My husband and I have a few girl names that we both like and I’m fine using the one he really loves if I can use the nickname I like for it (there is meaning behind the nn but it’s not common). I don’t hate the name or anything, and I like it almost as much as the other names, I just can’t see myself using the full name much. I can picture it on an older girl/ woman, but not so much on a little girl.
He would use the full name only (he’s not into nicknames) so I’m a little concerned that the nickname might not catch on and I will regret using the full name. Thoughts?
Hmm…
I don’t think I can answer the question as I don’t know the name…!!
I mean if the name is a [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] and you like the nickname [name_f]Lizzie[/name_f] then yes that nickname will stick and your child will be known as [name_f]Lizzie[/name_f] by everyone. But if the name is [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] and you like the nickname option [name_f]Elle[/name_f] then most likely it won’t stick and your child be be known as [name_f]Maddie[/name_f].
@tori101 It’s [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f]! I just know how so many berries love the name and thought it might skew things a bit. The nickname begins with M but is not related to the name and is not popular here so I don’t want that to change how people feel about the general situation. I just think since my husband would be calling her the full name, it might seem like people should only call her by that.
I think if you consistently call her by the nn, and intoduce her by her nn, then most people will use the nn you want. You might have to remind people here and there that although her name is [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f], she goes by ________.
I think if the nickname isn’t natural to the full name and both parents aren’t using it, it might seem like others aren’t supposed to use the nickname, like it is a pet name between you and her. I guess you could introduce her as [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f], we call her [name_f]Millie[/name_f] (or whatever it is) to encourage use of the nn
See if the little girl’s daddy is calling her [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] I think it might me difficult to politely correct people. Also that will go out the window if she begins to introduce herself by [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f]. Whether she uses the nickname at all depends I think on how intent the OP is on using the nickname. My hubby likes nicknames and I prefer the full name. Because I’m always using the full name he finds himself using it as well.
I have had many names on my list that my hsuband could not agree on the pronunciation of. I asked several people for their take on names that parents do not say the same and the impression I get from people who grew up with each parent saying the name differently or calling them by different names is that it is no big deal. so, since it ultimately matters what your child feels about it, I think that solves one issue.
As for the issue of how YOU feel about it, I don’t think your concerns about the nickname need to worry you unless the nickname is also three syllables. Ultimately i would hope your child gets to decide one day what she prefers to be called, and you will be ok with whatever her choice is. in the meantime, if i was in your shoes, the only thing that would bother me is not having my own preference officially represented in the naming. in my case i was able to find a middle ground by settling on a first name that i really like but am not in love with because i found a middle name i am in love with that makes the two names wonderful together.
I tend to agree with io and Gwensmom. Unless you are adamant about the nn when someone says it wrong. Then again, your dd might just be the one to choose for you. Kids do that
Is it maisie? I know that is a nn for [name_f]Margaret[/name_f], so that is the first name I thought of.
I think this is workable based on my personal experience but I’m not sure I would count on it…if you need it to be so. My daughter’s name is Bened1kte and she is pretty much exclusively called [name_f]Bea[/name_f] (or the [name_m]German[/name_m] diminutive Biechen) by her father and exclusively Biechen by her paternal grandparents. I can call her all three. [name_f]Bea[/name_f] is not super intuitive to Bened!kte but reasonable and has a nice family story behind it. No one ever bats an eye when we introduce her as Bened1kte but qualify that she is often called [name_f]Bea[/name_f]. Now in [name_f]Canada[/name_f], Biechen is extremely difficult to pronounce for English speakers the “chen” sounds like “hee-en” with a gutteral utterance (I hope this makes some sense), but even so, it poses no problems and it is kind of cute listening to all her English family try to say it. I think [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] is just gorgeous and a reasonable nickname will likely catch on, even if it is not the most expected one, especially if it starts with M. (No one ever calls our daughter [name_u]Bennie[/name_u]).
Awww Biechen is adorable, kkrvf. I’m also [name_m]German[/name_m] living in [name_f]Canada[/name_f]
To the OP: My little sister is A!sha nn Uschi (pushy without the p). Completely un-intuitive, but the family and anyone around the family for long enough uses it if you call her that, others will too, but maybe it would be better to just pick a full name you love.
Thank you all for the replies! The nn is [name_f]Maple[/name_f] and of course I would be supportive of whatever she eventually chose to go by as it’s her name. I just would rather have a nn in place so if she didn’t want to go by [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f], she might be more apt to go by [name_f]Maple[/name_f] than another more generic nickname.
Although, fortunately, [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] and its variations have a lot of great options so that helps. I just hated growing up with a name that other people had (though only like 1 or 2 in school) so if my kids feel that way, I want them to have another option that feels like it is unique to them.
@kkrvf my daughter’s nickname is [name_u]Bay[/name_u] and we sometimes call her [name_f]Bea[/name_f] as she called herself that for a while. Very cute!
I think that [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] nn. [name_f]Maple[/name_f] could catch on if you dedicate to calling her that.
I don’t think that you should name a child what they will be called. My childhood nickname was O’wild. Because of my initials. I wouldn’t want to have that on a resume.
[name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] is a perfectly lovely name and [name_f]Maple[/name_f] is a fresh and wonderful nickname.
Daddy’s opinion often Has a lot of sway with little girls. I have name that has more than 1 common nickname. My Mom wanted to use one of the nicknames and my Dad the other. I can best illustrate by example though this is not my actual name.
The given name - [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] [name_f]Anne[/name_f]. Dad liked [name_f]Vicky[/name_f] and Mom wanted to use [name_f]Tori[/name_f]. I used both when small but by the time I reached school age, I chose Dad’s nickname because his opinions held more sway than my Mom’s at the time. Mom still calls me [name_f]Tori[/name_f] but the world knows me as [name_f]Vicky[/name_f].
I think [name_f]Maple[/name_f] is adorable. Really, I think only by testing it out will you be able to find out what will happen. I think if you call her [name_f]Maple[/name_f], and [name_u]Bay[/name_u] calls her [name_f]Maple[/name_f], and the world calls her [name_f]Maple[/name_f], [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] will feel like a special nn from Dad. I think if you and OP agree to have [name_u]Bay[/name_u] call her [name_f]Maple[/name_f], then everyone will call her [name_f]Maple[/name_f]. I think if [name_u]Bay[/name_u] calls her [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] it will be like [name_f]Maple[/name_f] is a special nn you have for her that everyone else shouldn’t use.
I think that’d be fine! I think the non-nicknamers like your husband will say [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f], and I think the nicknamers will call her [name_f]Maple[/name_f] (or [name_f]May[/name_f] or [name_f]Mags[/name_f] if they’re feeling creative—I sometimes play with nns for fun, even if I generally call the person by their family’s preferred name/nn). And honestly, even if it is just your special name for her, that will be a lovely thing to share.
if you call her that, others will too, but maybe it would be better to just pick a full name you love.
