Random Rant on Nicknames

MrMrsandBaby · December 2012

If you are picking a name for your child and ask the question, "I want to call my baby X, what name should I use?" be expected for me to say, "name him X!"

Seriously, if you want your kid to be called Billy, then name him Billy! If you want a Kate, name her Kate! Why would you pick a "nickname" and try to force a "formal" name?

Sorry, just irritates me! A friend did this with the name AJ - she wanted a first and middle name that would give her the initials AJ. So name the kid AJ - FFS it isn't that hard!

End rant...

ETA: friend doesn't like any "J" names either so the middle name was going nowhere! And she doesn't love any "A" names...so really?

pinkshades05 · December 2012

For some names, I totally agree with you! But some nicknames you wouldn't want your child putting on their college application or job resume. I think picking out a formal name will save them in some cases.

MrsGlaedr · December 2012

For the next LO we are considering Andrew, and calling him Andy. HOWEVER, I love both names and would probably refer to him as both. I'm 100% with you that if you want them to be AJ, then why pull at threads? Name the child Aj!!

runrinserepeat · December 2012

For Kate, sure. But I would feel bad for Billy having to put that on his college apps, his job apps, into facebook, etc. Billy is a nn for a child, not a name for an adult. That can be said of a lot of names. For our next, if it's a boy, I'm hoping to name him Edward and call him Ned. And if he wants to put Ned on everything for the rest of his life, more power to him. But at least he'll have the option of changing it up if he wants.

Shawnee11507 · December 2012

There was a kid I went to high school with named Jay- spelled- "J" Smile

amber31288 · December 2012

I have to disagree, except on a few points. If the nickname is a nice, solid standalone name, then I totally agree with you. I think Kate is a nice name that works well as a baby, child and adult. So, sure, if you like Kate but can't come up with a formal name you like as much, then use Kate. I don't think that would get the side eye. Same with Jack. I think it can be a solid standalone name for all age ranges. Some nicknames, not so much. What if you love the name Lizzie? It's a cute name, but it is not a formal name. Imagine Lizzie Smith when she is an adult. I bet she would be wishing she could just put "Elizabeth" on her resume, KWIM? And TBH, I would totally side eye a kid who was just named "AJ" - and it didn't stand for anything.

I also don't think it's ridiculous for people to not choose a name because they dislike the nickname that would go along with it. Not that you said this at all, but I'm just adding it. If you don't like the name Ben, but you name your son Benjamin, that makes no sense. Someone, somewhere at sometime in his life will call him Ben, even if you do not. DH and I liked the name Rosalie for DD2, but neither of us could picture calling our daughter "Rose". So that's how that name got the ax.

Anyway, I see the point in trying to find a formal name for some of the cute nicknames out there.

MrMrsandBaby · December 2012

I guess I'm not thinking of easy ones...Billy/William, Bobby/Robert.

I'm thinking AJ or some other name that doesn't have an obvious "formal" name associated with it.

FWIW, my dad is "Bobby" - NOT Robert, his actual name is Bobby and that is stupid. So in that case, my grandmother could have done Robert and called him Bobby.

But in the case of my friend who hates all "J" names and doesn't like any "A" name enough to use it...why force it???

Jen0204 · December 2012

Eh, I like the idea of a formal name because what if you child doesn't like the nickname you chose? Like with Kate, what if they hate Kate, but like Katherine or Katie? And AJ isn't a very professional name and wouldn't look formal or proper on resumes (thinking WAY down the line). We have no way of knowing if our kids will love or hate the names we give them, so at least if you give them a longer, formal name they can play around with it and find a version they like.

My dad's given name is Dan, everyone assumes his "real" name is Daniel, and people call him Danny. So I guess even my point doesn't really matter because people will do whatever they want.

NatesLady1309 · December 2012

We are pretty much guilty on this one. We named her Addelyn and call her Addy probably 80% of the time. I love both though. I'm not sure she'd want to put "Addy" on anything professional though so I don't think we would have outright named her that.

MollySm · December 2012

I like having a formal name and a nickname. Lucia is primarily called Lulu. When she's older she can choose to go by Lulu, Lucia, or if she wants, Lucy. I like that she has options!

MrMrsandBaby · December 2012

Jen0204:

Eh, I like the idea of a formal name because what if you child doesn't like the nickname you chose? Like with Kate, what if they hate Kate, but like Katherine or Katie? And AJ isn't a very professional name and wouldn't look formal or proper on resumes (thinking WAY down the line). We have no way of knowing if our kids will love or hate the names we give them, so at least if you give them a longer, formal name they can play around with it and find a version they like.

My dad's given name is Dan, everyone assumes his "real" name is Daniel, and people call him Danny. So I guess even my point doesn't really matter because people will do whatever they want.

I really disagree with this. I think AJ is more professional than some common nicknames (I'm thinking of my name). I worked as an HR Generalist for a long time and saw a lot of initials on resumes...Totally fine to me.

NatnDyl · December 2012

If we have a DD someday, I'd like to name her Charlotte but use the nickname Charlie. I think its cute, but I also like that she can be Charlotte when she gets old. It seems hard to take all of these cutesy names seriously on adults, but I'm sure we'll all have to adjust when all the Aiden/Cayden/Brayden/Jayden's start applying for jobs.

Along this topic, DS is named Connor. Just Connor, but DH's family is determined to find a nickname for him, so far they are all calling him "Con-Con." Gross.

Jen0204 · December 2012

I've been involved with hiring at two different places (granted, both of these place were small businesses) and the owners side eyed resumes with initials. Even if my child went by initials as their nickname I would encourage them to put their full name on their resume. I even put my full name on my resume even though I don't go by that. I have no issues with nicknames or initials and wouldn't ignore a resume with them, but I've worked with enough close minded jerks (the joys of small businesses with no HR department!) to think it's good to put a full name on them. Although an extremely strong case could be made that no one would have wanted to work with these individuals anyway, and those people dodged a bullet.

amber31288 · December 2012

NatnDyl:
If we have a DD someday, I'd like to name her Charlotte but use the nickname Charlie. I think its cute, but I also like that she can be Charlotte when she gets old. It seems hard to take all of these cutesy names seriously on adults, but I'm sure we'll all have to adjust when all the Aiden/Cayden/Brayden/Jayden's start applying for jobs.

Along this topic, DS is named Connor. Just Connor, but DH's family is determined to find a nickname for him, so far they are all calling him "Con-Con." Gross.

Ok, that is a pet peeve of mine. Some names don't need nicknames. Connor is one of them. My DH and I, and our families, are people that just always seem to find a nickname, so it would be important to us in choosing a name that there was a nickname option. But, if I loved a name that didn't have a nickname, I would not make up something ridiculous like that! If nothing else, there is initials! My friend has an Evan, and we call him "E" all the time.

nattyk · December 2012

We're kind of guilty on this one. I love both DS's first and middle names. We told people we were going to call him JT, and that was good in the beginning. But I've noticed that I always call him Jeremy, and almost cringe now when people call him JT. I also think it has a lot to do with me wanting to be sure he's not confused when people are talking to him, and want him to know and respond to his name. I'm really glad that we gave him a "formal" name.

We were team green, and had a bear of a time trying to agree on a girl name. We both liked Katie/Kate, but didnt like Katherine as a "formal" name. We had settled on Katelyn, but I was never 100% sold on that either. I'm one for having a formal name and using nicknames, for all of the reasons already stated.

songstress503 · December 2012

We always like Evie and Evelyn. Like PPs said Evelyn is a ood grown-up professional name, and Evie is fun and playful. She gets about a 30/70 split. We chose her name and knickname as a package.

anythingelseplease · December 2012

As a person with a nickname as her first name (and no middle name)- I agree and disagree at the same time. I spent my entire life answering the question of "what is your real name?" When filling out important or government forms I am always told I need to fill it out again with my full name. Despite all this I liked that my name was the name that I am called and never felt I needed a more "grown up" sounding name. However when naming our daughter my husband and I fell into the trap of liking a nickname, but feeling like she needed a more formal name and went with the formal name.

ALane1128 · December 2012

I agree and disagree lol We were team green and didn't tell anyone our names. So when we had Jackson and told people the name, everyone was like "oh so you're going to call him Jack right?" NO! If I wanted to call him Jack all the time I would of named him Jack. Almost everyone calls him Jackson but we do get a few Jack or Jacks. I personally don't care for the name Jack but I LOVE the name Jackson obviously

MrMrsandBaby · December 2012

ALane1128:
I agree and disagree lol We were team green and didn't tell anyone our names. So when we had Jackson and told people the name, everyone was like "oh so you're going to call him Jack right?" NO! If I wanted to call him Jack all the time I would of named him Jack. Almost everyone calls him Jackson but we do get a few Jack or Jacks. I personally don't care for the name Jack but I LOVE the name Jackson obviously

We get this with Allison all the time! When we told people the name, almost every single time someone said "what are you going to call her?" I wanted to smack them! Didn't I just say her name is Allison? I do not like Alli (or however you would spell it)

allisons1014 · December 2012

MrMrsandBaby:

ALane1128:
I agree and disagree lol We were team green and didn't tell anyone our names. So when we had Jackson and told people the name, everyone was like "oh so you're going to call him Jack right?" NO! If I wanted to call him Jack all the time I would of named him Jack. Almost everyone calls him Jackson but we do get a few Jack or Jacks. I personally don't care for the name Jack but I LOVE the name Jackson obviously

We get this with Allison all the time! When we told people the name, almost every single time someone said "what are you going to call her?" I wanted to smack them! Didn't I just say her name is Allison? I do not like Alli (or however you would spell it)

I am an Allison (obviously) and I have always gone by Allison - not Alli. It was like nails on a chalkboard to me growing up when people would call me that. In college I lived with another Allison so I am called AS by my college roommates.

DD is Alice Ann. I usually call her Alice, DH usually calls her Alice Ann. People are always asking us which we prefer and I just tell them we use them both for right now. It's so hard to know which one will stick long term.

sooner1981 · December 2012

allisons1014:
MrMrsandBaby:

ALane1128:
I agree and disagree lol We were team green and didn't tell anyone our names. So when we had Jackson and told people the name, everyone was like "oh so you're going to call him Jack right?" NO! If I wanted to call him Jack all the time I would of named him Jack. Almost everyone calls him Jackson but we do get a few Jack or Jacks. I personally don't care for the name Jack but I LOVE the name Jackson obviously

We get this with Allison all the time! When we told people the name, almost every single time someone said "what are you going to call her?" I wanted to smack them! Didn't I just say her name is Allison? I do not like Alli (or however you would spell it)

I am an Allison (obviously) and I have always gone by Allison - not Alli. It was like nails on a chalkboard to me growing up when people would call me that. In college I lived with another Allison so I am called AS by my college roommates.

DD is Alice Ann. I usually call her Alice, DH usually calls her Alice Ann. People are always asking us which we prefer and I just tell them we use them both for right now. It's so hard to know which one will stick long term.

Both pretty names, but your husband is going to have a hard time someday when everytime he says "Allison/Alice Ann," you both turn around! Actually, on second thought, that will probably be perfect for him

LSquared3960 · December 2012

I guess I agree and disagree as well...and I have an AJ! My husband really wanted AIden, and I really wanted James because its a family name. I was on the fence about Aiden because its such a popular name, but I LOVE AJ. He gets called both by everyone in our family. I really hope as he gets older AJ sticks, but I like that he'll have the option to use whichever one he prefers.

Want a personalized experience?

Random Rant on Nicknames

Re: Random Rant on Nicknames

Choose Another Board

Search Boards