(no subject)

[mightymouse.livejournal.com]

so i really like a name but i'm not too keen on a nickname that comes along with it. should i keep the name in mind anyway?

Comments

[lovetokate.livejournal.com]

I would say it depends on the name and how common the nickname that comes along with it is.

[becomingun.livejournal.com]

Depends on the name and if there's another alternative.

[mightymouse.livejournal.com]

i really like the name as a whole and one nickname for it, but i don't like what the most popular nickname for it would be

if that makes sense

[becomingun.livejournal.com]

I'd still use it. I love Margaret but I'm not wild about Marg(which is what my grandmother Margaret went by), but I really like Maggie. I am still planning on naming the first daughter I have Margaret.

[a-tergo-lupi.livejournal.com]

I know a girl who goes by "Checky." (I don't actually know how she spells it.) It's really cute.

[mrssubee.livejournal.com]

no. there's no guarantee the nickname won't be used

[mightymouse.livejournal.com]

you could even do cesci

[thellamaqueen.livejournal.com]

I know a Francesca who goes by Frankie and I pretty much think it's the cutest thing ever.

[kjerlandsen.livejournal.com]

I hate the name Luke. Every Luke I've ever met has been a tool. Yet, my son is Lukas. He is 10 and does not answer to Luke. If some one tries calling him that, he ignores them. To him, it's a completely different name and he doesn't acknowledge them. They eventually get it and refer to him only as Lukas.

I don't think that you should no longer consider the name just because of the nickname. It's easy to correct people when they use the wrong name and it's easy to train your child to not answer to that nickname.

Plus, if there is a different nickname you like better, suggest people use that instead of the less desired one, if they insist on using a nickname.

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

Personally, I wouldn't. You can't control what other people call your child, especially if the nickname is a really common one. I would find a different name that didn't carry the same risk.

[blissurrenderd.livejournal.com]

I agree. My top boy name has TWO nicknames I hate- the first half and the second half. The first 2/3 is what I will use as a nick-name. When he's small I will correct people. If he's older and wants to use one of the nicknames I hate with other people, fine, but I won't personally use it.

[autopsycorpses.livejournal.com]

When DF's cousin had their child, they announced the name was Donovan, but under no circumstances was he to be called "Don" or "Donny" and that if it had to be shortened, it would be "Van" only. That pretty much put everyone in their place right off.

[autopsycorpses.livejournal.com]

DH now. Still referring to him as DF. Geeze.

[babyjess8.livejournal.com]

I love lots of names in full, but hate nicknames (eg Alexander, Christopher, Georgiana, Isabelle)

As a teacher, I've had several children tell me that they go by their full name rather than a nickname. I guess the parents had drummed it in at an early age. eg a young boy called Samuel who told me straight up, "I'm not Sam!"

[malsywals.livejournal.com]

my grandmother's name was Margaret and she went by peggy

[octobre09.livejournal.com]

I know an Abigail who never goes by Abby, if someone calls her that, she just corrects them. And my friend has a baby named Christopher and she tells us not to call him Chris and we respect that. If you really like the name, I'd go for it.

[falls2climb.livejournal.com]

Same here. I teach high school and have a Thomas and a Tommy in the same class, and Thomas ALWAYS thinks I'm referring to him when I say something like, "Tommy, did you finish your essay?" I can't count how many times he's blown up at me this semester and shouted, "My name is THOMAS! Don't call me TOMMY!" He seems to forget that there is, in fact, a Tommy in the room.

[fleckerbug.livejournal.com]

Depends on how common the nickname is, how likely people are to slip into it, and how much it will irritate you if they do.


We loved the name David for our first baby (which turned out to be a girl, so no issue), but I was adamant that he would not be called 'Dave' or 'Davey'. We don't think we'll ever use the name now, but looking back, if I hated the nicknames that much, perhaps I shouldn't have planned to use it. Our problem is my husband's family is just huge on nicknames, so we need to bear than in mind. Of course, my SIL has manages to get people not to call her daughter by a very common nickname that they all seemed pretty gung-ho about, so there's hope.

[fleckerbug.livejournal.com]

I know one too!

[duckduckcaboose.livejournal.com]

That's a tough question. I am not a big fan of nicknames. My name is Melissa and a lot of people want to call me "Mel" or "Missy" and I just ignore them or correct them depending on how annoying they are about it.

I don't think I would completely avoid a name just because I disliked a nickname, but you might want to come up with an alternative nickname to give people something, like how some Christophers go by "Topher" instead of "Chris" (both of which I dislike but ya know).

[snoglobel.livejournal.com]

My family is big on using full names instead of nicknames. For example, my brother is Andrew and corrects people who say Andy or Drew. My cousins are Deborah, Edward, and Lawrence - NOT Debbie, Eddie, or Larry.

They all have to often correct people, but it doesn't seem to be a problem after the initial meeting. I always find it offensive when people assume a nickname rather than asking preferences first.

So long story short - yea go with it. It doesn't add that much annoyance.

[elemmennope.livejournal.com]

Can you deal with Gabriella deciding to go by Gabby when she's in high school. It is HER choice.

I would not use the names Gabriella or Victoria for this reason.

[corielcries.livejournal.com]

I'd use it. Just insist the child's given name is her name, not the nickname. If she decides to go by something else later on in life, even the name you don't like, she probably will.

[laminy.livejournal.com]

I think it can work, if you just tell people that that's not your kid's name. I know two James's who never went by Jim/Jimmy, and a Benjamin who only goes by Benjamin, per their parents wishes, so it can be 'enforced', lol.

[jerseygrits.livejournal.com]

It's hard to say without knowing the exact name and nickname you're referring to, but I think it does depend on how naturally this particular nickname comes with the name and what the other options are.

If you think the nickname in question is pretty much automatic in most people's minds, I would recommend not using it unless you are ok with that nickname being used. You may be able to "train" your child at a young age based on your own preferences, but ultimately it will be the child's decision what they want to go by, and you really have no control over what their friends will call them at school and what they will want to be called at that point. It also gives them easy ammunition if they're trying to piss you off - just start going by the name that you so purposefully and adamantly avoided using. :P

Personally, I probably would not use a name if I disliked the most common nickname. I wouldn't want to spend all that energy trying to correct people on something that came naturally to them, and it would always be a risk that that name is what she would choose to go by later in life.

[nothingtolose19.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty much just going to agree with what everyone else said! My cousin's name is Jonathan, and all while he was growing up my aunt was adament that no one call him Jon or Jonny. He still only goes by Jonathan. I remember her saying that she heard one guy at school call him that one time and she cringed, but I guess if corrected that would stop.

[jordle.livejournal.com]

I'd still use it. Most of the time people are going to refer to someone as they way they were introduced to them. No matter what your name is you are always going to have some idiot you thinks it's their right to call you what they want but I think most of the time people will not automatically shorten it.

I have that issue with Abigail. LOVE LOVE LOVE Abigail (it's been my favourite name saince I was 12 and I'm now 30!) but I don't really like Abby that much and I would hate for her name to become 'Abby'. Won't stop me from using it though!

[pleasure-past.livejournal.com]

As long as the nickname isn't something that's going to get the kid teased, I say go for it. If your family and all of your family friends call the kid by their full name, odds are that by the time they get into school, they'll already have it through their head that their name is their name, not the nick-name, and they'll find it weird to be called the nick-name.