names you like but wouldn't use because you dont like the nickame

Love Aurelia. Can be shortened to Aura perhaps? Also like Ophelia but how would that be shortened?

Liking Samson instead of the usual Samuel ...and Sam is always there as a safety net.

wow it really is old isn't it!

how did this old thread end up on most active?

It's perfectly possible to insist on using the full name (of course that assumes your child prefers the full name too!). My best friend is called Katherine and has never been anything else. Another good friend is Susannah, again, never been anything else. Nick names aren't inevitable.

Agree with some but love Charley short for Charlotte and if DS was a DD thats what he would have been. His name can be shortened but never is - and he says my name is x if people do .

My name, my brothers name, my DS name, 7 of my cousins names, my friend and her DDs names are all on this list. Some of us use the shortened versions some of us don't.

What made me laugh though is here on the screen I agreed with some thinking urg it is wierd shortened (mainly Sophie to Soph type ones) as opposed to Nicholas to Nick type ones - yet in RL its just what we say and doesn't seem so shocking iyswim?

Thanks manic. Irony is that I have no 5 due in 3 weeks. Seems like my old Nan was right: One out to make room for the next one in. Strange old life, isn't it? Thanks for your message; meant a lot to me.

oh pinkx, I'm so sorry about your dog :( 18 years is a long time.

My mum called my sister Amy so it wouldn't be shortened, her friends just called her A!

manicinsomniac: I love Jemima and all it's nns! But I couldn't name my next daughter Jemima...

My beloved old pooch was called Jemima and she only died (at 18 yrs old) 4 weeks ago. I really miss saying Mimes/Mima/Jem/Jemmie. They actually sound really sweet and affectionate when they're said outloud and she answered to all of them. (And if anyone's with a dd called Jemima thinks this is a bit of an insult, with her being a dog and all that, please don't: she was my surrogate child when I'd been told I would never have any children of my own, hence the 'human' not 'pet' name; much more special.) Agree with your others though manic!

Theodore! when he is naughty, but generally just Theo

I'm a Rebecca and get a fairly equal dose of Rebecca, Becky and Bex peppered with a few Beccas and even the odd Rebecky, Bexsta, Reebok.

I don't like any of the nicknames but feel a bit standoffish to insist on Rebecca. I don't care all that much. And I'm always Rebecca at work.

I love Natasha, Jessica, Gabriella, Matilda, Abigail, Isabella and Madeleine but not too keen on Nat/Tash, Jess/Jessie, Gabby, Mattie/Tilly, Abbie/Gail, Izzy or Maddie. I don't hate the nicknames at all, I just think they spoil beautiful names.

I do hate Immy for Imogen, Livvy for Olivia, Clo for Chloe, Mils for Amelia, Mima/Jem for Jemima and Em/Emz for Emma/Emily

PS. The name we chose for DD2 instead was slightly unusual (Back then, more common now). At least 4 families (including a rather grim "celeb") have since told us they followed our lead.

Me: We're going to call DD2 "Honour".

Pratt Sister: Why?

Me: Coz it can't be shortened.

PS: No, but it can be lengthened - "Honour and off her" is cool.

Result: DD2 is not called "Honour".

We have a motley crew in our family - Mum is Mizpah but known as Mitzie, DH is Gideon known as Gid, DS Lottie (not Charlotte). Dad is Keith (no comment....) LOL! Oh, and MIL has BF Ann Summers ... oh no, that's another thread....

i think its harder to name your second child than your first.as you come into contact with other parents and kids and get put off names you like because of popularity or kids that ruin nice names by being awful.

Oh and I used to work with an Italian lady named Valentina which I always thought was beautiful until one day I heard someone refer to her as.. Yep, Val!

Love Jacob but Jake was my childhood dog's name and I just can't get over it.

Have the opposite problem - Jack, Max and Charlie have all been considered, none of which are "real" names on their own so wouldn't be able to use them but I don't like the full-length versions!

I know a Constance who never gets Connie at the insistance of her parents. Though she is called Capi (rhymes with happy) almost exclusively. :)

I knew a Caleb once who was called Cabs or Cabbie, which I thought was silly. But he was such a lovely guy that it grew on me.

Pink I love Aurelia too. I'm heard it shortened to Aurie. Like Aar-eee.

My dd is Marina Siobhan, neither of which we thought you could shorten. She's usually Marina but sometimes friends call her M!!!

I don't particularly like the nickname of my DD's name. So I don't use it, and nor do any of my friends and family. I love her full name, and so the nickname never put me off, I'm not a big one for nicknames anyway.

I know she will probably get called by the shortened form of her name when she goes to school - although she may not; my name has never been shortened by anyone, and nor has my sister's, and we both have longish, 3 syllable names.
If DD wants to shorten it later on then it is up to her, it is HER name after all. Of course I hope she won't!

Like Harold and Maximus but Harry and Max too popular

I have 4 girls (including twins) and - probably - another one the way in 4 weeks time.

We used Elizabeth and Isabella for our identical twins and shortened them quite quickly to Betsie and Bella (both of these suit them to a tee!) to avoid Izzy and Lizzy (especially as Bella is a real fairy and would have ended up as Dizzy Izzy!). Betsie was most uncommon about 8 years ago but not so much now. Still, they sound really cute together.

Then we had Anastasia Rose and Betsie insisted on using 'Rosie' so she's ended up as 'Anna-Rosie' - hopefully she'll use something like 'Asia-Rose' or just 'Asia' as she gets older as it's more sophisticated.

Then, in memory of my Nan, we had Margarita and she gets called Meggy/Meg as my Nan was Peggy (for reasons even she didn't know!)

We haven't a clue about this one but are toying with Vivienna, shortened to Vivi. We like Julienna but hate Jules, love Francesca but hate Frankie, love Angelia but hate Angie. I like Aurelia but what the hell can that be shortened to?

We've half-considered boys names as we're not convinced it's a boy: William (but hate Will), Edward (but not Ed/Eddie). I think it will be Jonas (my husband is John but won't have Jonathan) but I'd hate it to be shortened to Jo.

Just too many kids!!!!

WE NEED nicknames in our house: just try shouting their full names at tea time! I'd need 5 minutes just yelling!

I know too many Sandras whose nicknames are Sandy that to me it is a girls name.

To answer the op, Florence is nice but I hate Flo, Florry, Flossy..

Sandy is a lovely diminutive for Alexander, much nicer than Alex, or Alec.

My boss of 18 months has taken to calling me by the diminutive of my name, which is never ever used by my family and which I only tolerate from my very closest friends. Am considering asking him not to but I think he will see the objection as a bit precious.

My Dad was David and never ever answered to "Dave". My Mum is Dorothy and her own mum called her "Dot" but my Dad was emphatically against it and I have never heard herself introduce herself as such.

They called me all sorts of other nonsense such as Jessie, which has no connection to my name, and Teenie Leek hence the username.

DD is called Beth but we wanted to give her a more formal 'official' name. We went for Bethany which I like and DH is 'okay' with.

The other option was Elizabeth but both of us really did not like Liz/Lizzy so wanted to avoid all of that.