Curious Question: Opinion

rikkiandjulie · May 2009

I am in no place to have a child, but I have an obsession with names, and since I've been board, I've been posting over here, hey nothing wrong with an extra opinion huh?

However, I have a question. If people intend on calling there child by Lilly or Sofie, or Emmy, why not just name them that, why do they need the full name if it's not even going to be used except for formality? I'm just curious as to your opinions behind this.

angiec418 · May 2009

My name is one of those names. I don't go with the formal one though. Only at the doctor, bank, etc because I have to fill out the paperwork like that.

I guess naming kids like that gives the child an opportunity later in life to make the choice of going by the nickname or formal name. Maybe the parents didn't plan on calling them by a nickname and it just happened. idk.

jebuell · May 2009

A lot of people put their child's future into consideration. Lilly may work with them for their entire life, but if they decide to run for a pubic office or something they may choose to use Lillian instead for the formality.

But not all parents do this. Some do name their child Sofie or Emmy or Lilly. It's just personal preference. There's nothing wrong with those names (except Emmy... for some reason that name just doesn't work for me as a full name).

I'd actually be very interesting in seeing a study that sees if the full name thing is really effective. If people would really take a "Lillian" more seriously than a "Lilly". (To Google I Go!)

mfransdell · May 2009

Well I think some people have full intentions of calling their child the full formal name, say Katherine, but after a while they call her Katie and it sticks. Also, some names, like Lilly or Lucy or Ben, sound great as stand alone names while others like JoJo just wont be taken seriously.

Dancer6978 · May 2009

I wonder this, too. ?I don't want to name my child anything that has a typical nickname, for this reason. ?My feeling is, if you like the nn, just use it instead. I can see doing it for a "junior," however, to differentiate from the "senior."

mfransdell · May 2009

Also, I should add i'm partial to NN's because my name can't be shortened and i always wished I had a cutesy nickname growing up.

calex33 · May 2009

I agree with PPs (i.e the nn may be great for a child, but not for an adult, the parents may have every intention of using the formal name, but it gets shortened along the way, etc.). ?Another reason is found in my poll above this post. ?DH and I both want to honor family members, but don't "love" the formal names, so we are considering using nn.

rikkiandjulie · May 2009

Dancer6978:
I wonder this, too. I don't want to name my child anything that has a typical nickname, for this reason. My feeling is, if you like the nn, just use it instead. I can see doing it for a "junior," however, to differentiate from the "senior."

This. is. how. i. feel.

EXL311 · May 2009

I think it's good to have a more formal name to use when a child chooses to. We named DS Elijah planning on calling him Eli (as well as Elijah) and we've ended up calling him Elijah more than anything. My parents planned on naming me Dee Dee before choosing the more formal name Deirdre. I'm glad I have Dee Dee to use with friends but I much prefer Deirdre for more official purposes.

teamla2000 · May 2009

I think you should give a child a name they can be proud of that will not hinder them in any way from being whatever they want to be (and no, I don't believe a really determined, smart woman with a "silly nickname name" couldn't be a judge, but why make the name a possible obstacle, or make it so people roll their eyes whenever they have been assigned to her court?). ?I would just want someone to feel they have a name that fits them and who they are, and giving a standard name as the legal name will let them do that since they'll have options.

Whether they have a more formal version of a name or not won't affect how their friends and family see them, but it will affect others' impressions, and may affect how they see themselves.?

wheelenl · May 2009

Ditto what everyone said. What really irks me is why anyone would name someone one name and then have their child go by their middle name. This happened to several of my friends and it causes problems your whole life, AND because of post-9/11 rules, you can't just drop your first name when you get married if you go by your middle name, without going to court.

thatgirlang · May 2009

So they have options when they're older. What the parents want to call a child eventually won't matter. They may choose to go by their formal name for professional reasons or simply because they like it more.

My family and friends call me Angie/Ang and have all my life. But I am so glad that my legal name is Angela and not Ang, just because that's what my parents wanted to call me when I was a kid.

Temp159135562506975 · May 2009

i think it's nice to have choices with your name. My name is Gail and I always hated that it was "just Gail" - no NN to go with it, etc.

Aligator28 · May 2009

My mom wanted me to be called "Ali," and my dad wanted me to have a formal name, so they chose Alicia. I have always disliked Alicia, mostly because no one has ever (I mean - ever) called me Alicia. The only time I have ever used Alicia is at doctors offices, taxes, job applications, etc. I just wish that if it were their intentions to call me Ali, and everyone else to call me that, to have just named me that and forgo the "formal" name. It is such a pain to me to explain that I go by Ali, and still have people call me Alicia.

smismar · May 2009

My given name is a nickname and I find myself constantly wishing my parents had named me Antonia or Antoinette instead of just Toni. I get asked ALL the time what my "real" name is - and that gets pretty old after the first ten thousand times. I also don't think nicknames are appropriate on resumes and job applications and I always feel that having such a name is a detriment and I was less likely to be taken seriously.

LMS05 · May 2009

mfransdell:
Also, I should add i'm partial to NN's because my name can't be shortened and i always wished I had a cutesy nickname growing up.

I'm the opposite. My name doesn't have a nickname and I loved/love that people call me one name and that's it. My parents and brother don't have nns and even my cousins and aunts/uncles don't have nns. I don't want to give my child a name that has a nn. I actually feel strange calling people names other than their full name. My friend Jena goes by Jen sometimes, but I never call her that. I just didn't grow up hearing nns so they are kinda strange to me.?

rebus82 · May 2009

My name is a "nickname" name, and I wish it was the longer non-diminutive version. I think having a formal name isn't a bad thing when it comes to job applications and such. Even though it's not an indicator of performance, names really are the first impression of someone when all you know of them is a piece of paper. Benjamin just looks more professional than Benji.?

newportbride715 · May 2009

Well, my whole family usually calls DS Lukie but I don't think that would work. lol

I think ppl want their kids to have options. Maybe a cute name works as a child but when she grows up she may want a more sophisticated, full name. I personally think they usually look better on resumes and wedding invitations as well.

TripMomma · May 2009

I am with you...we named Lily "LILY" because that is what we planned to call her.

I also love Sophia but hate sophie.

berryblndgirl · May 2009

I like full names because I think they look more professional on resumes, etc. It's personal preference.

PunkyBooster · May 2009

It depends on the name. Putting Sofie, Izzy, or Emmy on a medical school application or resume isn't very alluring, is it?

karelaorange · May 2009

I know this may sound harsh, but I personally find it selfish when parents choose a nickname over a real name. It's like choosing a child's career for them; yes, you may prefer they go into medicine over acting, but you can't make that decision for them. Likewise, I don't think you get ultimate say in what your child is called. My parents named me Allison and intended to call me Ally; I hated that nickname and they stopped using it when I got older. If they had just named me Ally I'd be stuck with a name I hate. If you give a more formal name you allow them to play with it when they're older. This is also the reason I like names with multiple nickname possibilities.

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