Is Will a proper name?

J&D2007 · July 2015

We've had a heck of a time coming up with a name but we both like Will. Do you think that it has to be or should be William? Or can it just be Will? mn is probably Joseph. Tia!

jnnfrrose6 · July 2015

Personally I'd go with William and call him Will, but he's your son. I wouldn't side eye just Will.

wassuphoes · July 2015

I mean, it's better then Bill or Billy, but I'd just name him William and call him Will.

OR.

You could use

Wilbert

Wilbur

Wilfred

Wilhelm

Willard

Willis

Wilmer

Wilson

LNic5 · July 2015

William Joseph sounds better than Will Joseph...I'd personally go with the longer, formal name and just call him Will

emuangel · July 2015

I would use William and call him Will, as it gives him the option of using William as he gets older if he wants to. Personally, I'm one for choosing names that shorten into a nn so it gives the child options to personalize themselves.

MixedBerries88 · July 2015

Okay, I feel like everyone is dancing around the answer. No, Will is not a proper name. It is a nn for William. I ALWAYS side eye nns as proper names. William is a great name and it will pair great with Joseph.

ksteeb611 · July 2015

William

MamaWren919 · July 2015

I would still name him William, even if you plan on always calling him Will. People will assume his name is William anyway, and it's more professional for later in life.

eliztheforrizz · July 2015

Not a full name. What's wrong with William?

J&D2007 · July 2015

eliztheforrizz said:

Not a full name. What's wrong with William?

Nothing 'wrong' with it. For some reason, it just sounds so plain and run of the mill to me and Will sounds a little different! No good explanation, really! In my head, Will just sounds better! Thanks for all the replies ladies!

holli0801 · July 2015

Will alone doesn't bother me. Yes it may not be a "proper" name alone, but I think it's fine.

mattandlora · July 2015

Will is not a proper name, and when used alone on something which should be formal (diploma, job application, wedding invite ....) I'd question if it was his real name or if he just didn't understand that he needed to use a formal name in this situation. BUT .... totally different ballpark than the same thing happening with a Billy

J&D2007 · July 2015

mattandlora said:

Will is not a proper name, and when used alone on something which should be formal (diploma, job application, wedding invite ....) I'd question if it was his real name or if he just didn't understand that he needed to use a formal name in this situation. BUT .... totally different ballpark than the same thing happening with a Billy

I guess I'm wondering if people also use Bill, Billy, etc instead of William as a full name? Or how about Sam instead of Samuel? Or Gabe? or Jill instead of Jillian?

MixedBerries88 · July 2015

Those are all nicknames and should not be used as a proper name. Please read the chapter in Freakonomics about economic outcomes for nns as names and misspellings.

lalala2004 · July 2015

MamaWren919 said:

I would still name him William, even if you plan on always calling him Will. People will assume his name is William anyway, and it's more professional for later in life.

This is the biggest reason to go with William. In fact, with the name William, most people will call him Will anyway. (Although he may get the occasional Bill). As PP said, it gives him the option of going by William as an adult. (Full disclosure: William is my DH's name.)

Anecdote: My mother's name is Vicki, and people assume her name is Victoria quite often. I've heard her say she wishes her parents had named her such, despite liking her name just fine.

MixedBerries88 · July 2015

lalala2004 said:

MamaWren919 said:

I would still name him William, even if you plan on always calling him Will. People will assume his name is William anyway, and it's more professional for later in life.

This is the biggest reason to go with William. In fact, with the name William, most people will call him Will anyway. (Although he may get the occasional Bill). As PP said, it gives him the option of going by William as an adult. (Full disclosure: William is my DH's name.)

Anecdote: My mother's name is Vicki, and people assume her name is Victoria quite often. I've heard her say she wishes her parents had named her such, despite liking her name just fine.

Yup. I have a good friend legally named Katy. She likes being called Katy just fine but has the same complaints as your mom. It's a hassle.

J&D2007 · July 2015

MixedBerries88 said:
Those are all nicknames and should not be used as a proper name. Please read the chapter in Freakonomics about economic outcomes for nns as names and misspellings.

Lol. My name is Jill and I don't think it has any bearing on my economics!

4N6s · July 2015

I like the sound of William James more than will James

eliztheforrizz · July 2015

J&D2007 said:

Those are all nicknames and should not be used as a proper name. Please read the chapter in Freakonomics about economic outcomes for nns as names and misspellings.
Lol. My name is Jill and I don't think it has any bearing on my economics!

I think of Jill as a complete name on its own. All the rest of the ones you mentioned I do not. Will included.

groovylocks · July 2015

It doesn't HAVE to be "Will".

Lots of people name their kid "Molly" as a proper name - when Molly is actually a nickname of Mary.

So why not?

jszafran · July 2015

Interesting. This is not the feedback I expected to see. My husband's full first name is Kris (I actually also have an uncle with the full name Chris). He really likes his name. His mom says she did that because they have a longer last name. Beyond the very occasional "nope, it's not short for anything" correction, he's never had a problem with it - professionally, logistically, psychologically, economically(what?), whatever.

I'm not a fan of really out-there "unique" "creative" names or spellings and can totally understand how those would be a burden, but I see zero problem with Will. I like it better than William, actually. My only hesitation is that Will Joseph doesn't flow as well as William Joseph, but I think people put too much stock in middle names anyway. I say go for it!

letyourheartbeyourguide · July 2015

Some shortened versions seem more appropriate as stand alone names - for example Max doesn't bother me as a full name, vs using Maxwell or something. But Will for sure reads as a NN.

Like other people said, there's loads of research on how employers subconsciously evaluate job candidates based on their names. I'd name him William so he has a "proper" name for resumes, etc., and just call him Will.

MixedBerries88 · July 2015

eliztheforrizz said:

J&D2007 said:

MixedBerries88 said:
Those are all nicknames and should not be used as a proper name. Please read the chapter in Freakonomics about economic outcomes for nns as names and misspellings.
Lol. My name is Jill and I don't think it has any bearing on my economics!

I think of Jill as a complete name on its own. All the rest of the ones you mentioned I do not. Will included.

Yup. And the point is not invalidated by antidotal evidence even if you were named a nn. I'm sure there are people named Jim who are millionaires. We're just trying to get people to think about it.

mrsE2015 · July 2015

William and then call him will. Then when he is older he has the option of using a formal name or the shortened version. William Joseph is a great name!

J&D2007 · July 2015

jszafran said:

Interesting. This is not the feedback I expected to see. My husband's full first name is Kris (I actually also have an uncle with the full name Chris). He really likes his name. His mom says she did that because they have a longer last name. Beyond the very occasional "nope, it's not short for anything" correction, he's never had a problem with it - professionally, logistically, psychologically, economically(what?), whatever.

I'm not a fan of really out-there "unique" "creative" names or spellings and can totally understand how those would be a burden, but I see zero problem with Will. I like it better than William, actually. My only hesitation is that Will Joseph doesn't flow as well as William Joseph, but I think people put too much stock in middle names anyway. I say go for it!

This is exactly how I think about it, too. I find all the opinions to the contrary really interesting! It seems to me there are so many names out there that are actually nicknames technically and no one bats an eye. I am torn on which to use after all this feedback!

mb0112 · July 2015

I don't mind either way but just make sure you'd be happy with the decision for the long run. For example at high school graduation other Wills will be read as "William" and yours is just "Will" at these formal occasions. And I'm sure the school staff who reads the names will check first, "is Will your full name? Not William?" If you are comfortable with that (and think he would be too) then go for it

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