Anyone else NOT like names with nicknames?

SummerMama12 · November 2011

I see a lot of nickname discussion here and I wonder if I am the only one who gravitates toward names without common nicknames or shortened forms?

This is based on my own name - a classic name with a common nickname (Think Elizabeth = Lizzie - not really my name but a perfect analogy). No complains there. Problem is, when you grow up being known by the short form as a kid, it's very difficult to "grow out" of it as an adult. So, as an adult woman with a professional job, I still have people (mostly outside work) calling me "Lizzie". It makes me feel like a little kid, but it's not something you can easily stop without seeming rude or pretentious. Somehow, "I go by Elizabeth now," seems like it would come off kind of snotty at a family dinner. kwim?

When we named our son, we were very conscious of that and did not consider names that would likely be shortened by others. I still kind of have that hangup while naming our baby to be. Am I the only one who is anti-nickname?

HannahO28 · November 2011

I'm a nicknamer, but you're not alone. there's plenty of people that don't like them and actively seek for names without a shortened version.

Eliesc2 · November 2011

I am not really a fan of nns. I think they are cute and all that, but I want to be able to call my child by their given name, not a shortened version.

MrsWindyCity · November 2011

I don't mind nicknames, but I don't understand all the discussion and pre-selection of them. I mean, I understand if you are trying to think of potentially BAD NNs that would sway you from a name. But other than that, I think NNs should come about organically and not be set before the kid's even born.

mswood1977 · November 2011

I am not a fan of nns either. My style is to name a child what you want the child to be called. Which is why I also don't like it when parets don't use a kids first name but instead calls them by their middle name (my DH's parents did this).

hmr22 · November 2011

I agree with you completely, my DH & I will only name our children names that don't have a nn.

AshleyC0117 · November 2011

I completely dislike nicknames! I will definitely always call my child by their full name and discourage others from using nicknames (which I know can only go so far... once they are older and in school you can't control it). I'm trying to choose names that don't have nicknames for this reason. Glad I'm not alone!

addison_clark · November 2011

DH and I try to choose names that have no nn possiblity. I don't want to agonize over picking the perfect name only to call them something different. I named them Evan and Audrey bc I like those names and want ppl to call them that!

leolyns · November 2011

Eliesc2:
I am not really a fan of nns. I think they are cute and all that, but I want to be able to call my child by their given name, not a shortened version.

This is how DH's mom is. She thinks that if you want to call a child by their nn, then you should have named them the shortened version.

I could go either way though - finding a name that doesn't have a nn or finding one that does.

mommybrynn · November 2011

I absolutely HATE nicknames. DD is Annabel and goes by Annabel. I know that when she gets older she may choose to go by Anna or Belle, but to me, she is always going to be Annabel. I actually tend to stay away from names that have nicknames because I despise them so much. For example, I love James but hate Jim or Jimmy. I would never use the name because I wouldn't want to battle the nicknames that come with it.

magsugar13 · November 2011

I can never understand the people who say I want to name my child A so I can call them B....I just dont get it never will. If a nn happens then ok, but to intentionally name a child something just because of a nn to me is really out there.

ldoo · November 2011

SummerMama12:
I see a lot of nickname discussion here and I wonder if I am the only one who gravitates toward names without common nicknames or shortened forms?

This is based on my own name - a classic name with a common nickname (Think Elizabeth = Lizzie - not really my name but a perfect analogy). No complains there. Problem is, when you grow up being known by the short form as a kid, it's very difficult to "grow out" of it as an adult. So, as an adult woman with a professional job, I still have people (mostly outside work) calling me "Lizzie". It makes me feel like a little kid, but it's not something you can easily stop without seeming rude or pretentious. Somehow, "I go by Elizabeth now," seems like it would come off kind of snotty at a family dinner. kwim?

When we named our son, we were very conscious of that and did not consider names that would likely be shortened by others. I still kind of have that hangup while naming our baby to be. Am I the only one who is anti-nickname?

I have a friend who didn't want her daughter to have a nickname. So they named her Bree. Short and simple. Everyone calls her Bree Bird.

sweetpea2003 · November 2011

Meh, I am indifferent.

I have one child who goes by a nickname (she goes by Kate and her name is Katherine) and I have one child with a nickname proof name (Connor).

I'm not too worried about Kate "outgrowing" her nickname. It would be fine on a professional woman just like it is fine on her as a 2 year old. I don't see the big deal about little Lizzie going professionally as Elizabeth and as Lizzie to her friends. My husband is Johnny to me and lots of our close friends and family. Professionally, he is John. There isn't an issue.

But if it is something you want to avoid - more power to you!

hmp1 · November 2011

I don't have strong feelings either way on nn. My DH goes by his nn, my name doesn't have a nn, and my son goes by his given name.

I am not a fan of naming a child the nn instead of the full name because you plan to call him the nn. Example: Nick. Nicholas is a mouth full for a kid but it is a more professional option for an adult.

BFab11 · November 2011

One of my naming criteria is no obvious nicknames. That's why, along with popularity, I have vetoed DH's suggestions of Catherine and Madelyn.

drunkindonuts · November 2011

I don't like the hype over nns either. I actually dislike most nns and will most likely end up choosing a name that has a nickname and just discourage people from using them (which is probably somewhat unavoidable)

kim1989 · November 2011

I dont mind nicknames at all but I dislike when people want to use a nn and try to think of a name just to use a nn

megs52881 · November 2011

I am the opposite. I don't like names if they don't have nicknames. It is hard to give a baby such a big name. I like names that have nicknames when they are little and then can turn into the full name if they get older, if they would like.

Ivana_Stolichnaya · November 2011

Eh...I end up calling my child all sorts of nicknames that have nothing to do with her name.

Binky-Bee is one...where did I come up with that gem?

alohamora · November 2011

MrsWindyCity:
I don't mind nicknames, but I don't understand all the discussion and pre-selection of them. I mean, I understand if you are trying to think of potentially BAD NNs that would sway you from a name. But other than that, I think NNs should come about organically and not be set before the kid's even born.

I feel this way as well. I consider what nns can come from a full name, but I don't choose a name for the sole purpose of making sure the child goes by a specific nn or choose the nn beforehand.

BrideBuddies · November 2011

I grew up with the same situation you described.. ex.. Elizabeth/Lizzie. I was always "Lizzie" until I went to college and made a conscious choice to switch to "Elizabeth." It was a very easy transition since very few people knew me when I walked onto my college campus.

Yes, there are still people from my hometown that will always see me as Lizzie. But that's okay. They find it weird to call me Elizabeth, and frankly, it's weird to hear them say it. Even my mom tries to remember to call me that now, but it just sounds odd for her to do it.

Another friend of mind decided to start going by his "given" name when he was in his late 20s. Now THAT was awkward and weird for everyone since he's already established business friendships, etc.

brookelynpaisley · November 2011

Most of our names don't have nicknames. My husband goes by one, but I'm not a fan, personally. The only name I can really think of with a NN that is our current front-runner is Calvin, but we both see the NN Cal as pretty mature as far as NNs go

kygirlie113 · November 2011

magsugar13:
I can never understand the people who say I want to name my child A so I can call them B....I just dont get it never will. If a nn happens then ok, but to intentionally name a child something just because of a nn to me is really out there.

Yes, this completely. One of my biggest pet peeves.

hewinked · November 2011

I'm not against nicknames, but I don't get the "we'll name kid this, but call kid this" mentality. Why not just name the kid that in the first place? And you make perfect sense in trying to grow out of a nickname. I have a cousin named Barbara and a cousin named Catherine. They were Barbie and Cathy growing up. As they aged, they wanted to be Barb and Catherine. They got a lot of crap from family about it. My mom still calls Barb Barbie, and she's in her mid to late 30's.

I agree that nicknames should come naturally, and it will probably happen as they grow up. So we stay away from names with potential nicknames that we don't like. For instance, I like the name Kimberly, but I'm not a fan of Kim and hate Kimmy. So that will never be a name we use.

queenbone · November 2011

I'm the opposite because my name is un-nicknameable. I like to choose names that give a person options since I never had any.

One son goes by his nn most of the time, and the other one we haven't used the nn yet.

Mrs.Deputy · November 2011

I don't mind nn's at all, but the names I've chosen aren't really nicknameable...but if you name your kid "Zachary" with the intention of calling him "Zack", I really don't see that as being a problem. I don't really understand the hatred. Now if you name your kid "James" knowing that you'll call him "Bubba", I don't understand that.

getnmarried910 · November 2011

Lurker here, but I'm not a fan of nicknames either. Our son's name could technically be shortened to Eli, and DH's grandma tried. She stopped when DH told her his name was Elijah, and as long as she wanted to be a part of his life, she'd call him that. He was kind of joking, she's 87, so we wouldn't actually keep our kids from her, but it got the point across. I don't call my husband Nick like most people do, I call him Nicholas. I don't mind cutesy nicknames that are used at home, but not shortening of names. DS has already been called Eli by people, and he gets really mad and tells them his name is Elijah.

bwralc · November 2011

A lot of people feel this way. I however like another poster never had any options with my name and while it's nice (Andrea) I hated that I couldn't have a nickname. Some girls go by Andie(Andy) but I hated that it made my name more masculine so I always went by Andrea or Ang which a childhood friend came up with even though it's short for Angela. When we named my daughter I wanted her to have options and I asked a lot on here what the nicknames were for certain names if it was a name I never met someone with.

We call her Olivia 98% of the time but our pet name for her is Livie or Livie Lulu which I love. I've also asked this bored what other nicknames could be for names I like, but nicknames I hate like Madelyn or one of it's other spellings :P because I hate Mady and many people came up with a nickname that I liked that I wouldn't have thought of myself.

I don't get what people mean by if you pick a nickname that they won't be called that. If I introduce my daughter as Olivia and someone starts calling her Ollie I correct them and just say "Oh we call her Livie for short" everyone thinks that's no big deal and calls her Livie. I'm not a brat about it and act like it's no big deal so they just say oh sorry and start calling her by her nickname. I can see when she gets to school she may just get a certain nickname or pick one of her own but I will always call her Olivia and Livie, maybe Liv once she's an adult unless she asks me to do otherwise.

pea-kay · November 2011

One of my criteria was no nicknames. Oliver was a last minute choice, and I can't help but call him Ollie sometimes. Sigh.

Keri Marie · November 2011

ME! I don't like them at all.

LiebeMama · November 2011

You have found us! Me me me! Not a nick name person at all. My name is Ivy, yet people still manage to come up with silly nick names for me : Achie, Ivster, Ibbie, etc. We named my son Grant because there wasn't a nick name that we could make out of it. Something that drives me crazy: My step son's name is Jamison yet there is not one person that calls him that. Everyone calls him "Jay Jay" and it drives me up the frigging wall.

MissBHaven1024 · November 2011

I don't necessarily mind names that have well known and commonly used nicknames, but I HATE when people choose names specifically so they can call the child by a nickname that's associated with it! I understand the whole "nickname for when they're a kid, and given name for when they're an adult", but I still find it annoying.

We have yet to settle on a name for LO because I am so badly searching for a name that doesn't allow a nickname to be made from it.

imimahoney · November 2011

I seriously don't understand people who pick names because of the NN and then proceed to only call the child by the NN. Doesn't make any sense to me. I normally prefer full names to any NN and in general find them childish and annoying.

mamaduck222 · November 2011

ldoo:
SummerMama12:
I see a lot of nickname discussion here and I wonder if I am the only one who gravitates toward names without common nicknames or shortened forms?

This is based on my own name - a classic name with a common nickname (Think Elizabeth = Lizzie - not really my name but a perfect analogy). No complains there. Problem is, when you grow up being known by the short form as a kid, it's very difficult to "grow out" of it as an adult. So, as an adult woman with a professional job, I still have people (mostly outside work) calling me "Lizzie". It makes me feel like a little kid, but it's not something you can easily stop without seeming rude or pretentious. Somehow, "I go by Elizabeth now," seems like it would come off kind of snotty at a family dinner. kwim?

When we named our son, we were very conscious of that and did not consider names that would likely be shortened by others. I still kind of have that hangup while naming our baby to be. Am I the only one who is anti-nickname?
I have a friend who didn't want her daughter to have a nickname. So they named her Bree. Short and simple. Everyone calls her Bree Bird.

Bree Bird is cute though, it isn't really a NN for the traditional NN sense just an adorable pet name.

mamaduck222 · November 2011

Also, sometimes you can't control it. My name is Jessica but I never got the Jessi or Jess as a nick name I got Ducky lol. DH's name is Adam and we names DS Adam Jr so he goes by both AJ and Adam depending on who is talking to him. some people think it is weird to have 2 Adams in the room. One think I cannot stand is when people call a child that is whatever jr (ex: Adam Jr) just Junior... FIL tried calling DS Junior and I stopped him the instant he said it.

hopedbell87 · November 2011

mommybrynn:
I absolutely HATE nicknames. DD is Annabel and goes by Annabel. I know that when she gets older she may choose to go by Anna or Belle, but to me, she is always going to be Annabel. I actually tend to stay away from names that have nicknames because I despise them so much. For example, I love James but hate Jim or Jimmy. I would never use the name because I wouldn't want to battle the nicknames that come with it.

I love Annabel!

When I was pregnant, we had several people ask us, "What are you going to call her? Belle? Bella? Anna?" No, we're thinking Annabelle.

hilwithonelary · November 2011

I used to be anti-nickname, but I became a huge hypocrite and named DS Robert with the intention of calling him Robbie. I think it would have been dumb to just name him Robbie because that what I planned on calling him. Robert looks much more professional, and I wouldn't be surprised if at some point he starts going by Rob or Robert.

While looking at names for DD on the way, I'm am neutral to nicknames. I'm not intentionally trying to find a name that has nickname options, and I'm not trying to find a nickname proof name either.

melpoteet · November 2011

I have a nickname and am fine with it but do not want people to shorten the names I choose for my kids etc. I am tempted not to use names I would like because the initials would be BJ or DJ and I wouldn't want that. But hopefully whatever names you go with if you introduce baby by that name people will go with it and not try to change it.