Am I alone in hating this trend?

I'm 33 and my name is like this. Nothing new and yes i do say this all the time, especially when your applying for credit/booking flights/documents etc..

My son is called Albie after his great grandfather who was just Albie.. Think its each to their own :)
Aslong as you like the name it doesnt matter

But surely if you're called Teddy you can when you grow up choose to call yourself Edward in the same way as my friend Susannah calls herself Susie? She hasn't changed her name on her birth certificate so Teddy wouldn't need to either.

A Susannah may well be called Susie, Suz or Sue by her friends and family. It's a natural short form. Her passport and airline tickets etc will still have her full name, Susannah. She will probaly use her full name for her bank accounts etc.

A Teddy calling himself Edward or Thomas would be odd, especially as all his official documents state his name as Teddy?

But surely if you're called Teddy you can when you grow up choose to call yourself Edward in the same way as my friend Susannah calls herself Susie? She hasn't changed her name on her birth certificate so Teddy wouldn't need to either.

I have a lot of friends who still use their diminutive in their professional and personal lives into their 40s and 50s without it seeming childish - Jenny, Jo, Susie, Mel, Jess, Ed, Rick. Nothing wrong with it.

Can't stand it personally, but it is a lot more popular now than it used to be.

I wouldn't ever choose a nickname as a first name for my DC but then there are lots of names I would never consider for my future DC, so I suppose that's the same.

I agree, Teddy 🧸 might be cute for a baby or toddler. But for a grown man Theodore or Edward is so so much more suitable!

It's something I don't like either. I think the one I hate the most is Teddy. It's a lovely nickname for Edward or Theodore but as it's own name it's ridiculous

Also, names like Caroline, Victoria or Alfred not only sound more elegant imo but they also travel much better into other languages than say, Carrie, Vikky or Alfie.

Personally I love having a beautiful 'long' name. Close family and friends have been calling me by various 'cute' nicknames, which i also like. But I wouldn't ever introduce myself in a work environment with any of those .

I had a Great Aunt Carrie, born in 1902, and my Grandmother named my mother after her (Carrie was her sister in law) by giving her Caroline as her middle name. It was a few years later when she found out that Carrie was her sister in law's given name, not Caroline.

I did this with both my sons, because those are the names we picked for them, not the long versions.
As for 'having options' , they can call themselves whatever they want , including changing their names by deed poll, but neither of them have done so. It would seem they're both quite happy to have shortened versions on their birth certificates.

I'm not sure how long something has to be happening for it to be a trend, but looking back through our family tree briefly (my cousin has done a huge amount of research and all names are as per BC or other birth records) we had several Annies in the 1800's, a Lottie in 1860, a Bessie in the 1904, and a Betty in 1800. Also several Freds from the 1800's onwards.

It's always been like this hasn't it?

I'm Katherine, 40 and always been known as Kate. Never been any problem.

We have family friends aged 60 and 30 who are Jenny, short for Jennifer. My Great aunt (would be over 90 now) was known as Connie, short for Constance.

I know loads called Tom, Ben, Ellie, Vicky, Jon, Tim - all short for the longer version and all aged over 40 and again no problem.

I'm on the other side of this, I'm always called by the shortened version but have the long version on my birth cert. I find it really irritating. Would have been much better to just name me what I was going to be called.

frankie, Billy, Charlie, Freddie,

See, to me, none of those names seem any different to Ruby/Poppy/Lucy/Hattie/Zoe. All two-syllable -ee ending names, but these names are usually deemed proper names. But not Alfie. Henry is fine though.

Also, why are names like Sophie OK for a professional, but not a Katie? Should Sophie's all be Sophia's because "ie" names all look like a nickname?

I don't entirely disagree but Kate isn't a nickname.

No, it's just _. Not short for anything." ?

I think you are overthinking it, I don't think most people think that way? Growing up, if someone said their name was Kate/Ellie/Tom, their peers just accepted it. I think older generations struggle more.

It doesn't bother me.

I remember getting so angry with an adult once who asked my friend what their name was, she replied "nickname name" and the adult said (quite indignately!) that "nickname name isn't a proper name, it's a nickname, what's your real name" Rude!

Exactly @edgeofheaven. I know an Abbie, not short for anything, still remarkably and valiantly overcame this to become a lawyer

KateyKube

"It’s not a trend, it’s just people being thick".

Wow. I suppose everyone should check their names exist in your Approved Names register.

Are we allowed variations in spelling? For example. How are we allowed to spell Isabelle? Isobel? Isabel?

I often prefer the diminutive to the full formal name so no I have no problem with it. Just so long as they don't sound like a bunch of hoorays off for a croquet match...

Because a) the full version may be more appropriate for their eventual career if it’s a formal setting

Which career won’t accept a Tom or Will or Kate? Honestly where do people come up with this stuff.

My ds is called Drew, not Andrew which I didn't like as it could be shortened to Andy.
I think if you give a shortened version and have the longer name on the birth certificate, you have just the same hassle having to explain your official name?