Mumsnet Talk

I have a Francesca. I love it. We call her Chess when we nn it. She's only tiny still so maybe a different nn will appear over time.

Amazingmum - we have similar taste. Anna is my sister's name, I love Miriam but DH vetoed and if we go with Francesca then Sophia will be the middle name!!!

Saskia is best on yourlist

love Anna, Miriam, Sophia

I know a Francesca and she's called Frankie sometimes but only by her parents.

Have an Italian Aunt Francesca who is known as Franca, also heard Italians use Ciccia (Cheecha) and Franci (Franchi) - I think it is a beautiful name and if my dh wasn't called Francesco we would definitely have used it!

I've just remembered ds used to call my dd Frenchy for a whlle, a kind of hybrid of Frankie and chesky, came out as Frenchy. She's still called that sometimes...

I was at school with a very cool Francesca - she shortened it to Cheskie which I liked too (or cheski when you go through that age of making your name cooler )

Definitely a favourite girls name - but I had boys so never got to use it (the irony being that I had loads of girls names, no boys names and ended up with 2 ds!)

I used to know a Francesca, people shortened it to Fran all the time. She got very hacked off with it. Her sister called her Chesca which I quite liked.

I love Francesca and like the nickanmes Frankie and Franny however I don't think it would have to get shortened if you stuck to Francesca. I like Georgina from your other list. The others aren't as classic as Francesca and Georgina.

sw I think she was going for indignant but it was indeed very cute

I know a Francesca who doesn't like it shortened - and everyone sticks with that. The only exceptions are "Ciccia" by her dad (an Italian diminutive, pronounced "Chicha" like someone else said), which is very sweet and the occasional "Fra" but never Fran, which I agree make a gorgeous name horrible.

I am saying it is actually possible to say to people, "No my name is not Nicky it's Nicola" for instance. I have a few friends that have names are normally shortened but are no eg. Alexander, Victoria.

Headfairy - thats very cute! Fran is really the only nn i detest so I may just go with Francesca and hope that if its shortened it is one of the other options!

wishihadabs - I love Georgina too but the shortened versions of that dont go with our surname - so another potential issue!!!

Francesca is lovely. I also think Georgina is great she could be George or georgie.

My sister has a friend called Francesca who gets nn Franka, which I think is v cool.

dd is Francesca and she doesn't get called Fran by anyone, Frankie or Chesca, but never Fran. The other day she told me in no uncertain terms (think 3 year old with her hands on her hips) "my name's Fwan*ches*ca"

ladymia, sorry - don't agree.. my DB and I both have names which can be shortened, and whilst our Mum always corrected people who shortened them growing up, by 6th form we went by our shorter names. Not our choice or our parents, just the consensus of others around us. I'd say if you really dislike a shortened version of a name, choose a different name. That said, ALL names can be shortened (I know several Karens who are known as 'K') . or lengthened... (Susans who are know as Suzysomething).

I know a Francesca and her nickname is Frankie.

You also don't have to shorten the name. I have a friend that has two boys Christopher and Andrew, if anyone calls either of them Andy or Chris my friend quickly corrects them and says it's "Christopher" or "Andrew", the boys do this themselves too

Sienna and Saskia both have three syllables too!

Francesca is lovely. I know 2... one gets shortened to Fran, the other Frankie. Beyond a certain point, you won't get a say in nicknames. If you choose to shorten the name yourself, then the child will be known by that name... until her pals/she decide on a different version. Or in some cases, something totally unrelated to their name!

I like all the rest of your shortlist, but I think most could be shortened. I only know one Deliah, she was often known as Dee. Georgina - either Georgie or Gee. Whilst I don't personally know people with the other names but can imagine "Darce" or "Sask" being used.

I like those last two! Although all these comments are making me think its more common than i thought!!!

I now a couple of Italian Francesca's who go but the nick names of Franchi and Franki.

I know five Francescas, two just called Francesca, one Fran, one Cesca and one Chessy.

My next door neighbour has a Francesca and calls her Chicha for short (that's what it sounds like, I'm not sure if it has a proper spelling). I think it's lovely.