Does Betty age well?

muybueno

Our frontrunner girl name is Elizabeth, but we would call her Betty. Obviously, this name works for adult women, as it's associated with women of our grandmothers' generation. And I think most people think it's an "adorable" nn for a little girl, but do you see a middle school or HS-aged Betty? In other words, would it be weird on a pre-teen or teen?

Bringmemylongswordho

Betty as a nickname is fine for any age.

penelope4612

Yeah I think it's fine.  But there are a lot of NN options for Elizabeth so if it doesn't fit you'll find something else I'm sure.

muybueno

penelope4612 said:

Yeah I think it's fine.  But there are a lot of NN options for Elizabeth so if it doesn't fit you'll find something else I'm sure.

That's part of the prob- I don't like any of the (many) other nn's for Elizabeth. If she decided against Betty, my preference would be to just call her Elizabeth. And since teenager girls always do what their mothers want, I'm sure I'll get my way...

16isourluckynumber

If you actively dislike all of the other (more common) nns for Elizabeth, I might think twice about using the name, because they really seem inevitable... Like if someone calling her Liz or Beth is going to drive you crazy, I would steer towards something with fewer land mines.  

kmvisioli

I think I can picture a middle school or high school aged Betsy more than a Betty.

bbiutmcph

Betty works fine.

You can always call her Betty or Elizabeth. But it is possible others will use a different nn including herself. I'm a Jennifer. I've been Jenna since second grade to everyone except my Mother and a couple others who call me Jennifer only. If that is something that would bother you I would rethink the name.

gonetothesea

Betty is great for any age. I love it.

DunkinDecaf

16isourluckynumber said:

If you actively dislike all of the other (more common) nns for Elizabeth, I might think twice about using the name, because they really seem inevitable... Like if someone calling her Liz or Beth is going to drive you crazy, I would steer towards something with fewer land mines.  

^This. DD's name is a version of Elizabeth, but we don't like many variations of the name either so we just named her the shortened version we liked as her actual name so she couldn't change it.

eta: Betty is adorable at any age.

magsugar13

Funny i think of betty as an old woman name...

ckettenb

I have a 35ish year old friend named Betty.  She's my age, so I basically consider her 20.  (forever)   Anyway - Betty totally works for her. 

ashleyandely

I actually dislike Betty in general and can only picture an old lady. 

BlueJuice

As an Elizabeth myself, I think Betty is fine at whatever age. But I agree with PPs that you can expect nicknames to crop up seemingly out of nowhere: I've gone by Elizabeth, Beth, and Liss at various points. I'm pretty sure my mother was only excited about Elizabeth. 

KyleeWaller

I agree that other NN's would be inevitable, either from friends or other relatives. However, I know of a few people who are called their full name by just their mom, so I don't think it would be a big deal if just you called her Elizabeth. It would be more of whether or not you had an issue with other people referring to her as Eliza or Beth.

scotten

I have a friend named Bethany who goes by Betty (maybe a different option from Elizabeth?). She's in her 20's, and I can't imagine calling her anything else. Definitely works for her!

CaboBride2015

I can't picture Betty under the age of 70

SmrBrd2012

I can see it working on a little girl or an old woman. Nothing in between.

SnarkasaurusRex

I teach high school and have taught two Elizabeth's that went by Betty. No one ever acts like they have 'grandma names.' It should work fine.

But, I agree with PPs that if you're wary of other NNs, you might want to rethink Elizabeth.

jaymicans

Love Betty as an NN to Elizabeth.  We recently named our daughter's middle name Elizabeth b/c I couldn't stand some of the NN's out there that might have become her go by name later in life.  Love Birdie, Betty and Betsy for Elizabeth! I personally call my daughter Birdie! One of my favorite people I admire is a Betty who is 71 years young!