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William with nickname Liam or just Liam?

Knottie1471010354Knottie1471010354 member
in Baby Names
Hello!  Would appreciate any thoughts/perspective on using William as the formal given name and calling our little guy Liam or just naming his Liam outright.  I've been thinking about this way too much and I'm really on the fence! :)

Siblings are Stella and Elise.  Our last name is three syllables and challenging to pronounce (has an "L" in first syllable, an "S" and long "I" sound in the middle, and ends with "TIS").  Middle name is two syllables, starting with a "Y" sound and ending in "AS".  I like the options as he grows with William, but do not prefer some of the traditional nicknames associated with it.  I also like that Liam is short and goes along with the shortness of our entire family's names (husbands is 4 letters and one syllable, mine is 4 letters and two syllables).  The popularity of both names doesn't bother us (William is actually more popular in our part of the country than Liam), since we have such a unique last name and the total number of babies getting the popular names is much lower than when we were growing up.  

Thank you in advance! 
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Re: William with nickname Liam or just Liam?

  • OliveOyl2014OliveOyl2014 member
    I'm a fan of giving him the name William and having Liam as the nickname. If you give him the nickname Liam early on, I'm sure others will follow with that. There will still be people who give him their own nickname but there isn't really much you can do. I think William fits great with Stella and Elise. 
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  • FakeFinnFakeFinn member
    I'm with @OliveOyl2014, I also prefer William nn Liam. I especially like that he has options as he grows older. When you introduce him as Liam, others will surely follow suit. 
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  • lm45678lm45678 member
    Another vote for William nn Liam, I think it gives them more options as an adult.

    If we have a boy he will be William, so I may be a little biased :)
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  • SnarkasaurusRexSnarkasaurusRex member
    Ditto all PPs. William nn Liam gives him lots of options as an adult, and in general people will follow your lead with nns.

    FWIW, DS is James. Not Jim/Jimmy/etc.; just James. We always introduce him as James and that's what people call him, so I would expect that if you always introduced him as Liam it wouldn't be an issue.
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  • nurse714nurse714 member
    I say go with Liam only because you say you don't like other nicknames associated with William. Most Williams I know go by Will or Willie.
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  • joforyogajoforyoga member
    Liam only. Liam doesn't really seem like a nn to me at butbrather a name totally separate from a William. 
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  • MamabeagleMamabeagle member
    William. 

    But please don't be like my SIL who lied for two years and told us all her son was legally named Liam, and then admitted it was William. 
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  • MamaWren919MamaWren919 member
    I like just Liam. I think if you were planning to call him William or Will ever, William would be fine, but if he's strictly going by Liam, just name him Liam. It's just easier for everyone.
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  • virginiaunicorn11virginiaunicorn11 member
    If you never plan on using William, just name him Liam.

    My brother and I both have nicknames like this from birth, and it's a pain in the butt. We have both named our children names that don't have nicknames/what we will call our children.
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  • doodleoodledoodleoodle member
    Another vote for William nn Liam. I'm a firm believer in giving a child options. 
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  • cgemomcgemom member
    edited March 2017
    I like Liam as a stand alone name. I have had a nickname since birth and always hated explaining that I actually go by a it. I understand that it gives you options as an adult but it was such a nuisance.
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  • livingthedream-3livingthedream-3 member
    Love the name William. I prefer longer names w/ nn in general. I also like giving a kid options.
          
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  • Knottie1471010354Knottie1471010354 member
    Thanks everyone!
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  • cantrelljacantrellja member
    I prefer Liam as a stand-alone name. 

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  • englishtearoseenglishtearose member
    For your situation, I would use Liam as a stand alone name. Stella and Elise are considered nn's as well (for some people), so I think they tie together nicely. My daughter has a nn as a stand alone name, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, haha!
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  • JMU_Bride09JMU_Bride09 member
    IMO, Liam works as a stand alone name or as a shortened name.  I generally dislike the idea of a formal name and the child going by something else, unless the shortened version sounds really childish or is a pet name. I wouldn't side eye or think it strange if I met someone with a full first name of Liam. 
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  • 4N6s4N6s member
    William 
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  • LinsbinsLinsbins member
    I prefer Liam only. Mostly because all the Williams I know have the will/bill nickname, and I have one friend who did william nn Liam and people side eye her. Plus Liam is a great name by itself.
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