Is it weird to name a child with a nickname?

[Anonymous]

all or almost of the names cited as perfectly good "nicknames as names" are really common as "proper" names. but Joey (for example) as a name is very different from those that can be a diminutuve (like Beth) and those that are (our, in my view, should be) only a diminutive (like Billy). I have seen a trend of people naming their kid Jack, which I think of only as a nickname. I like the more formal version of names, personally.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on the individual name.

As for the poster whose friend Chris was really bitter that he wasn't named Christopher, well. . . . He could change his name as an adult, or he could get some therapy.

[Anonymous]

I know several Kates who are not Katherine. I went to college with a girl who had a name that is along the lines of Sweetie. Her parents thought it fitting for her and that is her name. They are not trashy at all, very old money so go figure!

[Anonymous]

No, I don't think it's weird. If the parents love a name and believe it suits their baby, it really doesn't matter if the name is considered a nickname by some. Personally, I really like the name Alex but do not care one iota for Alexander. Similarly, I prefer Lucy to Lucille, Kate to Katherine, Max to Maxwell, Sam to Samuel, and believe all would work just fine as given names. It's simply about personal preference.

[Anonymous]

I know of a family that had a "regular" name picked out for their baby girl. For sometime after she was born they began referring to her as their little "pip." They had her name legally changed to "Pippa."

[maynie]

Anonymous wrote:I know of a family that had a "regular" name picked out for their baby girl. For sometime after she was born they began referring to her as their little "pip." They had her name legally changed to "Pippa."

Hmmm.. I know a little girl named Pippa. I was wondering if it was a nickname or not. I've didn't ask though. Wonder if there's more than one out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know of a family that had a "regular" name picked out for their baby girl. For sometime after she was born they began referring to her as their little "pip." They had her name legally changed to "Pippa."

Pip and Pippa are nicknames for Phillippa, a lovely English name that is rarely heard here.

[Anonymous]

It's no big deal really. If the name suits your child and you don't want to use the full name - why not? We named our son "Jack" 20 years ago (after Nicholson and two grandfathers). We did not like the name John. I know many people that absolutely refused the formal names in the 80's and 90's and I think their kids thanked them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you give him the more formal name, you never actually need to use it or even think about it. DS has been Nickname since the day he came home from the hospital, and we knew he would be Nickname from ~3 mos. pregnant. Let's say he's "Billy."

Nevertheless, we named him "William", and not "Billy," because we wanted him to have options when he's older.

We did the same thing. We have never called our son by his "real" name, but I think it's important as an adult to have the option of a more substantial sounding name. You don't want your child's name to hold them back professionally.We thought "can you see a supreme court judge with this name" when naming our child. And NO, we don't expect him to be one!