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Baby names

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

Original poster

So many nicknames as full names

86 replies

Gladlymaam · 10/11/2025 04:45

So my DD is 2, lately we’ve met a lot of other kids her age, through nursery, play groups, friends of friends etc. We live in London in what would be generally classed as a very nice area, would be stereotyped as very middle class etc. I’ve also noticed a bit of a trend where most of these families are corporate dad and SAHM set ups (obviously I don’t know every single one of these child’s parents jobs so it’s a smaller sample) and what I have noticed is so many of these children have nicknames for full names.
I feel like on Mumsnet people are generally told to give their child a full name and it often comes up as “not very classy” to give them one of the nicknames as full names, or suggested that educated/ambitious parents wouldn’t pick these names (I don’t necessarily agree with this I’m just repeating a common theme I’ve seen).
So far we have met
2x Stevie (girls)
Teddy
Rudy
Ozzy
Gigi
Bea
Posy
Emmy
Bobby
Pippa

This has surprised me a little as amongst my close friends and from what I’ve seen on here it’s pretty unpopular to give your child a nickname as a full name. It’s also made me wonder why especially on here it’s seen as unclassy or a sign of being uneducated when at least in my experience the names are being used across all classes including amongst highly educated and successful individuals?
Have you noticed this trend too? Is it as prolific amongst the people you know? What are your thoughts on it?

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Emanwenym · 10/11/2025 09:06

@Gladlymaam , Do you think that a Molly, Polly, Mia or May should be Mary on her BC? Every Daisy, Margo(t), Greta, Marjorie ... be Margaret on hers? Every Eliza, Libby, Elsie, Elsa, Lisa, Beth, Bethan, ... be Elizabeth?

The names you listed are very current apart from Stevie. They'll sound dated in years to come.
I also know 2 Stevies, both girls, but they are adults now. One is just Stevie and the other is Stevie-Leigh.
I also know a Rudy (adult) and it has never crossed my mind that he might actually be Rudolf.

Zitroneneis · 10/11/2025 07:33

My name is often shortened to one mentioned in the op, but I am SO grateful that my parents gave me a beautiful proper name that I can introduce myself with and use for work purposes. Only very close family call me the short form.

Zitroneneis · 10/11/2025 07:27

Of course it’s always better to give your child a full name (eg Alfred or William) rather than a short form (Alfie or Willy)! It gives them more options throughout their life Why would you deny them those options?

But why on earth bring ‘class’ in? That has nothing to do with it.

Snorlaxo · 10/11/2025 05:40

i went for the MN practice of formal name on BC and using the short version as a child. He decided to trial the long version when he started secondary school and ended up long name to teachers and short name to friends. In his case he likes his long name as well but many of his primary school friends went to the same secondary so couldn’t really change his name.

I assume that the parents don’t like the long version hence using the short version. When current children have their kids, I think that there will be fewer unacceptable names as they’ve grown up with classmates having a wider variety of names so a Prime Minister or CEO could have a name that our generation consider questionable for an important job.

Original poster
Gladlymaam · 10/11/2025 05:31

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 10/11/2025 05:25

I personally chose names that couldn’t be shortened for my DC. Not deliberate for DDs 1 and 2 but it was for DS as I liked it. I can’t get worked up over others giving their own child whatever name they liked and don’t ever think about if it’s “classy”. I usually just have a small thought to myself that it’s not a name I’d have chosen and then get over myself because it’s not my child.

How do you even know what’s on their birth certificate? I so very rarely use my DC’s actual names. DS is call Bud/Buddy/Buds by me, my DM and his DSisters 99% of the time. Not a diminutive of his name but I’m sure there are people who don’t know us who think that’s his name. 🤷‍♀️

Several of them have made a point of telling me it’s their full name. So for example I’ve heard “This is Teddy, just Teddy, not short for Edward or Theodore” and “This is Gigi and yes that’s her full name”, so I’d guess they are getting lots of people assuming they are shortened and it annoys them.

OP posts:
BeingATwatItsABingThing · 10/11/2025 05:25

I personally chose names that couldn’t be shortened for my DC. Not deliberate for DDs 1 and 2 but it was for DS as I liked it. I can’t get worked up over others giving their own child whatever name they liked and don’t ever think about if it’s “classy”. I usually just have a small thought to myself that it’s not a name I’d have chosen and then get over myself because it’s not my child.

How do you even know what’s on their birth certificate? I so very rarely use my DC’s actual names. DS is call Bud/Buddy/Buds by me, my DM and his DSisters 99% of the time. Not a diminutive of his name but I’m sure there are people who don’t know us who think that’s his name. 🤷‍♀️

sesquipedalian · 10/11/2025 05:14

A child may be called a diminutive, but IMO it’s better to give your child a “proper” name. My DC all have full names (which they use in a professional context) even though they are seldom referred to as such within the family - they’ve had diminutives since they were babies. I thought it was reasonable to give my children the choice: others have different opinions.

Theyreeatingthedogs · 10/11/2025 05:09

They are not nicknames, they are diminutives. A nickname is something like Budgie. Diminutives are fine as that is what they will be called anyway.

Fatiguedwithlife · 10/11/2025 05:09

My son was ‘Pip’ for a few years then he naturally grew into his proper name.

Fatiguedwithlife · 10/11/2025 05:08

I would (and have) given my children ‘proper’ names. Nicknames are just that, then as they become adults they can choose whether to continue with the NN or not. I bet my daughter is glad she’s not got Squidge on her birth certificate!

Mydogdoesntlikeyou · 10/11/2025 05:00

I have 2 daughters and one of their names on this list, the other name is also an abbreviation, I’m working class

For me I didn’t see the point in them having a name on their birth certificate that I’d never use, but I do understand others might like their kids having another option as they get older

I don’t particularly care what others think and I don’t particularly care what others name their children, I personally like most of the names on that list