Name Shortening

christieep · December 2013

Is there a polite way to correct people when they shorten your child's name? Or do I just have to deal with it?

When we first picked out the name Zachary we decided that was going to be his name, not Zach. It drives me crazy when people call him Zach. In trying to decide a name for baby #2, we have thrown out any names with that potential because of how crazy it makes me. I have known plenty of people who go by their full names: Michael, Christopher, Andrew, Bradley, etc. so I don't think it is an unreasonable expectation. As a HS teacher I encounter kids all the time who go by their full names, and their friends often don't even shorten it to a nickname.

Do I want to correct a random person like a waitress at a restaurant that asks his name then calls him Zach, no, I'm not that crazy. But I would like extended family members to call him Zachary. I know one day his friends will call him whatever and I'll get over that, but I just get really annoyed right now when family members do it. Am I irrationally annoyed?

britbratjf · December 2013

I would correct family members for sure. I don't think it's unreasonable to say politely that his name is Zachery, not Zach and you would appreciate them sticking to that.

singingirl96 · December 2013

It doesn't bother me too much when they call Andrew Andy or Drew, but I bothers me a lot when he gets called AJ. That is so honky tonk to me... I flat out told my in laws that I didn't like AJ and that I wanted them to call him Andrew. My fil still says it from time to time... so it does drive me nuts. But sometimes you have to pick your battles. Chances are he'll want to be called Zach at one time or another, and you're just gonna have to deal with it. When you pick a name that can be shorted this is to be expected and you kinda just have to deal with it.

KarmB · December 2013

correct them but i wouldnt let it bother me. if i picked a long name i would have expected it. Lilah is hard to shorten

versed · December 2013

I'm going to play devil's advocate and say that you chose a common name with a common nickname, and you might have to just pick your battles because this will be an on-going one if you choose to fight it. People shorten things, and until your son comes out and tells them HE doesn't like it, you'll most likely keep hearing it.

lkamenko · December 2013

We had an opposite problem. When my middle son was born we called him Artemiy, and since it is not common name I thought that people can call him Art. For some strange reason whenever people heard Art they would pause and always ask what is the full name. Is it Arthur, Artemis? No, why don't you just call him what I tell him his name is? People are weird. But after a while I just gave up and now everybody call him full name at school and everywhere else. At home we call him a Russian nickname Tyoma...

apollonia10 · December 2013

I don't correct people, mostly because we gave DS a longer name because it does have nickname possibilities. If he wants to go by a nickname, he can; if not, he can go by the full name and correct people when he's older.

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