Baby boy name Teddy

I'm really surprised that so many people are claiming it's a recent thing (or even an old-fashioned thing revived) to chose the name Teddy, especially as a nickname. I'm 35 and knew boys called Ted and Teddy growing up - in fact I think one of the reasons I liked the name was because it was the name of a boy at my school who was just so kind and lovely.

So cute, would of picked it for my son but my husband liked a family name that was also one of my names on the 'list'.

Super common name all of a sudden. Wonder if it'll be the Gary of its generation.

I wonder if the current trend of calling boys 'Teddy' has been influenced by the very popular series, 'Call the Midwife'. The Turners call their little boy 'Teddy' (I presume he is named Edward), and being an elderly person I remember a couple of Teddys from that era though they soon became 'Ted'. Teddy does sound babyish.

I know a 1 year old Teddie (spelt like that and is the same on birth certificate)

I think Ted is okay for a teen/adult. I'd probably go for Ted on brith certificate and call him Teddy

I like Ted but absolutely hate Teddy. It's getting very common around here now. Seems to be replacing Jack as the in name. Just think of all the names available and give him a proper name. I just don't get it.
My friends dd ..her boyfriend was called Teddy and her brothers and cousins were really teasing her about the name. Don't do it!!

@Dassams , I agree that it makes life easier, but I wouldn't, for example, shorten Catherine to Cate.
I don't think it's a major issue, and plenty of people so by a diminutive with a different initial to their first name.

I'd say that being known by a middle name would be more of a nuisance.

Just because it happened in the past (to differentiate the 5 different Edwards in a family) doesn't mean it's a good idea today.

Having the same initials for your nickname and name makes life easier!

@Dassams , Ted has been in use for a long time, as has Ned.
I agree that Ed or Eddie might be more obvious, but in the past the same names got reused within families, and it might have made sense to call one Ted and the others Eddie and Ned.
Margaret was shortened to Maggie, Margo, Daisy etc, Ann(e) to Nancy, Catherine to Kate or Kitty, Mary to Molly, Polly, etc

There are also fashions in names that affect which diminutive is popular. Bill used to be more common than Will.

I've worked with a few older men called Dick, but nearer my age they'd be Rich or Rick.

It's slightly confusing for things like bank accounts and tickets as the initial E is different from the T he uses normally.

That's why Teddy is not a natural shortening for Edward! Ed or Eddie work much better.

My son is 24 now and is Edward on his birth certificate, but has always been known as Ted. We called him Teddy a lot when he was small, and still sometimes do playfully, but he has always been Ted. He doesn't really like the Edward on his birth certificate and never uses it except on CVs etc. It's slightly confusing for things like bank accounts and tickets as the initial E is different from the T he uses normally.

When he was in nursery and primary school, we only knew one other Ted (and he was Theodore on his birth certificate), but the name became a lot more popular a few years after he was born.

No one has ever teased him about soft toys or having a childish name. It's a long established name. There have been loads of well-known adult men called Ted and Teddy during history - including Teddy Roosevelt, after whom teddy bears are named, Teddy Kennedy, Teddy Sheringham, Ted Heath, Ted Hughes (the ex poet laureate), Ted Bundy (ok, not a great association), Ted Danson (the actor in Cheers), Ted Lasso, Ted the love interest vet in Shits Creek, my great uncle Ted ...

I say go for it, but I would put another name on the birth certificate as I'm a traditionalist.

People saying Ted is a ridiculous name for an adult 🤷🏼‍♀️ My Grandad born in 1920 was called Ted and many other men in his generation were called Ted, a perfectly acceptable name for an adult male. Ignore the haters, if you love the name then use it. There are a lot of names that I don’t like, but I wouldn’t dream of telling someone that their choice of name is stupid. So rude. And it would be a boring world if we all had the same names!

I love Teddy.

All the ones I know are shirt versions of Edward or Theodore though.

Also some Theodores are known as Theo.

He was named Edward Moore Kennedy!

It makes me think of Teddy Kennedy, that probably shows my age and you may not have the same association but a lot of older people will.

Teddy’s cute, but not a grownup name. Can you call him Ted, and give him the nickname Teddy? I wouldn’t want to apply for jobs in a law firm or garage with Teddy on my resume.

Also we are outside the UK and noone has "just laughed" at his name @Kokeshi123
I imagine if he doesn't like Teddy when he's older he can use Ted. Can't see the problem. I work with a Rosalind - she hates her name but calls herself Roz at work - on her email/linkedin/cv. No big deal.

My son is called Teddy - put Teddy on the birth certificate. We call him Teddy and Ted, and I imagine as he gets older he will be called Ted more.

Could you call him Ted and Teddy as a nickname?

Will they? Where's that? That's astonishingly rude to laugh at other people's names, in any country!

I know people are saying that cutesy-poo names like Teddy are fine because "other people are using them too," but in my experience they are mostly used in the UK. If you are outside the UK with a name like Teddy, after a certain age, a lot of people will just laugh.

I knew a couple of Teddys when I was a small child but I'm in my seventies. As they got older they wanted to be 'Ted' as Teddy is babyish (like Nick instead of Nicky). Their full names were Edward which is a classic name.

Think about what your child will like when he is older. Personally I don't like shortened or nick names on birth certificates regardless of what you might call your child - and I don't like 'Teddy' but it's up to you what you call him.

I have an Edward who we call Teddy. I imagine he'll become a Ted or Ed as he gets older, which is absolutely fine. I don't see why Ted isn't a name for a grown man?

I know it's a reasonably popular name but we haven't ever had any problems with there being lots of other boys called Teddy around - he was the only one at nursery and now is the only one in his class, and one of two in his primary school. But in any case I have an unusual name and grew up hating it so I don't have the horror of my children having the same name as another child in their class that a lot of people on MN have - I love that they have names that absolutely everyone can spell and pronounce!

Super popular. Every class / childcare room seems full of Freddies and Teddies.