Can I name DS Nathaniel with nickname Neil?

[Anonymous]

Would you find this weird? Nathaniel is Hebrew and Neil appears to be a separate, Gaelic name.

Nevertheless, it seems like some people have used Neil as a nn for Nathaniel in the past and it doesn’t seem that far-fetched based on the last syllable of the name (as for the Gaelic name, Niel is listed as an alternative spelling for Neil).

What does DCUM think? Should I just name the kid Neil if I like that? I’m kind of annoyed it’s being used for girls now, too, so I’d like to have a longer formal name, as well.

[Anonymous]

I’d just name the child Neil.

[Anonymous]

Technically you can do whatever the f you want, and your kid will change it if he hates it when he's an adult.

I've never heard of a girl Neil/Neal. If there's a reason you need to use Nathaniel vs. Neil (tradition, family, etc), go for it. If not, why not just pick the name you intend to use?

[Anonymous]

You can give your child any NN you want! Personally, I would use Nathan, but Neil is nice, too!

[Anonymous]

I think for nicknames you can pretty much do whatever you want. If you refer to the kid as Neil at all times, few people would even know what his formal name is.

[Anonymous]

I've never heard of any girl called/named, Neil.

[Anonymous]

It’s your kid. Name him what you want, call him what you want.

[Anonymous]

Why are you annoyed it's being used for girls too?

[Anonymous]

Just name him Neil! I've never heard of a girl Neil before.

[Anonymous]

That's weird. And Neil is an AWFUL name. Nathaniel is a good name - Nate is an awesome name, as is Nathan.

[Anonymous]

You can make a nickname whatever you want, but what you're proposing makes no sense.

I don't know any girls named Neil. All the men I know named Neil are named Neil. It's not a nickname for anything; it's a full name, just a short one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are you annoyed it's being used for girls too?

Personal preference. I don’t like adrogynous names.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's weird. And Neil is an AWFUL name. Nathaniel is a good name - Nate is an awesome name, as is Nathan.

Yeah, I do like Nate a lot, too. Maybe I’ll drop the Neil idea entirely.

[Anonymous]

I think it works. I love nicknames!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's weird. And Neil is an AWFUL name. Nathaniel is a good name - Nate is an awesome name, as is Nathan.

I agree with this. And I’ve never heard of a girl named Neil for what it’s worth.