(no subject)

[thephoeb.livejournal.com]

What do you think of using a name that is normally short for something else? Like Ron instead of Ronald, Mel instead of Melanie/Melody/Melissa, Dan instead of Daniel, anything like that.
My grandfather's given name is Billy. Once he reached adulthood it was shorted to Bill. I think it's cool, because he was never just another William.
I don't personally think it is necessary to name a kid John if you plan to call him Jack anyway. I kind of think it's best to name a child what you plan to call them, even if it isn't conventional.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/___heyvanity/]

I wouldn't use the name William and call my kid Billy. I don't get that. Nor would I name my child Johnathon and call him Jack.

However, I would name my kid William and call him Will for short. And I would name my kid Johnathon and call him John for short.

I don't understand why people name their kid something and then call them something completely different.

[crzydimond.livejournal.com]

I don't get that either, especially the jack/john thing.
I don't think anyone should HAVE to name a kid Samuel when they prefer Sam just because it is the 'proper' name.
But as someone else mentioned...for formal purposes when they are older it might be better.

[http://users.livejournal.com/___heyvanity/]

Well yeah. I'm a Jennifer and you ALWAYS run into people asking me "Do you like to be called Jennifer, Jenn or Jenny?" Well, I spell it like Jenni, I prefer to be called Jenn... but actually I don't really care.

It gets confusing, usually I just say call me Jenn.

And when I was younger everyone called me Jenni, but as I've grown I prefer to be called Jenn or Jennifer, Jenni just seems juvenile to me.

[in-the-starlite.livejournal.com]

Both my cousin and my brother's girlfriend are Jennifers. But my cousin goes by Jenn and my bro's gf prefers Jen. But they both hate being called Jenny/Jenni.

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

I think it's completely fine.
I prefer Sam over Samuel, Jack over John.

Of course, when the child grows older it could be problematic on resumes. The name may seem unfinished, but overall, I think it's great.

[bornto-fly.livejournal.com]

I'm not a huge fan of the idea. I really like nicknames, but I still prefer that the kid's given name is the formal version: Henry instead of Hank, Jacob instead of Jake, etc. I just figure that maybe the kid isn't going to be a nickname type of person. Maybe Jacob fits him better than Jake, but you're not giving him that choice, you know?

All of my boy names will be shortened to nicknames (Sam, Ben, Jake, Nate), but their given names will all be the formal version.

[krosp.livejournal.com]

I do agree, but then at the same time I guess I don't really see how it's any different from giving a child a full name that doesn't have a nickname, and them also not suiting it. Like my name is Claire... I might not have grown up to be a Claire just like Ben might not have been a Ben, so you can never know.

But I do, in general, like the full name with the option of the nickname so I do agree with what you said personally.

[americandiva.livejournal.com]

I love the names Jake and Max.....but would not give them Jacob or Maxwell etc. as a name. I alos like Sam and Ben...but would not name them Samuel or Benjamin.

i think short names are awesome.

[confusedanswers.livejournal.com]

Ehh I prefer the line of thinking a friend of mine has.

Her son is Nathaniel.. but only for the future if he chooses to use it as a professional. They call him Nate, and that is all he is ever called. But I prefer to give my children the choice of having a "professional" formal name and a nick name.. that is the point of nick names, to shorten and give a bit of family to everyone who uses the name.

[katiesthoughts.livejournal.com]

The John/Jack thing seemed to have happened to distinguish John, the father, from John the son. All the John/Jacks I know are jrs or sons of Johns. I think it's kind of nice. Both my father-in-law and my grandfather are/were John/Jacks.

My grandpa Bill is a William. Oddly enough, it wasn't until he was an adult that people started refering to him as "Bill." I think it was kind of cool as he was "William" to his family and "Bill" to my Grandma:)

I'm a Kathleen that's a Katie. At times, I hate it because everyone wants to call me Kathy for some reason whenever they see Kathleen. But I like it too. Katie sounds a little childlike and I'm glad to have "Kathleen" legally.

[mystickiwi.livejournal.com]

I think Jack and John are ok stand alone names, but really I hate it. One of my family members just had a baby and they named her Gabbi. Not Gabrielle/a just Gabbi, and I think it's stupid! They're called nicknames because they aren't supposed to be used as full names

[mrs-tobe.livejournal.com]

I always prefer to give a child a full name to fall back on, and then call them the nickname if I choose. In the future, they may decide they don't like the nickname. Plus, I can more easily see a Dr. Melanie _____ than a Dr. Mel _______. Plus, they'd forever be asked what their name is short for.

[eleanorgrace.livejournal.com]

I have a friend named Ty and he's constantly explaining that it is his full given name, both informally--when introduced to people--and formally--when filling out paperwork for instance.

At a very conservative workplace it might appear mildly unprofessional to be listing a nickname rather than a "full" name as an applicant or employee, but girls named Gabbi and boys named Billy don't really have that choice.

Though a more traditional middle name might cancel some of that out. And I suppose it's not super important either way. Kind of a matter of taste.

[bluekoala.livejournal.com]

who the hell is dan in harry potter?

[th3-unicorn.livejournal.com]

I would rather give the child the chance to use the original name, that way it's open to new options for short. Example: If I wanted to call my child Ella, I'd name her Elizabeth or Isabella, so she could use Libby or Izzy for short if she liked them better.

[0o-faerie.livejournal.com]

Here (i.e. in the Netherlands) it's normal to give your kid names like that, hardly anyone has a nn. So, alas, I think giving your kid a name like that is fine =). Although it got me thinking what other people in this community said: with a longer name, your kid has more options in case he doesn't like his name ;)

[in-the-starlite.livejournal.com]

Here (i.e. in the Netherlands) it's normal to give your kid names like that, hardly anyone has a nn.

My dad and his siblings have names like that, too, and my grandmother is from Denmark.

[krosp.livejournal.com]

Interesting, a few of my Danish ancestors shortened their names...e.g. Nicolena -> Lena, Theodora -> Dora

[jordle.livejournal.com]

I have no problem with nicknames, but I hate when someone never uses their real name. If you're going to always call you kid Cate, then there is no point calling her Catherine.

[the-good-ship.livejournal.com]

I think it depends on the name to be honest. With names like Sam and Beth, I think they stand alone well; but with names like Sammy and Lizzy I don't. Maybe I just don't like it when full names end in y/ie, etc?

[in-the-starlite.livejournal.com]

My father is Ronnie, not Ronald. And my aunt is Connie, not Constance. According to my grandmother, it was a Scandinavian thing to not give your children names that could be shortened, which also produced Gene, Gary, Doug (not Douglas), Linda, and Eric. *shrugs*

[novangla.livejournal.com]

I'm actually on the complete opposite end here. I like nicknames as optional-- a formal name gives the person room to accept or reject the nickname, or to use different nicknames among different groups (your family calls you Tommy, your friends Tom, and your coworkers Thomas). Nicknames are affectionate and informal-- that's why they aren't your full name, you know?

Also... If your name is Elizabeth and your parents call you Betsy but you grow up and realize you're more of a Liz, the full name gives you that option (I knew someone like this).

To name a kid a nickname also means that they're always asked what it's short for and it's not short for anything... plus gets rid of any option of formality. And it makes the parents sound ignorant or tacky, in my opinion.

[pixietangerine.livejournal.com]

i have a friend named jenny, just jenny, and she likes it that way. but she gets called jennifer all the time, because people just assume, and it bothers her.
i personally would use a formal name and then a nickname, because when the child grows up and starts his/her career, he/she might want a name that people will take seriously. a given name and a nickname gives the child more options for what he/she wants to be called. maybe little abby doesn't like being called abby and wants to be called abigail, or even gail, or maybe gabriel would rather be called gabe. if you give them the long version, they have more options.

[krosp.livejournal.com]

I agree with you if the name sounds respectable already... e.g. Sam or Chris. But not if it's a really cutesy diminutive form - in that case, I say use the full name so they have options to sound more mature later.

[padfootinpurple.livejournal.com]

I agree with what others have said--I like the nickname options that are there in given longer names. My name is Kathryn, and I went by Katie until second grade, when I started going by Kathryn, except to my family, who continued to call me Kate/Katie. All my friends know that I hate those from anyone outside my family, so I get Kat/Kitty/Kit-Kat/etc (in addition to Kathryn), which I like--to me, nicknames are terms of endearment.

I'd rather give my future kids the ability to choose what they want to be called.

[slmpd08.livejournal.com]

I agree. I LOVE the name Maggie, but hate Margaret. If I used Maggie, I'd JUST name her Maggie, not Margaret to call her Maggie.

[celtic-thistle.livejournal.com]

I disagree, and I'm not sure why. I always think it's cool for kids to kinda decide on their own nickname.