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Baby names

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

Original poster

Dp wants Nicholas I want Nico. Who's right?

134 replies

CassandrasCastle · 14/09/2019 15:39

We both really like the name Nico, and it works in several languages which is important to us. However, my dp thinks the baby should be called Nicholas then tell people to call him Nico... He thinks people with longer names are more multi faceted or something 🤔
ANYWAY. Nicholas and call him Nico - or just Nico?

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Bourbonbiccy · 14/09/2019 18:04

Personally I would name him Nicholas but you can call him Nico.
People really won't struggle to pronounce Nico, and it is lovely.

finallychangedmyusername · 14/09/2019 17:40

Nicholas, definitely and nickname him Nico.

SabineSchmetterling · 14/09/2019 16:58

Nico is lovely. Much prefer it to Nicholas. It seems strange to me that anyone would find it hard to pronounce but that might be because I watch F1.

Icantthinkofanynewnames · 14/09/2019 16:54

Love Nico by the way. This Nicholas is really dated and dull!

Icantthinkofanynewnames · 14/09/2019 16:53

Surely Nick is the nickname for Nicholas? Nico is a name in its own right and it’s not that unusual - I really don’t think anyone will have any trouble pronouncing it!

NcIt · 14/09/2019 16:04

Plus I'm a twentyonepilots fan so it makes me love it even more.

HennyPennyHorror · 14/09/2019 16:04

Smurf I know...but it's just one of those names. Some people don't connect seeing something written down like that with something they won't have heard a lot.

Smurf123 · 14/09/2019 16:03

I would just do nico though not nicholas if it it was me

Smurf123 · 14/09/2019 16:02

I'm really surprised people wouldn't know how to pronounce nico.. It was on our shortlist also as being a name that was said the same in both our languages (Danish and English)... I thought it was always pronounced "nee-co"

NcIt · 14/09/2019 16:02

Same Hex.

Nico is cool and Nicholas sounds like a 56 year old geography teacher.

hexagon01 · 14/09/2019 16:00

I think Nico is a great name but don’t like Nicholas at all - totally different vibe.

Nowisthemonthofmaying · 14/09/2019 15:57

Nicholas. Why would you not want to give him more options as he gets older?

NcIt · 14/09/2019 15:57

I'd actually go with Nicolai.with Nico nn.

Nicolas is a bit lame.

UndomesticHousewife · 14/09/2019 15:57

Thanks I didn't know that. I think you'll get a lot of mispronounciation but tbh when you tell someone what your name is they call you that.

Grufallosfriends · 14/09/2019 15:56

Nicholas definitely.

Nico is a cute nickname but may be mispronounced as Nick o.

HennyPennyHorror · 14/09/2019 15:55

Undomesticated it's pronounced like "Neeko" To rhyme with Knee.

RaininSummer · 14/09/2019 15:54

Nico is nice but sounds like a nickname to me so name him Nicholas officially.

UndomesticHousewife · 14/09/2019 15:53

I'd pronounce it to rhyme with flick-o is there another pronunciation? I have no idea.

Chitarra · 14/09/2019 15:52

Nicholas

Frangipane · 14/09/2019 15:50

I'd put Nicolas (spelt that way, rather than Nicholas) on the BC so he has a more grown up option later on in life, but just call him Nico. When he starts school, you have the option to state that his name is Nico so there is no chance that unknowing teachers call him Nicolas in error. In fact it is only in the most formal of circumstances, e.g. registering him for public exams, passport, etc that you need ever acknowledge the full name. Be prepared for his teenage school mates to call him Nick though.

31RueCambon75001 · 14/09/2019 15:50

Ps, when I was pregnant with my son, 14 years ago, names ending in 'o' were so trendy. Milo, Bruno, Hugo, I had them on my list. Then I saw suggestions of Vitto, Viggo, Otto on mumsnet a few years later.

I know Nico is different because it's short for Nicholas but if you're choosing it because you love the o at the end op @CassandrasCastle that is going to sound quite dated when he's older.

You can't imagine him ever preferring Nicholas to Nico but by the time he's 35, names ending in 'o' are going to sound dated. Especially as there will be men 15 years older called Milo, Otto, Bruno, Hugo, Vitto, Viggo, Nico

I like these names by the way. This is just the way trends go. O names are on the downward slope now.

EmmaC78 · 14/09/2019 15:50

Nicholas

PotteringAlong · 14/09/2019 15:49

Nicholas

SardineJam · 14/09/2019 15:49

My son has a 'birth certificate' name, but everyone, including the school calls him his nickname - you can do the same and leave him with the option to choose what he wants to be called later on in life

kenandbarbie · 14/09/2019 15:47

Nicholas unless you're Italian or similar.