What's the deal with Posy?

Girl Names
1

I’ve been keeping this inside for a long time, but I have to get it out: What is the deal with the name [name]Posy[/name]? Why is everyone scared to use it? Everyone seems to be in love with it, but they are terrified, so they find ‘full names’ that sound NOTHING like [name]Posy[/name], and look NOTHING like [name]Posy[/name], and say that it is a nn. Is it really? [name]Just[/name] because a website told you it is? Can you trace back to where it became an actual nn? The only full name that seems to work with [name]Posy[/name] as a nn is [name]Mariposa[/name]. Not [name]Sophie[/name], not [name]Josephine[/name], not [name]Marigold[/name]. I have nothing against those names, they’re lovely, just not my style. If you love the name [name]Posy[/name] so much, use it! Let your little girl develop her own nn as she grows, don’t lock her into constantly explaining “how they got to [name]Posy[/name]”. As to the ‘[name]Posy[/name] doesn’t grow well’ argument, I don’t buy it. I think [name]Posy[/name] would sound fine on an adult of any career path, we have a presidential candidate named [name]Mitt[/name], I think Dr. [name]Posy[/name] and [name]Lawyer[/name] [name]Posy[/name] will be fine.

This whole trend of nick naming a baby before they’re even born is a little bizzare to me. I always thought of nn’s as something that a child develops as their personality develops. I’m not writing this post to be offensive, I am ranting a little, and the rest of it is just asking why? It is a little aggravating to have searched for so long for the perfect name with meaning that is rare, and then to come into a community like this to find that you have no idea how many girls will be going by [name]Posy[/name] as a nn, so it might not be rare at all. My babies will have the most common last name in [name]America[/name], and I grew up with a very popular name and I hated always being ‘[name]Meg[/name] J’, so having a unique name to give my children that is still a ‘name’ is important to me!!

If you love [name]Posy[/name] so much, do what i’m doing and just use it! It lends itself to great nns itself like Pose and [name]Poe[/name] (incase she’s a Tomboy), and I think it’s just fantastic as it is!!! Anyone else out there using just [name]Posy[/name]?

2

I don’t think people are necesarilly scared of using [name]Posy[/name]. Fromy my persepective, I see them thinking that their daughter might want a fuller name to go by if they don’t want to go by [name]Posy[/name]. I can’t trace back when [name]Posy[/name] became an actual nickname, but using it for a [name]Josephine[/name] or [name]Sophie[/name] (not sure about [name]Marigold[/name],) makes sense. It’s like how people get [name]Polly[/name] and [name]Peggy[/name] from [name]Mary[/name] and [name]Margaret[/name]. It’s wierd, but it works. Kids can grow into a nickname if they chose, and I’m sure that if they no longer wanted to go by [name]Posy[/name], they could simply speak their minds.

Yes, [name]Posy[/name] comes with other nicknames, but if someone choses to use it as a nickname instead of a full name then they can, it’s their choice.

  • [name]Athena[/name]
3

I group [name]Josephine[/name]-[name]Posey[/name] in that group of P-rhyme nicknames…someone with a degree in linguistics would need to explain when and how this all really happened, and why the P- became the change-out letter, but they seem to stem from common names that had a shortened version, and then a rhyme with the shortened version.

[name]Margaret[/name]-[name]Meg[/name]-[name]Peg[/name] (or [name]Meggy[/name]-[name]Peggy[/name] I guess)
[name]Mary[/name]-[name]Molly[/name]-[name]Polly[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name]-[name]Josey[/name]-[name]Posey[/name]

I like [name]Posy[/name], but I would want to give a child a longer form of the name (probably [name]Josephine[/name]) because I generally prefer a longer name with some options, personal preference. I’d be cool with someone using just [name]Posy[/name].

4

I don’t like forced nns and [name]Posy[/name] is one of them for me (unless it’s short for [name]Mariposa[/name], like you said). To me it’s like saying, “This is our daughter [name]Ashley[/name], but we call her [name]Kate[/name].” The two names don’t connect at all.

5

Thank you @ lineska!! I have never understood how [name]Peggy[/name] comes from [name]Margaret[/name] until now!! That actually makes sense!

6

I’ve never understood a number of the nn’s on Nameberry, some of them are so far out there but if someone is afraid to use a name and chooses something bizarre or unrelated then to each his own. FWIW I’ve never heard of [name]Posy[/name] for [name]Mariposa[/name] and considering it’s a derogatory slang word used for gay men I wouldn’t even consider [name]Mariposa[/name] a usable name.

I think there is a history behind [name]Josephine[/name]/[name]Posey[/name] the same way there is for [name]Margaret[/name]/[name]Daisy[/name] but I don’t know what it is.

7

This is very true! I don’t have a problem with [name]Josephine[/name] nn [name]Posey[/name]. I don’t really get [name]Marigold[/name], other than [name]Posey[/name] and [name]Marigold[/name] are both flowers…

8

This made me laugh :).

Sometimes I am a bit surprised when I read people’s nns for their kids b/c they do seem like a stretch and I find myself wondering how in the heck they reached it. Thanks to @lineska for explaining the [name]Margaret[/name]-[name]Peggy[/name] connection- I never thought of that!

As someone who appreciates a good nickname, I think nicknaming just fits into some people’s naming style. I’m not a huge fan of [name]Posy[/name], but I think that people who like it might be concerned that it’s not a name that will always work for the child. When I hear [name]Posy[/name], I think of it as a “cutesy” nickname, so I don’t necessarily think it would work for an adult. If I was considering [name]Posy[/name], I would want a longer name just so that my child has other options as they go through life, just in case they decide they don’t want to go by [name]Posy[/name].

9

Exactly. :slight_smile:

I love [name]Posy[/name], but no matter the full name, if it’s been considered a nn at one point, it’s pretty much guaranteed that I’ll require a longer name. Maybe I’m a wuss, but I want my child to have options. And it’s important to me that a name is versatile enough to suit my child in whatever stage he or she is in. [name]Posy[/name] just wouldn’t suit a businesswoman or congresswoman. [name]Josephine[/name] nn [name]Posy[/name] could.

10

[name]Posy[/name] is just beautiful. I think it would work for a variety of women in different stages of life as well. It’s adorable on an infant, obviously, but I can imagine a teacher named Miss [name]Posy[/name], a councilwoman named [name]Posy[/name] [name]Gerard[/name], and a little old lady named [name]Posy[/name], too. I don’t think it is too cutesy to be taken seriously, either.

If you like it, use it, I say. My favorite name forever and ever [name]Amen[/name] is [name]Luna[/name], and most people react very positively to it (like [name]Posy[/name]) but it’s pretty uncommon for similar reasons. [name]Luna[/name] is getting more popular, and I think [name]Posy[/name] will too.

11

I guess it’s kind of strange to pick a name with the nn in mind…I almost did this for [name]Charlie[/name] but nothing felt right. I certainly wasn’t ‘scared’ to use just [name]Charlie[/name]…but I had the foresight to know that [name]Charlie[/name] could be an unfortunate name on an awkward tomboy or a girl with a mustache or something…I figured not every girl can pull off a boy name. Anyways…I guess a lot of parents shy away from names like [name]Daisy[/name] or [name]Honey[/name] or [name]Posy[/name] cause they aren’t serious sounding. I guess they don’t realize that their kids will probably be working for Brayleigh or [name]Kenzie[/name] or [name]Jayden[/name] so it’s really not a big deal!

Use [name]Posy[/name]. I hope it suits her. But Pose isn’t a good nn…like ‘strike a Pose’? Or a poseur?

12

Also, I think girls more than boys take an unusual name as a source of pride. I when I was little being insanely jealous of little [name]Marisol[/name] in my 1st grade class, and in 5th grade I met a Havillah and was jealous of her too! Sure, I fit in with the name [name]Emily[/name], but is [name]Posy[/name] really that different? I think now-a-days a little [name]Posy[/name] would grow up proud and happy to have been given the name.

13

I don’t like nn names. Why give your child the headache of constantly explaining that their name isn’t short for anything. Plus nn names take away the child’s options. What if she hates [name]Posy[/name], Pose, and [name]Poe[/name]? At least if she’s [name]Josephine[/name] she’ll have tons of nn options.

14

I don’t follow this at all. [name]How[/name] is it any more of a ‘headache’ for the child to have to constantly explain that their name isn’t their (real, legal) name, it’s just a nickname? As for the idea that nickname names ‘take away the child’s options’ - there are tons of short non-nickname names that don’t have any ‘options’ either. [name]Eve[/name], [name]Donna[/name] or [name]Heidi[/name] (just to pick three at random) don’t have many go-to nicknames, either.

I’m not a fan of [name]Posy[/name], but that’s because there’s something cutesy about it (see: [name]Maisie[/name]). Nothing to do with it being a nickname, as such. If I did like [name]Posy[/name], I’d put that on the birth certificate. [name]Josephine[/name] is not the same name/sound/vibe, at all.

15

Because [name]Posy[/name] is a long established nn people will assume that her name is [name]Josephine[/name]. I went to school with a [name]Meg[/name] and a [name]Jimmy[/name] who hated that people always assumed their names were [name]Megan[/name] and [name]James[/name]. They even said that they wished they had “real” names, especially [name]Jimmy[/name]. He was embarassed by his cutesy name. This is not the same for short names. I have a short name and nobody has ever thought it was a nn. I never wished I had a “real” name because my name is a “real” name, just short.

Short names don’t have established nn’s so you can’t miss out on options that was never there. But giving a nn as a proper name takes away the child’s option to not only use the “real” name when they feel the nn is too kiddie, but also the option to use the other nn’s that come with the “real” name. [name]Posy[/name] can’t be [name]Josephine[/name] or [name]Jody[/name] or [name]Josie[/name] or Phi/[name]Fe[/name] or [name]Jojo[/name]. But [name]Josephine[/name] can use all of those whenever she pleases.

Others can name their kid whatever they want but no child of mine would have a nn as a proper name

16

Totally agree.

17

Well, we’ll have to agree to disagree. :slight_smile: I mean, [name]Meg[/name] is traditionally a nn for [name]Margaret[/name], so if she was a [name]Megan[/name] using [name]Meg[/name] as a nn there’d be good chance that people would get it wrong anyway.

I think the idea is not to use nn names on the birth certificate that are super-cutesy. But I’ll never see the point in naming your child [name]Josephine[/name] if you’re planning on calling her [name]Jody[/name].

18

So many awesome responses, I’m on my cell so I’ll do my best to remember and respond to everything that caught my attention! But thanks for all the responses, I do appreciate everyone’s honesty! Berries are awesome!
I knew the [name]Margaret[/name]-[name]Peggy[/name] connection, my ful first name is [name]Megan[/name], and I believe the order goes [name]Marguerite[/name]-[name]Margaret[/name]-[name]Meg[/name]-[name]Megan[/name]-[name]Meggie[/name]-[name]Peggy[/name]. I was researching the history of my name once upon a time :slight_smile: So [name]Meg[/name] came before [name]Megan[/name], which would almost make [name]Megan[/name] the nn, right? All that being said, I’ve never heard of someone saying, “This is my daughter [name]Margaret[/name], we call her [name]Peggy[/name] for short.” Nope, by the time they came to [name]Megan[/name] it was different enough to become it’s own name.

[name]Posy[/name] is thought to be derived from the word Desposyni, which is a word from biblical times that was used to classify [name]Jesus[/name]’ supposed brothers and sisters, from there it became known in the form of [name]Posy[/name] Rings, an old engagement ring tradition where the ring had something inscribed on it, but was otherwise ordinary. Now it means ‘small bouquet of flowers’. I imagine at one time it was connected to [name]Josephine[/name] because it sort-of rhymed with [name]Josie[/name], but I certainly wouldn’t call it an established nn. If I met a little girl named [name]Posy[/name] I would in no way assume that it was connected to [name]Josephine[/name], and I was honestly shocked about it when I first ventured onto naming websites. Everyone that I tell in my circle of family and friends had no idea they were connected either, so I doubt everyone would assume that.

I feel that since the word [name]Posy[/name] came before [name]Josephine[/name], it deserves its respect as a real name. [name]How[/name] is it any more cutesy than [name]Zoe[/name], [name]Heidi[/name], or [name]Macy[/name]?

And yeah, I think Pose could work as a nn, Pose as in ‘strike a pose’, same way [name]Joy[/name] as in ‘have a little joy’ works as a name (I know a Dr. [name]Joy[/name] that is doing just fine and taken quite seriously), and same way [name]Fox[/name] as in ‘sly as a fox’ is becoming popular.

Emmybee, we must be kindred spirits, I was quite jealous of girls with cool names when I was younger!!

In response to the confusion about [name]Marigold[/name], I have seen it suggested a few times that since [name]Posy[/name] is just ‘a generic flower word’, it can be used for any flower name, like [name]Violet[/name], or [name]Marigold[/name], or [name]Pansy[/name]. Or, just use [name]Rose[/name] as a middle name, and a P name in the front, and you can get [name]Posy[/name]! That one makes me cringe!! Such a twisted, complicated, convoluted way to get to [name]Posy[/name].

That’s all I can type for now, I’ll go back through and make sure I didn’t miss anything. Thanks again for the responses, I love having all y’all’s POVs :slight_smile:

19

As others have stated, the nickname Posy most likely came about for Josephine because it rhymed with Josy (Josie). This is the same way that Peg evolved from Margaret (rhymes with Meg), Bill from William (rhymes with Will) and Bob from Robert (rhymes with Rob). The reason that most people wouldn’t want to give their child the full name of Posy is that it sounds very cutesy and while that works on a little girl, it’s not as suitable for a woman.

As for picking a nickname before a child is born, I don’t see anything odd about that at all. My parents picked out my nickname before I was born and now that I’m having a child, I plan on doing the same thing. I will say though that this only makes sense with established or obvious nicknames (Deciding to name your daughter Alexandra with the nickname Lexi or calling Margaret by the nickname Daisy). I think when people just come up with nicknames on their own that are a stretch (nicknaming your daughter Rose when her full name is Violet or calling Kevin by Kit because they both start wit “k”) is when it starts getting silly. If a nickname unrelated to your child’s name happens to evolve over time (a happy baby ends up being nicknamed Sunny) then that’s fine but just randomly coming up with some random nickname ahead of time does seem very forced to me.

Oh and to the people confused about how Daisy is a nickname for Margaret. Marguerite (the French version of Margaret) is also the name of a type of daisy, so the nickname evolved from that.

@mego0801 - Your comment on never having heard anyone introduce their daughter Margaret as a Peggy made me laugh. I have an Aunt Peggy whose full name is Margaret, so it wasn’t that long ago that it was still a common nickname. :slight_smile:

20

I love [name]Posy[/name]! Its adorable.