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Will Madeleine inevitably become Maddie?

71 replies

Heatherbell1978 · 06/11/2016 09:08

DD1 due in February. I have a DS1, Charlie. Think we're set on Heidi but I've always loved Madeleine and can't shake it off. We discounted it as we're not fans of names that are easily shortened and would prefer child to go by the name we give.
DH thinks it will inevitably be shortened as it's a long name but then it's 3 syllables the same as Emily, Olivia etc which don't tend to be shortened......
Any thoughts?

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FrancisCrawford · 06/11/2016 09:10

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Pluto30 · 06/11/2016 09:10

Yep.

I know 5 Madeleines and 3 Madisons and they all get Maddie.

Also, Olivia tends to get shortened, IME. Always to Liv/Livvy.

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ThroughThickAndThin01 · 06/11/2016 09:27

It's impossible to police it though, so I wouldn't use it if you hate Maddie.

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ThroughThickAndThin01 · 06/11/2016 09:29

Also as you have a Charlie people might well assume that you do like shortened names.

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Fairylea · 06/11/2016 09:30

Will definitely become Maddie.

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TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 06/11/2016 09:31

My sister is a Madeleine and she gets Mads. But it's really up to her - if she was to insist on Madeleine at school she'd be that.

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Jinglebells99 · 06/11/2016 09:34

I think you might well end up with Charlie and Maddie, since Charlie is a shortened version of Charles, so people may naturally shorten Madeleine too.
My dd has a traditional name with several nicknames and she still gets called by her full name though.

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Heatherbell1978 · 06/11/2016 13:32

Yes Charlie is a shortened version of Charles but he's Charlie on his birth certificate. I don't expect it would be shortened further....but Madeleine would be Madeleine rather than Maddie on her birth certificate. I don't hate Maddie, I just prefer the full name.

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FrancisCrawford · 06/11/2016 13:37

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Sugarpiehoneyeye · 06/11/2016 18:02

It will, yes.

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NavyandWhite · 06/11/2016 22:06

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reallysayingsomething · 06/11/2016 22:07

My daughter is a Madeline and it is not shortened.

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madrose · 06/11/2016 22:10

Mine is a Madeleine, she likes Maddy and Madeleine. Hates any other shortening and tells people so. She loves both names.

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AmeliaJack · 06/11/2016 22:17

My best friend has a name which is almost always shortened (think Jennifer to Jenny) but she never shortens it and everyone follows her lead.

However you'd have to be prepared that your DD herself would want to shorten it.

I do know a Madeleine called Lainey.

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MyWineTime · 06/11/2016 22:57

I deliberately chose names for my children that had a number of different versions of them. That way they would have the opportunity to use the version that they liked the most.
I don't understand the need to be so controlling over the variations of your child's name that other people will use.
I have yet to come across a name that other people will not shorten, lengthen or manipulate in some way.
Heidi is a lovely name, my friend is always called Heids.

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KoalaDownUnder · 07/11/2016 02:23

Exactly as Pluto said in first reply.

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user1471950254 · 07/11/2016 02:27

I agree people may presume Charlie has been shortened! Also as other PPs have said even if you insist on the full name she may prefer a nickname

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SorenaJ · 07/11/2016 09:14

I don't get the you can't control the nicknames, I have a name that gets lots of nicknames (think Elizabeth), there is one of the nicknames I hate, so if people use that, I just polite say "please don't use that, I prefer xy", and then that's it. If your daughter doesn't like Maddie, then she'll tell people that she prefers Madeleine. Simple as that.

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NavyandWhite · 07/11/2016 09:44

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MyWineTime · 07/11/2016 17:36

You just have to keep saying " she's not called Maddy, it's Madeleine " and people will get it.
Some will, others won't. You will have no control at all over what her friends call her. She will decide for herself what she likes.

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Baylisiana · 07/11/2016 17:40

People will try, definitely, but if you are happy to correct them for a while they will mostly, not always, adapt. The only thing is that your dd may be happy with being called Maddie, at school for example, so you'll probably end up following her lead.

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RiverTam · 07/11/2016 17:44

My cousin is Madeleine and certainly no-one in the family shortened it.

Madeleine is do beautiful and Maddie so ugly, I always feel Sad when I hear it shortened.

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NavyandWhite · 07/11/2016 18:33

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AmeliaJack · 07/11/2016 22:57

That only works Navy if the child themselves doesn't prefer the short form.

I had a friend at school whose real name was Jenny-Mae. As soon as she hit high school she started introducing herself as Jen.

Her parents hate "Jen" and determinedly use her full name even though she personally hasn't used it for 30 years.

I wouldn't use a name I didn't like the short form of.

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Pluto30 · 07/11/2016 23:09

After years of people assuming they can shorten her name to Maddie, it's likely that she'll relent and introduce herself as such. I'm speaking from experience on this one (4 syllable name with a myriad of nicknames). My family uses my full name, but everyone else assumes the shortened form is standard, and over time I've decided to just introduce myself that way.

That and the fact that a 4 syllable name is often a pain in the ass.

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