is on my short list. I like [name]Sosie[/name], [name]Sunny[/name], [name]Zuzu[/name], Susa, and [name]Zanna[/name] as the short forms. I think what cj85 is right. Telling people what you prefer should work and [name]Susanna[/name] is so beautiful on it’s own there is no need to short form it.
My second daughter’s name (of four girls) is [name]Susannah[/name]. She loves her name. She is now a mother of her own little boy and she is the sweetest, most gentle, prettiest young woman you would ever want to meet. She was the only [name]Susannah[/name] in her school…elementary through high school. Nobody called her anything but her full name. Her nn at home was Suzzi with a short u. I could not have asked for a more adorable angelic perfect little girl. She was an angel from the moment she was born. I do like some of the nn’s mentioned on this forum. [name]Zsa[/name] [name]Zsa[/name] is cute as is [name]Sosie[/name] and [name]Suki[/name]. [name]Susannah[/name] is a beautiful name no matter which way you spell it. By the way, her full name is [name]Susannah[/name] [name]Augusta[/name] ( my middle name and a family name).
