Have you ever heard of someone whose official name is a nickname choosing to go by the long form?
This is the first time I put an issue surrounding my own name towards Nameberry, so I’m a bit nervous. My parents gave me an unusual nickname-name (think “[name_u]Jori[/name_u]” for [name_f]Marjorie[/name_f]) as my official first name.
I love my name, but I do think that the more classic-sounding long form would suit me much better, and I would like to have a more formal-feeling name as I enter adulthood. My parents have always told me that they wanted me to have the option to use [name_f]Marjorie[/name_f] if I wanted to. The problem now is that all my official documents say [name_u]Jori[/name_u], not [name_f]Marjorie[/name_f], so it would seem strange to start introducing myself as [name_f]Marjorie[/name_f]. I don’t want people to think I am masquerading under false colours…!
What would you do in these circumstances?
([name_u]Jori[/name_u]/[name_f]Marjorie[/name_f] is not my real name, by the way - just a stylistic stand-in. I would rather not reveal my real name.)
Here’s the thing that would be fine expect people will then most likely start calling you [name_u]Jori[/name_u] on impulse for a nickname. So if you are bothered by the nickname then I wouldn’t however if not I don’t think there is an issue.
If I was you I would change it to a similar longer name eg. [name_f]Margery[/name_f] or [name_f]Mariah[/name_f].
Thank you for your response! I would be happy for people to continue calling me by the nickname - it’s really just that I would like a formal name for certain contexts. I don’t want people to think it’s unnatural or pretensious that I introduce myself as a name that isn’t on my birth certificate, however! I guess I could legally change it, but I’m not sure I want to go through the lengthy process, or cause any distress in the family.
I think you can start introducing yourself and signing new documents with the long form and see how it goes. Since you still love your nicknamey name, friends and family (or anyone who already knows you) can still go with that. I know plenty of people that go by something entirely different than their legal first name (sometimes their middle name and sometimes not). Since your parents mentioned wanting you to have options, I doubt they’d be terribly upset.