Gabe - not Gabriel, just Gabe

[mrcamel]

I really like Gabe for a boy but have a slight 'thing' about Gabriel.

What do you think?

[belgo]

I would assume it's short for Gabriel.

[simonthedog]

I know a boy who is just Gabe, I like it

[picalooo]

my first proper boyfriend was just Gabe - he was lovely :D

[hohohoshedittant]

I don't like it on it's own, it doesn't sound like a 'proper' name to me. Could it be short for anything else...

[LaFilleSurLePont]

It's horrid.I love Gabriel but Gabe is awful.

[serin]

I know 3 Gabriels and they all get Gabe as a nn at school.

[glidingthrough]

I suppose some people would assume it was short for Gabriel but equally that it isn't too odd as a stand alone
eg Jenny/Jennifer
Andy/Andrew
etc

[Ihavewelliesbutitssunny]

Definately taking the 'nicknames as names' thing too far. Needs Gabriel behind it imo. Heard of a little Gabriel who was known as Gabe and then became Dave because it was similar. Gabe just reminds me of this.

[HenriettaFarthingay]

Gabe neither looks nor sounds nice. Gabriel is a gorgeous name.

[kindling]

Gabriel is a beautiful name. Not keen on Gabe as a nn and even less so as a stand alone name. It just sounds unfinished.

I know a little boy called Gage too. Not my style but nicer than Gabe i think.

[lisaro]

Gabe as a name is horrid. As a nickname for a 'proper' name it's ok.

[AnotherMincepie]

I like Gabriel. Wouldn't use Gabe as a stand-alone name.

[lottiegb]

Gable, gape, gabby. It just doesn't seem to make sense as a full name. Gabriel is lovely though.

[yellowflowers]

Lovely

[glidingthrough]

I have had a think you could always go with Gábor as a full name then call him Gabe. (they are related Gábor is the hungarian version of Gabriel)

[GirlWithTheMouseyHair]

I'm personally not a fan of Gabe but personally have no problem with people being given the nickname as their full name rather than the long version if you prefer it

coming from someone who just named her daughter Maggie, I hate Margaret!

[suebfg]

I don't like 'Gabe' as a name in its own right - it's kind of inane to me - it doesn't make sense.

[oikopolis]

Every person encounters snobbery, and giving him a name that might invite unfair judgement is not a good thing. Nicknames-as-first-names are the sort of thing that might invite sniffiness when it comes to job/uni applications and so on.

The child should have the choice of using a nickname or not... seems unfair to saddle them with a nn as a legal name.

Go with Gabriel on the birth cert and call him nothing but Gabe. IMO Gabriel is an unusually cool name, with an added religious/mythological association to make it extra awesome. Whereas Gabe standing alone is a bit meh in comparison.