Is Nina short for anything?

[AHLH]

Our first dance at our wedding was to Nina Simone's "My Baby Just Cares for Me". Now 17 weeks pg with first baby, thinking of Nina as a girls name, because of these associations. But would like baby to have a "Sunday Best" name which can be abbreviated to a short nickname (ie Eleanor/Ellie). Nina just sounds like a short nickname!

So, is Nina short for anything? The closest I can get is Georgina, which I'm not going to use for all sorts of other reasons.

[nailpolish]

i think its a name to itself. and a lovely one at that

[frogs]

Christina, usually. But can be a name in its own right too.

[WigWamBam]

It's a name in it's own right - it means little girl in Hebrew.

[MrsBadger]

I think it was once a nickname in itself, because it means 'little girl' in Spanish

some names ending in 'Nina' here but to be frank I prefer Nina to any of those.

[MrsBadger]

isn't Nina 'grandaughter' in Hebrew?

[misdee]

dd3 is Serena, but everyone calls her Nina. no idea why though lol!

[MrsMattie]

Nina is lovely on it's own.

[Alishanty]

I know someone called Christina who calls herself Nina, don't know if it is a normal shortening for that name.

[CountessDracula]

It's short for ninanina which is the noise an ambulance makes

[Saturn74]

NinaPrettyBallerina

An excellent name choice if you happen to be a fan of ABBA.

[Ellbell]

PMSL @ CD

It's a diminutive, so it can be 'short for' any number of names to which it can be added (so it's originally a lengthening and then a shortening, iyswim)

e.g. Giovanna - Giovannina - Nina

Just like Dino is a short form of Corrado (Corrado - Corradino - Dino)

[Ellbell]

Mind you, if I wanted my dd to be called Nina (and I think it's a nice name, btw) I wouldn't call her Giovanna. Especially not in this country, where she's going to get called 'Jee-oh-var-nah'.

If you like Nina, go for Nina.

[MadameCh0let]

The Russians use it as a short form for their equivalent of Antonia.

I love the name Nina, it is modestly beautiful. LIke Ellen, Leah, Jane, Joy, Eve

I think Nina does stand alone. I hate Janine for example. Possibly Antonia on the birtch cert gives more options in the future. Antonia, Ana, Nia, Tonia, Nina....

But the nicest one is still Nina! Although Ana is nice too.

[MadameCh0let]

PS another way of 'getting to' Nina would be for example

Naomi Georgina nn Nina

[constancereader]

Nina is a lovely name.

[cyteen]

There is a Polish name, Yanina, that shortens to Nina. But mostly I think it stands alone, and is all the better for it. An underrated name IMO.

[LouiseAnn]

My Husband's auntie, is Nina, short for Adrienne. Not sure why...

[MaryAnnSingleton]

Nina - a lovely name (my bf's dd's name)

[brrrrmmmm]

Nina and her Neurons? (CBBs)

[Shitemum]

A friend just called her daughter Nina, her mother is Russian and that's her name.

BTW Nina does not mean 'little girl' in Spanish - that's Niña.

[PrincessPeaHead]

I have a russian friend who has called her daughter nina too
It is a name in its own right, not usually a diminutive
Lovely name, I think.

[morningpaper]

we nearly called DD1 Saturnina

an old catholic saint

would have shortened to Nina

but then DH read Hanif Kureshi's Intimacy and it put him off?!?!??!

[Joash]

My friends name is Nina and in her case it's shortened from Antonina (which I think is gorgeous). She is of polish decent and went from being Antonina KR(polish surname) to Nina (very common surname) Such a shame.