Forum Index
»
Infants, Toddlers, & Preschoolers
Is it weird to name a child with a nickname?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| My DH and I keep going back and forth about this...we have a name we like the nickname for , but not the proper name. He thinks we should just name our child the shortened version, but I think that may be strange when she gets older and has a career, etc. What are people's thoughts on this? |
Anonymous
Not a good trend at all. Children deserve real names with strength and meaning. Use the nickname as just that. Everyone will follow suit. |
Anonymous
|
It depends. If the nickname's a reasonable one.. Like Jack, or John or something that can pass for a name, great. If not, like Chuck, or Jamie, its better to go with the name.
PP was right: Can you see someone in a business suit with that nickname? Being in charge of people? |
Anonymous
|
I think it depends on the name. If it ends in an i, ie, or y, I would probably not do it.
But, my name is a nickname (Sasha - a common nickname for Alexandra / Alexander) and it was never a problem for me. |
Anonymous
| I also agree that generally it's better to go with the full name as opposed to the nickname, but it might depend on the nickname. For example, the name "Maggie" is obviously a diminutive of Margaret and if you just named a baby Maggie, people would (I think) assume that her full name was Margaret. But I think the name "Molly" can go either way -- even though it's traditionally a nickname for Mary, these days I think more people use it as a full name all on its own. |
Anonymous
| I don't think it's a big deal...I have several adult friends with given names that can be nicknames: Julie, Judy, Jessie, Beth. I don't know if I'd choose to do so, but after a 5 second explanation (no, it's not Julia or Jessica) most people are over it. If you like that name best, I say go for it. |
Anonymous
| My friends names their DS Alex and when he was around 9 he used to say, "My nickname is Alexander." |
Anonymous
| I once had a boss named Ricky. I couldn't take him seriously. |
Anonymous
|
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. |
Anonymous
| I had a friend named Chris who was positively bitter that his parents gave him the short version rather than the proper name of Christopher. I think he felt diminished by it. |
Anonymous
| We gave our daughter the full version. I'm glad we did. So far (6 mos), the nickname doesn't seem to suit her! |
Anonymous
| I totally disagree with the PPs who say it will make your child resentful. My full given name is Terri. Terri is typically short for Theresa, but not in my case. I am so happy that I haven't had to go through my whole life correcting people to use the name that I'm called rather than a different given name. I couldn't be more pleased that my email at work and all my official paperwork contains the same name that I am called by. I know a number of people at work who are constantly (and awkwardly) called their full given names (Theresa, Jennifer, Robert) even though they have never once in their life gone by that name. I think that you are doing your children a favor and avoiding much confusion by giving them the name that they will be called by. |
Anonymous
|
I think that it is better to give the formal name. Why not give your child more naming options as he or she grows? A Margaret who doesn't care for Maggie can be Meg or Greta or Daisy - such numerous and fun options!
|
Anonymous
|
the runner up for our DD's name was Evie, which is a proper name, but also a nickname for Evangeline or Evelyn. Didn't like either of those...
|
Anonymous
|
Have a good friend named Vicki--that is her given name, it isn't short for Victoria. I asked her once about that and she said she didn't mind at all, that it was a total non-issue. I also have several friends named Laurie/Lori/Lauri (not short for Laura or Lauren or anything), and they likewise are happy with their names and don't feel like the name is at all an issue. HTH.
|