s/o - when someone tells you their name...

Dochas · April 2012

Do you use it, or shorten it to what you like? ie - if you ask and they say their name is Samantha do you just call them Sam if you feel like it? It always annoys me when I tell someone my name and they immediately call me by some other version of it.

I wouldn't have walked out in a huff if I was Holly Jean's Mom, but why ask a name if your aren't going to use it?

I generally dislike nicknames (for myself) and I gave my son a name that has a nickname that I can stand. But I don't get why anyone ever just calls him "Danny". Dan I can understand - I don't like it but at least it's faster to say. But Danny isn't any easier to say than Daniel.

SeaSoul · April 2012

I use a name the way it's said (or written) to me, until I either hear it shortened or am invited to shorten it. I have a coworker named Stephanie and my other coworkers call her "Steph" - I am certain she has never referred to herself as Steph, nor invited them to call her that. Wonder how she feels about it?

I have a longer name that is almost always shortened (and I do go by that) but if I say the longer version (say, when I'm on the phone with my credit card company and I have to give them my full name) I don't really think it's cool for someone to automatically use the shortened version unless I tell them to.

njdcgirl · April 2012

I try not to do it. I don't really like the nickname for my name (shortened version) and I make sure that I always introduce with my entire name, so it does bug me a little bit when people shorten it - especially when we've just met. I'd rarely say anything though.

wiscgirl95 · April 2012

I never shorten anyones name to a nickname after an introduction unless I know they have a preference for it. My name is Kathryn and I go by Katie, the rest of my family all have names that could be nicknames (Michael, Gregory, etc) that never use nicknames. Nothing irks me more than people choosing what they will call me. It's rude.

krissyh21 · April 2012

I am super picky about MY name, so I use the name they give me unless they tell me something else. My given name has been butchered and altered to no end in my lifetime - no there is no A in Kristine and no it is not Kristen and I HATE Kris thank you very much.

I am not offended when someone first does it, but after I correct them - it is just plain rude to do it again!

Oh and I want to stomp on a co-worker who calls Dillon "Dilly" all the time after numerous times of me saying I hate it. She is an ass in general though Stick out tongue

Dochas · April 2012

I am so glad I'm not alone. But I hope someone will admit to doing it and say why they do it!

krissyh21:
I am super picky about MY name, so I use the name they give me unless they tell me something else. My given name has been butchered and altered to no end in my lifetime - no there is no A in Kristine and no it is not Kristen and I HATE Kris thank you very much.
I am not offended when someone first does it, but after I correct them - it is just plain rude to do it again!
Oh and I want to stomp on a co-worker who calls Dillon "Dilly" all the time after numerous times of me saying I hate it. She is an ass in general though

I worked with a Charles and it killed me when people would call him Charlie. It bothered me far more than it bothered him though. LOL. I think a lot of salespeople do this. Which is an odd way to start - they annoy me anyway and I take an even bigger dislike to them when they start off by changing my name.

Melicakes · April 2012

SeaSoul:

I use a name the way it's said (or written) to me, until I either hear it shortened or am invited to shorten it.

I totally do the above as well.

In HS I had a few friends who had names that were difficult to pronounce if you'd never heard or seen them before. But once said friend said what their name was, it was totally repeatable. Instead lots of people just made up their own "easy to say" version of the name and would call them that. It infuriated me !

Given names are just that , unless they say oh you can just call me "X" I don't think you should call them anything else but their given name.

I think the only exception is Double names like in the post below, I think calling the little girl Holly instead of the whole Holly Jean is acceptable but calling her Hol wouldn't be in my opinion.

PrincessShay80 · April 2012

I generally do not like names that have the typical nickname, like Jennifer or Samantha. That was something that was really important to me when nameing my girls- there are no "typical" nicknames for Claire and Chloe.

My girls do have two middle names- it's kinda a southern thing- but I don't call them that on a daily basis, I tend to use Claire Anne more then Chloe Alexandra, just becasue it's shorter- but I would not expect others to call them that. If people ask me their names I just tell them Claire and Chloe.

I have a lot of friends who go by them first and middle names- I know a Sarah Catherine, a Mary Madison,a Mary Margaret, and a Mary Hannah- and I don't know them by anything different- everyone calls them by their two names, because that is their name.

If I were in the Holly Jean situation I would have called her Holly Jean- but I'm used to the two names- but I would not have gotten huffy if someone called her just "Holly". I think the mom running off was kinda crazy!

RoxBride · April 2012

I call people whatever they tell me their name is.

I know lots of people with 2 names, and don't drop the second name, because that's not really their name. I guess most of them are older, but it never occured to me - Mary Ellen is never Mary, my aunt Jimmie Ruth is always Jimmie Ruth, Mary Alice, you don't drop the Alice. It would seem weird to me.

dundasgirl · April 2012

I grew up in a town where almost everyone had a nickname, or a term of endearment, or a short form for their name. My name is Heidi...lots of people would call me Heid or Heids.

I usually call someone by the name I am told until I know them really well. My SIL is Buttercup to me because it sounds like her last name. She likes it. We have talked about it.

When I am at Reed's preschool I call all the children by their given names, but some of the kids call Reed "Reedster". I don't mind. They like him. He doesn't mind.

Honestly when I called Holly Jean, "Holly" immediately I thought oops. But I was taken aback by the Mom's reaction. I guess I would have expected her to say "We call her by her full name Holly Jean" in a nicer voice?

I don't know one person with a double name that is used. Like John David, or Mary Sue or something. Actually now I do - Holly Jean:)

I know a woman here (a different place than I grew up) who named her son Jason and she despises the name Jay. Her son goes by Jay. He met his wife and introduced himself as Jay. We went to their wedding and there was clear tension coming from her everytime someone referred to him as Jay. He's JAY!!!! Time to move past it. You can't control what other adults call your adult son.

howleyshell · April 2012

I call them by the name they use to introduce themselves in general.

Honesty, though.... when naming a child you should anticipate nick names coming. The woman Dundas met has CERTAINLY had other people call her child "Holly" and every time it happens she should think to herself: "I knew this was a risk when I gave her a somewhat unusual name" and should take the time to educate someone else politely.

These were my thoughts too:

dundasgirl:
Honestly when I called Holly Jean, "Holly" immediately I thought oops. But I was taken aback by the Mom's reaction. I guess I would have expected her to say "We call her by her full name Holly Jean" in a nicer voice?

Life happens, people misunderstand, people shorten names. None of it is meant as an offense. I don't get why people get up in arms about it. Correct people politely if it annoys you and move on.

For example.... my name is spelled weird because it's my Mom's maiden name. When asked how it's spelled I HONESTLY don't care. If it's not a legal document, it's no skin off my back if someone puts my name on a name tag with a "y" or an "ie" instead of an "ey". It's been a life long issue and it's just not a battle I choose to pick, KWIM?

I crack up when we go out to dinner with my Mom and her husband because his last name is "Kerley" and he ALWAYS spells it for the hostess and corrects her if she writes it down wrong. Honestly? Does it really really matter in the grand scheme of things if someone writes it down as Curley and then pronounces it correctly when they call you for your table?

I guess I just don't get people getting all up in arms about stuff like this. When we named our kids we went thru every possible nick name and made our peace with the potential butcherings before we signed the birth certificate.

People call Dylan "Dill" sometimes and it makes me cringe but I honestly don't care enough to correct them. I knew it was gonna happen when I named him that! When he gets older if it bothers him he'll have to learn how to handle it - be it correcting people or letting it slide.

naflmj · April 2012

I actually make a point not to do it because growing up, if someone called me Nikki instead of Nicole my mom would promptly correct then. I purposely gave/am giving all of my kids names that really can't be shortened but alas, Graeme has endless nicknames but none that I have ever heard a random person call him. I think it's rude to call someone a name other than what they introduce themselves as.

KYRN · April 2012

I have a new co-worker that goes by Kimberly. I TRY to call her Kimberly but sometimes Kim just comes out. I generally make a conscious effort to say Kimberly because I know that is what she uses for herself.

LIAngel · April 2012

Unless I am told different, I will call you by whatever name you use to introduce yourself to me. So I won't call "Emily" "Em" when she says "Hi, nice to meet you, I'm Emily"

I don't like it when people give Nicholas a nickname, but I guess I have to get over it since even Nicholas calls himself Nicky. But I do prefer people call him Nicholas.

Thank goodness there is no way to shorten Ava.

Jenny952 · April 2012

As a Jennifer, I very much dislike when people assume a nickname for me or call me something other than how I introduce myself. I go by Jennifer at work and Jen with friends and family. The only person in my immediate family who calls me Jennifer is my mom. Sometimes my MIL calls me Jennifer, which bothers me. I hate being called Jenny and it's very annoying when people call me that, especially when I introduce myself as Jennifer. My DH sometimes calls me Jenny, and I think it's sweet but he's the only one who is allowed to

cbubbles2 · April 2012

I have a two name first name and it drives me crazy when people drop the second part. It especially bothers me at work when I'm on the phone or emailing people. I don't ever refer to myself as "Carrie" so it's rude to me when someone shortens my name.

I'm not the type to correct people so I never say anything, but it does bother me.

I love nick-names I just don't like my name shortened.

queenbone · April 2012

I don't because my dad was a Michael who HATED people shortening it to Mike. Mike was okay for his friends, but he really preferred Michael. So I'm super aware of respecting people's names and address them the way they introduce themselves until they tell me otherwise.

emiannie · April 2012

Melicakes:
SeaSoul:

I use a name the way it's said (or written) to me, until I either hear it shortened or am invited to shorten it.

I totally do the above as well.
I think the only exception is Double names like in the post below, I think calling the little girl Holly instead of the whole Holly Jean is acceptable but calling her Hol wouldn't be in my opinion.

This is how I feel exactly.

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