Theodore or Jude - and the NN question

cortney227

Baby boy is due any freaking
day now and we are still hemming and hawing between two names- Theodore and Jude. Middle name will either be Martin or Arthur, both are family names.
Big sister is Lucy.

This ain't rocket science yet both names seem to be causing trouble for us at every turn. We've had the same stupid discussions about these names for what seems like at least 80 weeks now. 

1) If we choose Theodore we still have to settle the Teddy/ Theo question. My husband will definitely want to call him Teddy and I would probably end up doing the same ---especially when he's a baby. It's what we've been calling him while
he's been baking.

But I also like Theo a lot and wonder if it might be a more appropriate name out there in the world? I love O ending names like Arlo, Leo and Milo so Theo checks that box.
Could we call him Teddy at home as a term of endearment but introduce him as Theo ? Or does that just seems kind of crazy. The boy would have 3 names.

Also, if we stuck with Teddy, could we introduce Lucy and Teddy without people thinking they are characters in a British children's book or a twee Brooklyn-based organic kids clothing line? 

2) If we pick Jude both my husband and I are worried we will be naturally
temped to search out a NN for him and he will end up as a Judy. There's just not many other places
to go with Jude. It's seems to come natural to us to want to elongate a one syllable name. But maybe we'd get over that urge it once he's here.


So clearly overthinking this but I'm fat and miserable and have some
time on my hands.

Your thoughts are appreciated.

g8trkim

I like Jude better. Theodore is a great name but I hear it frequently. FWIW we have Grant and have never called him Granty or any other NN.

Latina211508

Both are nice names. I personally like Theodore a little more. Even though I do hear the name a lot I have never met one personally. I don't think its a big deal if he has different nicknames. I call my kids several little nicknames at home. When I introduce them to anyone I always do so with their full first name. 

bbiutmcph

I much prefer Jude it's more refreshing and I just like it better overall. I can't imagine it would get a nn unless it was something unrelated. It's 4 letters and doesn't have a natural nn. Both my boys have short 5 letter names and we don't add y to them and only occasionally does te one get shorter and it's not a natural or common short version just a random thing that happened. The only thing is I do get a Beatles vibe with Lucy and Jude. 

SmrBrd2012

I think you're definitely overthinking the NN thing. A NN may or may not come naturally and I don't think it's worth worrying about until he's here. I would go with whatever full name you like better. I do like Theodore better because there are more options for NNs he could go by.

WildWhat

Both names are great, and whichever you choose, I'm sure it will feel perfectly right so soon you won't be able to imagine him with the other name!

As far as nicknames, I would say avoid any name that's connected to a nickname you hate. (My husband and I, for example, gave up on Robin because we really don't like Rob). The truth is, you will only control his nn for so long--before you know it, your son will be telling you what he prefers to be called! 

I hardly ever say this, but maybe best to wait until you see him to decide? 

jenna8984

Isn't Jude generally a nickname for Julian? Are you interested in naming him Julian and calling him Jude? Also my name is 3 letters long and I had plenty of nicknames.

Rshapiro86

I think you're overthinking it. Personally, I like Jude better. My DS is Judah and we can him Jude a lot. Jude doesn't need a nn IMO since it's so short.

Like pp suggested maybe wait until he's born to decide? Maybe one name will stand out to you once you see him.

jillie127

I like both.  I'm more in the camp of name them what you're going to call them.  So, if you're going to call him Ted, name him Ted and not Theodore.  But, I really like Teddy as a nickname, it's so cute.  I don't like Theo.  Jude is nice too, I don't hear it often.  Choose what feels right to you.  You're the Momma, you'll know!

ashleyandely

I like Jude better but you can't go wrong. 

KaLikeAWind

I like Jude, but they're both fine. I also think you're over thinking the nn thing. A nn is something that happens organically, you don't really plan for them. You can have every intention of using Theo, and then end up calling him T-Man because his favorite action hero is Superman. 

m8881

Love both. My oldest is Albert and we called him only Albie for the first 2 yrs until he made it VERY clear he wants the full name only. Lol. He's 6.5 now and doesn't go by any nicknames except at home. It will probably change again at some point as he gets older. 

There is no reason you can't decide once he's born and see which you feel fits better. Both my kids just gave off a different vibe even so young. 

milaura85

I like them both!  I prefer Theo as a nickname over Teddy.  But why can't he have two nicknames:)

I used to know a child named Julian who had the nickname JuJu.  It was cute and I am sure he just went by Julian as he got older.  Could you do the same with Jude?

mindaa

One of the reasons for our boy name was that DH is big on NN's and wanted to have a good one. Plus, I'm not a big fan of one syllable names in general.
Similar to you,  we have two NN options. We picked one to introduce him by, though (oddly) DH now mostly calls LO by his full name. If the current NN doesn't catch on, we're totally open to using the other. LO is only 8 months, so we figure there is plenty of time to work it all out. Soon enough, LO will have his own opinion on what he calls himself.
Anyway, doesn't really answer your question, but agree that maybe just pick your favorite full name and let the NN work itself out!

PhoebeJune1984

I like Jude. And he can have a nickname without it being his actual name. My daughter has a short name, and she has a nickname that has nothing to do with her name. It is just something that happened naturally after she was born. Actually, we have three nicknames for her, and none of them have to do with her name. 

susykat77

I LOVE Theodore and a double nn is just fine by me. Jude is nice too but no nn sits well with me. Not a fan of Judy. I know a woman made Judith with the nn of Jude.  

little_bren

I like Jude Arthur. I don't understand Theodore at all. It reminds me of Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore the chipmunk.

cortney227

little_bren said:

I like Jude Arthur. I don't understand Theodore at all. It reminds me of Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore the chipmunk.

Ha well Theodore the chipmunk was def not the coolest of chipmunks- but Teddy Roosevelt was a pretty bad ass president who created the national park system- so that was actually a definite plus for us in its favor.
Also the mustache. 

cortney227

My biggest hesitation with Theodore is that while I love Teddy and Theo- and I could even get behind Ted if need be--I don't think I'd be thrilled it if he came home from school demanding to be Theodore. 

And it's true you can't predict what they are going to come up with

But at the same time I think the full name is probably important. 

magsugar13

love jude
hate teddy

holli0801

Love Theo. Teddy is cute while young, but Theo grows better I think. And I think it is just fine as a stand alone name. Jude is nice too. I don't think you need a nn. I don't think the Beatles thing is negative, but I do see it... 

linzandjer11

Could JJ be a nn for Jude even though those aren't his initials? I love nickname options too, and love Theodore for that reason. DH calls our son Booger (still) and that's totally not his real name. Haha! 

maebydaisy

I love Jude and I even think Judy is a cute nickname for him when he's young. I like Theo too, but I really don't like Teddy.

TNgoldengirl

I know a Jude and Lucy sibset. They compliment each other nicely.
However, I prefer Theodore, and you could use both nicknames. Maybe Teddy at first and then Theo when he's a bit older. But he'll probably have an opinion on that, too!
In your case since he's almost here, I think it'd be cool to meet him and decide then what fits, if that's an option. 

TheHauntedHauswife

I think the Theodore NN issue isnt as big of an issue as you think. Call him Teddy. Introduce him as his name, Theodore. When hes older if he opts for Theo than so be it. I would imagine no matter what you call him, he would end up being called all three, and honestly thats kinda neat that his name is very adaptable and versatile. My BIL is Charles, Most of the time goes by Charlie, DH calls him Chuck sometimes even though no one else does. I know another Charles/Charlie that has gone by Chuckie with other friends. I think people just kind of come up with their own terms of endearment no matter what you do.

That being said, Jude could be short for Judah. 

cortney227

Hi guys thanks for all the feedback. Baby boy
was born last week and we decided to go with Theodore "Teddy" Martin. 
In the end my husband was still a bit iffy on Jude but definitely willing to go that way if I wanted it. He however loved Theodore.
I really liked both names. I had a slight leaning toward Jude but not enough to make me go to the mat for it.  

Anyway, he was born huge and cuddly so Teddy definitely suits him for now! 

aldarr

Congrats and I just wanted to say I love your choice in names! I am pregnant with our 3rd who is a boy (we have two girls) and we are going between Theodore and Jude as well (and if it was a girl we were going to name her Lucille with nn Lucy) so I had to laugh when I saw this post. :-)