Nickname vs. "long" name - your thought?

someso

Hi all! So we intend to name a girl after my grandmother, and call her Mae. But I'm wondering if we should give her a longer name (Mabel, Marion, Maron, etc.) and just call her Mae, or if Mae should be the actual name on the birth certificate. (Mae as middle name is not an option, middle name is already solid, it's my maiden name, traditional last name.) WDYT?

TaMolly

IMHO, it sounds fine either way.  So I vote for whatever feels right to you.

Emie28

There are two camps of people here. Those that like longer formal names w/ shorter nicknames and those that say just name the baby what you plan on calling her. Neither is wrong, it is just a preference.

 Personally, I like longer formal names and hate when people give their kids nicknames as names. However, Mae is not a nickname, it is fine as a stand alone even if it is short. 

It all comes down to what feels best to you. 

 

 

dbowitz

How many syllables is your last name? If you have a long last name (2 or more syllables) I would go with Mae. If you have a short 1 syllable last name, I would use a longer first name to balance it out.

How many syllables is your maiden name/baby's middle name?

someso

Thanks! I have a short name myself, so I guess I'm not really sure what it's like to ALWAYS go by a name that is not the one on your birth certificate. I wonder if that's annoying . . . like at school on the first day the teacher calls your name and you correct them and tell them what you like to be called. But maybe that's really not a big deal.

JayMOOMOO

i like marion, but i think you should say all the names with the middle name, to see if it sounds good to you.

someso

I hadn't really been thinking of syllables, interesting. Middle and last name will both be 2 syllables. DS, Daddy and I all have 4 letter first names.

chris&kendra1

As a person with a name that couldn't be shortened, I have always said I would give my child a name that could be shortened. I always hated that my friends could create their own nicknames and choose what they wanted to be called and I didn't have much of a choice. But ultimately, it's completely up to you whether you prefer the long name or the shorter name. I think both sound fine.

krissyh21

I like names with options, so would give a more formal name.

kjj834

Personally I like giving them a longer name and they have the choice of going by it or the nickname as an adult.  We are naming DD2 Margaret, but will probably call her Maggie as a child. 

zaramarie81

chris&kendra1:

As a person with a name that couldn't be shortened, I have always said I would give my child a name that could be shortened. I always hated that my friends could create their own nicknames and choose what they wanted to be called and I didn't have much of a choice. But ultimately, it's completely up to you whether you prefer the long name or the shorter name. I think both sound fine.

I can relate to this. I rarely had nn's due to my name already being fairly short/standing alone well. There are pros and cons to each... I hated having no options when there was another child with the same name (and became FirstName LastInitial) but also loved that my full name was actually the name I went by. It's really just your call! And I would say all the names out loud, especially with your ln, to see if you like how it sounds/the flow. That really helped narrow our list down.

ames71

I'm definitely a formal name with nn type of gal. I like options.

scoutkate

ames17:

I'm definitely a formal name with nn type of gal. I like options.

This. 

I do  think Mae is perfectly capable of standing alone--I wouldn't put it in the same "obvious nickname" category as Kate, for example--but I absolutely love it as a nn for Mary.  And not even knowing what the middle name would be, I can tell you that Mary would sound beautiful with it. 

LemonBlush

I like just Mae. 

LadyXaverian

If your grandmother's name was Mae, I'd name her Mae. If your grandmother's name was Mabel or Marion, I'd give her that name with Mae as a nickname.

alohamora

LemonBlush:

I like just Mae. 

 

strawberrytree

I usually prefer using a formal first name with a nn that you would call her, like in pp's example of naming her Margaret but calling her Maggie. However, that's because I don't consider Maggie to be a standalone first name. I consider Mae to be just fine as a first name on its own, so in your case I think either way could work. I'm so helpful, lol. 

wklj875

Emie28:

There are two camps of people here. Those that like longer formal names w/ shorter nicknames and those that say just name the baby what you plan on calling her. Neither is wrong, it is just a preference.

 Personally, I like longer formal names and hate when people give their kids nicknames as names. However, Mae is not a nickname, it is fine as a stand alone even if it is short. 

It all comes down to what feels best to you. 

 this. 

 

T&HLove

I like Mae. Some people think a fn should be longer, but if you like Mae, I say go for it! My name is technically a nn (Lucy/Lucille) and my dd's name is technically a nn (Greta/Margaret) I don't like Lucille or Margaret

someso

thanks for all the thoughts guys . . .although i'm still torn!

JCWhitey

I'd stick with just Mae unless YOU want to give her a longer name.

Both DH and I love the name Bear for a boy (it has a separate meaning for both of us, oddly!) but both agree that Bear is not an appropriate name for a child so we've decided on Barrett and we will call him Bear as a nn.  In that case, we're doing this just because the nn isn't a very good first name.  But Mae by itself is a great first name. 

Pictures29

I think Mae works on it's own, it's been a popular MN for long enough that I think it can branch into classy FN territory. 

jupiterthecat

SarahL77:

If your grandmother's name was Mae, I'd name her Mae. If your grandmother's name was Mabel or Marion, I'd give her that name with Mae as a nickname.

This. I'm not a fan of giving nicknames as standalone names (like Kate or Maggie) but Mae is a fine standalone name.  

Todd&Laura

Emie28:

There are two camps of people here. Those that like longer formal names w/ shorter nicknames and those that say just name the baby what you plan on calling her. Neither is wrong, it is just a preference.

 Personally, I like longer formal names and hate when people give their kids nicknames as names. However, Mae is not a nickname, it is fine as a stand alone even if it is short. 

It all comes down to what feels best to you. 

 

 

 

This 

AlphabetFish

May is a full name. I'm guessing Mae could sneak by under the same banner, as well.