Why are nicknames so expected now?

I really wanted a nickname but my name is short and can't be nicknamed 😢

I think nicknames have shears been a thing.. at least they make sense now rather than Willliam/ Billy, Richard/Dick, Henry/harry,

This is literally me! Child is 7 and it’s never been shortened yet. I like that she has options though, I was very resentful that I didn’t like my name much and there was no shortenings, whereas my siblings (and parents!) had names which could be shortened if they chose (which they all did).

Second child is known almost exclusively by a shortened version, but again, he has the choice when he’s older.

I have spent my entire life with people trying to modify my name. We only considered nickname proof names for our child.

Yes, our Dads had “names” rebated to baby traits. Both their names could be shortened but we didn’t. School friends did though and DDs didn’t mind. As they are now adults, we’ve dropped the baby trait names!

My children have nicknames, but they bare no relevance to their actual names are are related to behaviours as babies and shorthand dh and I used to discuss them.

For the most part they are called by their given names.

I've no issued with nicknames, however I know a couple who absolutely hate their son being called Dan instead of Daniel.

Yes I agree- Previously nicknames were often not just a shortened form of your full name e.g. David/Dave but were “given” to you by your friends often reflecting a personal characteristic or shared experience, for example.

My bet is Alexandra and you are now Ali Bongo.

If so, you are one of many Ali Bongos!

Nicknames have always been popular normally they just evolve naturally.
I'm in my 60s and there were many people in my class who were always known by nicknames, every Susan was either Sue or Suzie, Patricias were either Pat, Patsy or Trisha, Stephanie's were Steph, James were Jimmy or Jim, etc
My best friend and her 4 siblings were never known by their given names they all had nicknames and it was several years before I realised they weren't their real names!

It's not new, all 4 of my Grandparents had nicknames.

I think the difference now is parents want to micro manage nicknames rather than letting them evolve naturally when kids develop their own friendships.

Yes I don’t think it’s new at all.

The vast majority of my peers go by nicknames - Jenny (Jennifer), Becky (Rebecca), Dave, Tom, Pete, Tim etc.

Exactly the same when I look at my parents’ generation or my grandparents’. Yes of course there are some people who have only ever gone by their given name, but most have a shortened name. Edward became Ted, Alfred was Alf, James was Jimmy. There are then plenty of people I know aged 40-100 who are only known as nicknames by spouses or the very closest friends but the majority of us don’t .. eg a Margaret who is Margaret to most but “Marg” or “Marge” to her husband and sibling.

I would actually say, if anything, it’s going the other way with people calling their children nicknames as full names.

This has always been a thing. My daughter is Elisabeth and there are so many options for nicknames.

I have a name that can’t be shortened so I was determined that my child would have a name that could be. Ironically I hardly ever shorten it unless I’m writing it down. Her friends and work colleagues shorten it though.

I purposely gave my boys names that could be shortened. They then had the choice. Not that anyone has ever used the long version.

My MIL apparently used to say on the phone to friends calling “no, there’s no John living at this address, we do have a Jonathan, would you like to speak to him?”

My parents were like your MIL, especially with my sister whose name has a number of shortenings (mine has hardly any).

They spent her whole school career trying to make sure that she was only known by the long form of her name and when she was a teenager I remember cringing as they corrected her friends publicly on this. She was furious and told them that if they kept that up she would correct the next one of their friends who referred to either of them by the shortened versions of their own names - because only my parents were allowed to be known by shortened versions of their names in our house and always were.!! They didn't appear to understand what a double standard that was until my sister and I (as adults) pointed it out. It then also sank in that their insistence on full names simply hadn't worked and had looked silly.

@FluffMagnet She's not talking nonsense, but it's not a recent thing. I can think of a Christopher who has only ever been known as Chris and a Max who says he didn't know he was Maximilian until he was about 8.

My parents named me a name they liked, not the diminutive. They weren't being 'precious'. They named me something like Eleanor not Ellie.

You are coming across as unnecessarily aggressive.

It is quite clear she is talking nonsense is my point - it is not at all a modern thing to have nicknames from an early age/birth.

And in terms of being precious, the name belongs to the owner, not the bestower. If someone is happy to have a nickname (which is often a term of endearment), it is not a a good look to have mummy in the background correcting people to her preferred moniker (as my colleague had with her son-in-law's mother...)

It’s not nicknames though. It’s diminutives eg Alex for Alexander.
A nickname evolves through time character or personality traits. Eg Professor Green , Snooty , Officer Dibble , Trumpton.

It’s always been a thing hasn’t it? My dad was born in the 50’s and had a nickname - his mum was born in the 20’s and had one too.

It's not correct though.

There is often the opposite with short names though.
They get extended.
Mark often becomes Markie.

People say nicknames when referring to diminutives because a lot of people don’t know what a diminutive is. It’s just easier.

I don’t think they are any more common than they used to be.

my kids aren’t known by nicknames and very few of their friends are either.

I think it’s a MN thing

I have a four syllable name that’s always been shortened. I’ve never thought of that as a nickname but I suppose it is