Full Name vs Nickname

[Anonymous]

Nickname always. I prefer it exponentially. Nothing wrong or unusual about my first name, I just don't love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your nickname is a shortened version of of your name (e.g., Liz for Elizabeth or Rob for Robert), do you use your nickname professionally? In emails? In verbal conversation? I have always used my nickname to sign emails, in conversation, and in my LinkedIn profile. However, I use my full name for publication, contracts, and in my email signature block. How do others handle this issue without confusion?

Very common approach.

+1 To use your example in publications I'm Elizabeth, in person I'm Liz.

[Anonymous]

Bumping this post to ask a generational question.

I am older and admit an aversion to nicknames. Deliberately gave my children names for which no nicknames could be created.

I have a new 20-something colleague who goes by a nickname although signature block has full name. Think Mandy versus Amanda. I want to tell her that she should use full name. I remember when I was her age and a colleague switched from Judy to Judith. I did not understand at the time but get it now.

To bolster my point, I have read that Jane Pauley was not taken seriously until she stopped using Janey and JLo has an album Jenny from the Block but is known professionally as Jennifer.

WDYT? Am I just a dinosaur? Only people over 30 notice or care?

[Anonymous]

Tom Cruise
Brad Pitt

Are shortened first names

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is much, much worse for people with foreign names. Somehow Americans can, maybe after several tries, recognize that Elizabeth and Beth are the same person. But they have soooo much trouble making a similar connection between [long and complicated Nigerian or Thai name] that decided to go by "Ollie".

Huh? No way. I totally got that Mo was the same as Mohammed. Or that my Chinese coworker is called Pearl (which is the actual translation of her name and she asked us to call her that). Both use their official names on their email address, but sign their names with the nickname.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this post to ask a generational question.

I am older and admit an aversion to nicknames. Deliberately gave my children names for which no nicknames could be created.

I have a new 20-something colleague who goes by a nickname although signature block has full name. Think Mandy versus Amanda. I want to tell her that she should use full name. I remember when I was her age and a colleague switched from Judy to Judith. I did not understand at the time but get it now.

To bolster my point, I have read that Jane Pauley was not taken seriously until she stopped using Janey and JLo has an album Jenny from the Block but is known professionally as Jennifer.

WDYT? Am I just a dinosaur? Only people over 30 notice or care?

You should run this by Tammy Duckworth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is much, much worse for people with foreign names. Somehow Americans can, maybe after several tries, recognize that Elizabeth and Beth are the same person. But they have soooo much trouble making a similar connection between [long and complicated Nigerian or Thai name] that decided to go by "Ollie".

Yes, all Americans have this difficulty because all Americans have the same cultural and ethnic background and none are immigrants or even travel or do business outside the country. Ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this post to ask a generational question.

I am older and admit an aversion to nicknames. Deliberately gave my children names for which no nicknames could be created.

I have a new 20-something colleague who goes by a nickname although signature block has full name. Think Mandy versus Amanda. I want to tell her that she should use full name. I remember when I was her age and a colleague switched from Judy to Judith. I did not understand at the time but get it now.

To bolster my point, I have read that Jane Pauley was not taken seriously until she stopped using Janey and JLo has an album Jenny from the Block but is known professionally as Jennifer.

WDYT? Am I just a dinosaur? Only people over 30 notice or care?

Respectfully, you are being a dinosaur. We have come a long way from the early years of Jane Pauley’s career. I have no doubt that was true during that era, but there is no way you should take it upon yourself to tell a colleague that she needs to go by Amanda instead of Mandy in the year 2022.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is much, much worse for people with foreign names. Somehow Americans can, maybe after several tries, recognize that Elizabeth and Beth are the same person. But they have soooo much trouble making a similar connection between [long and complicated Nigerian or Thai name] that decided to go by "Ollie".

Huh? No way. I totally got that Mo was the same as Mohammed. Or that my Chinese coworker is called Pearl (which is the actual translation of her name and she asked us to call her that). Both use their official names on their email address, but sign their names with the nickname.

Yeah this isn’t that difficult. I’m a small business owner and have a lot of Asian clients whose real name is a traditional name but ask me to use an American name when speaking to or emailing them. When they pay invoices I certainly don’t get confused that Mei Hua wants to be called Madeline in person but the credit card she is going to use has her real given name printed on it.

[Anonymous]

My full name is not common and my nickname is the uncommon version of my full name so no one ever realizes who anyone is talking about when my full name gets used.

[Anonymous]

My nickname is the most common nickname for my full name. I only use my nickname, including in work and professional settings, except when I need to use my full legal name, usually for finances of some sort.

So, I assume that anyone who uses my full name on the phone is a cold call and I'm not interested. Unless it's my mother and she's mad at me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this post to ask a generational question.

I am older and admit an aversion to nicknames. Deliberately gave my children names for which no nicknames could be created.

I have a new 20-something colleague who goes by a nickname although signature block has full name. Think Mandy versus Amanda. I want to tell her that she should use full name. I remember when I was her age and a colleague switched from Judy to Judith. I did not understand at the time but get it now.

To bolster my point, I have read that Jane Pauley was not taken seriously until she stopped using Janey and JLo has an album Jenny from the Block but is known professionally as Jennifer.

WDYT? Am I just a dinosaur? Only people over 30 notice or care?

What? I work with *many* successful, director level people who use nicknames. Are you saying you can’t go by Mike, Tom, Steve, Becky, Katie at work?

[Anonymous]

My name is Elizabeth, I go by Elizabeth, sign all my emails as Elizabeth and yet half of the office calls me Liz, even after being corrected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this post to ask a generational question.

I am older and admit an aversion to nicknames. Deliberately gave my children names for which no nicknames could be created.

I have a new 20-something colleague who goes by a nickname although signature block has full name. Think Mandy versus Amanda. I want to tell her that she should use full name. I remember when I was her age and a colleague switched from Judy to Judith. I did not understand at the time but get it now.

To bolster my point, I have read that Jane Pauley was not taken seriously until she stopped using Janey and JLo has an album Jenny from the Block but is known professionally as Jennifer.

WDYT? Am I just a dinosaur? Only people over 30 notice or care?

What? I work with *many* successful, director level people who use nicknames. Are you saying you can’t go by Mike, Tom, Steve, Becky, Katie at work?

So Joe Biden, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Katie Porter, Bill Clinton, Dave Thomas and thousands of others who are CEOs, world and national leaders are all unprofessional?

There are many people who have risen to the top using a nickname as their professional name. It's not unprofessional unless the nickname itself might be viewed as unprofessional for some external reason.

[Anonymous]

Peg and Peggy is Margaret and a lot of people don’t get it.

This is why I’ve always gone by my nickname at work.