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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

What is with the obsession with nicknames here?

59 replies

Crunchymum · 05/07/2016 09:43

I see it on almost every other thread.

Baby will be Jonty NN Jethro my example is not real

Surely nicknames evolve? You don't get to pick 2 names for your kids??? If you prefer Amelia then call your child Amelia... not Amelia but NN Millie.

Gives me the rage!

For what it is worth my second DC has a name that crops up here every now and then and is almost always followed by the NN commonly associated with it. The name is never mentioned without the NN? We have never, ever used this shortened version for our DC!

(and breath)

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Religieuse · 05/07/2016 10:26

I've always thought it was one of the oddest facets of Mn baby names (well, along with the tendency to shriek either 'try hard!' or 'chav!' at names...)

It's less the micromanaging of what an unborn baby's teenage friends may end up calling him or her in thirteen years' time, which is just funny, than the 'What full name could Kit/Polly/Mitsy/Foufou whatever be a nickname for?' thing.

Oysterbabe · 05/07/2016 10:24

When naming DD I gave her a name that I was happy for people to actually use. I think it is pretty silly when for example the name is Christopher but you insist he must be called Kit. Just call him Kit.

Queenbean · 05/07/2016 10:23

I LOVE having middle names! I always feel sorry for people who don't have any middle names :)

Kalispera · 05/07/2016 10:22

Yes, I've always thought it's really weird. Don't think I've ever heard someone in RL say 'his name is Steven but please call him Stewy-Stewpot'.

The whole point of a nickname is that it evolves, surely?

flowery · 05/07/2016 10:20

People can decide what nicknames they will use but what always makes me laugh is people saying they don't like X nickname that often goes with their preferred name, so won't use that one. As if they get to decide what nicknames other people will use! Do they not remember being teenagers?!

Liz09 · 05/07/2016 10:19

Haha, I haven't noticed this. But, for me, nicknames matter because I simply don't like some of the obvious nicknames for names. For example, my husband and I would've settled on Madeleine long ago if we were certain that we could stand Maddie... but neither of us love Maddie.

But otherwise, nicknames mean very little to me. Most names have "obvious" nicknames and you might as well accept that your child will probably end up being called that/them by someone at some point. If you don't like the obvious nicknames, probably best not to use the full name. Grin

OopsThereGoMyTrousers · 05/07/2016 10:18

I feel the same, maybe because I come from a non-nickname family.
My siblings and i all have short names which were rarely shortened

To m, there is a difference between a shortening of a name eg Isabelle, called Izzy, and a nickname eg Isabelle- nickname Booboo. Surely the latter is something that just develops rather than being chosen in advance

Original poster
Crunchymum · 05/07/2016 09:47

Oddly I am not so enraged by middle names.

I do know someone who has 4 kids, and they all go by their middle names. So think Barry Thomas goes by the name Thomas (Barry is a family name?)

OP posts:
semierectfreddo · 05/07/2016 09:45

It's like the obsession with middle names. Nobody uses their middle name!