Would you nn Bennett to Ben?

2-Step · November 2015

This is one of DHs favorite names. The only thing giving me pause is we have a very bad association with the name Ben on my side of the family due to a man we knew for a very long time who victimized someone in the family. We would not want him called Ben ever! I've had a few people say they wouldn't think of Ben as a nn for Bennett unless we started it, and not to worry about it. Do you think we would battle that nickname his whole life or would Bennett stand on its own?

satuttle1014 · November 2015

Most people I think wouldn't call him Ben as a nn. I immediately think of Ben for Benjamin but also I would never say Ben unless that is what the child goes by. I always use the full name unless told other wise to call them something.

yogahh · November 2015

Yup. This is number one on our boy list and if we name him Bennett will nn him Ben.

yogahh · November 2015

To add- as parents if someone calls him Ben, you can say that's not his name. Start early though so he continues correcting people when be is older. The nns for my name are horrible (Mel, missy... Yuck!) and my mom would always correct people right away.

Knottie1442268460 · November 2015

I would just call him Bennett. No nickname needed. It's a non-nickname name if I ever heard one. Still I might look for something else to be safe.

Bringmemylongswordho · November 2015

Personally, with that much of an aversion to Ben, I'd look for a different name.

But you can correct people who call him Ben that his name is Bennett.

holocene · November 2015

I agree with @bringmemylongswordho - I think I'd look for something else.

JMU_Bride09 · November 2015

I think it's a definite possibility. I would never give a child a nickname if they weren't my own child and would only call them what their parents call them. But some people will do that, and you never know what kind of nickname he will choose when he gets older. If it's a major concern for you, I would suggest reserving Bennett for a middle name or opting to use something else entirely.

bbiutmcph · November 2015

I think young it's easy but once they go to school, make friends and find themselves I think avoiding Ben forever is unrealistic. Especially since it's really the only nn option.

Miss Lilac · November 2015

I think that if I had that association I wouldn't even want a name that included the name Ben at all.

MamaWren919 · November 2015

I think avoiding the nn with family will be easy, but once he starts school and makes his own friends it will be harder. I probably wouldn't use the name, if you absolutely hate Ben.

FutureMrsCaesar · November 2015

I agree, that if you have a strong aversion to Ben, I would look for something other than Bennett. I really loved the name and wanted to use it for DS3, but DH didn't like it so we ended up using the traditional Benjamin. Either way we assumed he'd get the nickname Ben at some point.

tripledaggerWed95976 · November 2015

It's definitely the risk you run with naming him Bennett. You also could run the risk of him wanting to be called Ben. Yes, you can correct people but definitely be sure that's something you are prepared to do. If your aversion is that strong to Ben I would go with something else

CaboBride2015 · November 2015

No way would I use Bennett if I hated Ben...

Elsa1984 · November 2015

I know two Bennett's and neither have gone by Ben. But that is because their parents didn't want them to be called Ben, and once the children were old enough, they started correcting people on their own. But like the previous poster mentioned, there is a chance that he could want to go by Ben later in life. Just like my friend named her son Gavin and was really happy there weren't any nicknames that could be used (she hated nicknames) until her son hit middle school and his friends were all calling him Vinnie.

2-Step · November 2015

Miss Lilac said:
I think that if I had that association I wouldn't even want a name that included the name Ben at all.

Yeah the problem is we are on our third boy and have had a really really hard time agreeing on anything. This was the only one on our list for all three that we hadn't used or had a friend use and we had almost settled on it when the bad thing happened so it's really hard to start over knowing one of us will have to compromise quite a bit.

Before then it wasn't a bad association at all and we were pretty sure it was our name. I didn't even make the association until my mom brought it up that he might get that nickname and she told me she thought it was a no go, but she can be overly dramatic and I don't think she likes the name anyway so I couldn't decide if it was a big deal. I am conflicted. We never wanted Ben as a nickname anyway, but now it is even more undesirable.

FluffleSprout · November 2015

The one Bennett I know is called Ben or Benny a lot. I think you can avoid it being a used nickname by saying, "He goes by Bennett," if he's called Ben but you'll never avoid people defaulting to Ben at least occasionally. In your situation, I would keep looking.

amaniupendo · November 2015

I wouldn't automatically go there but think it's not worth the risk. It will probably come up at some point.

penelope4612 · November 2015

Agree with PP, there is a risk that he will want to go by Ben later in life. My brother had a long name growing up, and my mother would always correct people to say he went by his full name. He would also correct people when he was younger. But by High School/College he either decided he liked the nickname or gave up correcting people and now primarily goes by the nickname.

FutureMrsCaesar · November 2015

What about Beckett? It's pretty similar to Bennett without the possibility of being nicknamed Ben.

Miss Lilac · November 2015

2-Step said:

Miss Lilac said:
I think that if I had that association I wouldn't even want a name that included the name Ben at all.
Yeah the problem is we are on our third boy and have had a really really hard time agreeing on anything. This was the only one on our list for all three that we hadn't used or had a friend use and we had almost settled on it when the bad thing happened so it's really hard to start over knowing one of us will have to compromise quite a bit.

Before then it wasn't a bad association at all and we were pretty sure it was our name. I didn't even make the association until my mom brought it up that he might get that nickname and she told me she thought it was a no go, but she can be overly dramatic and I don't think she likes the name anyway so I couldn't decide if it was a big deal. I am conflicted. We never wanted Ben as a nickname anyway, but now it is even more undesirable.

Personally, I feel like your husband should be equally put off by the name if this is something that has happened in your family. Three names out of every boy name imaginable is hardly a stretch. Good luck, I'd steer right clear of it.

cmerribury · November 2015

Ben is a VERY real possibility as a nn for Bennett. If Ben is an absolute no-go for you, I'd skip that name all together.

kim1989 · November 2015

I would think Ben was Benjamin personally

libby+nate · December 2015

Bennett was our top name for a boy and we were going to use Benny/Ben as a nn

oceanchild · December 2015

Yep. I'd absolutely nn Bennett to Ben, and I know two that do. One is a childhood friend; his mom never liked Ben and would correct anyone who called him that, but by the time we were in middle school he preferred Ben himself and still uses that. Only his pretentious wife calls him Bennett in the weirdest way (even though he will tell everyone else to call him Ben). The other is a toddler in our BFing group - his mama and everyone calls him Benny/Ben.

jillie127 · December 2015

No, I would not think Ben is a nickname of Bennett. Ben is a nickname of Benjamin. If someone tries calling him Ben, then correct them.

Ultimately, go with your gut and name your son what you want to name him.

neverblushed · December 2015

yogahh said:

To add- as parents if someone calls him Ben, you can say that's not his name. Start early though so he continues correcting people when be is older. The nns for my name are horrible (Mel, missy... Yuck!) and my mom would always correct people right away.

Me too! I have never gone by Missy or Mel. If people take it upon themselves to call me either one, I just say, "Oh, I don't go by that nick name. I just use the full name." It's not a big deal.

FWIW, I have taught 2 boys named Bennett recently, and neither one uses Ben.

mrstrax · December 2015

Whether or not he actually goes by Ben (which is a very real possibility), I would worry that it's close enough to be a reminder to your family member just hearing BENnett. I would go back to the drawing board or mn it.

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