Is Ginny really that bad as a pet name for Imogen?

Of course people can, and should, shorten names to anything they want. Examples like Meg and Kate are traditional names that have been around for ages, though, whatever their derivation; I just don't see why you need to give an unrelated name in order to get a shortening you like. But that's OK. It's not my child and I wouldn't bat an eyelid if someone told me their child was called Ginny short for Imogen.

My middle name is just Jinny. Funny, as my sister is Imogen, her name doesn't really get shortened, maybe 'Immy' if anything.

nn can be whatever you want them to be - Ginny isn't too far removed from Imogen. If you like those names then go for it!

Silverfrog - a beatrice has just started at ds nursery - she is known as Bertie.

regina makes me think of queen#s vagina!

pathetic i know

I know a Ginny whose name is Genista.

Sorry, Love Imogen though, and shorten it to whatever the hell you want to.

Dh is refusing Imogen as too posh. Apparently all the names I like are too posh. He is suggesting Shirley after the girl in the Bily Bragg song.

Ginny Weasley in H Potter is a Ginevra I think, and she's a cool chick.

No No No to Regina.

I teach one, and no-one could pronounce it when they first saw it on the register and said it to rhyme with vagina, which was what all the boys called her for months. She then had to work very hard with the staff to be known as Gina or Reggie.

She is fab and very confident, but suffered for a while.

Ginny short for Imogen is nice. I like Paloma too. Does somebody have a Paloma?

How Gorgeous.

I disagree with those who say that it couldn't be used as a shortening, while I agree that the last vowel in Imogen is pronounced as 'eh'. Think about Margaret being shortened to Meg or Katherine to Kate etc.

I went to university with a lovely Janelle who was always known as Ginny.

I really like the name.

I find that one nn can lead onto another. DD is generally known as Mo but this sometimes turns to Mojo, Mog or Mogen. It all depends on the mood we are in.

I know an Imogen, but she is always called "Imo" !!

that's all I can come up with too, pinktastic.

dd2 calls dd1 I-gen, which is cute but not usable, iyswim.

hmmm, dd2 is stuck with her silly nickname for the time being then.... will have to sort it out before she goes to school.

i knew a ginny but it was short for virginia.she was very horsey.

Silverfrog - have been picking at my brains but can't think of anything other than the usual Trixie, Bea and Beatie. DS chose the NN Mo when he was first learning to talk, it was all he could say

I think Ginny is fine as a shortening for Imogen. Don't pick a name that's not your favourite just to get Ginny out of it.

Imogen does work because it is a combination of Genny, but with the "I" of Imogen.

i.e: Immy and Genny = Ginny!!!

oooh, never thought of Mo. Quite like it.

Don't suppose you can work any magic on Beatrice?

As mentioned on another thread, my daughter is Imogen and is generally known as Mo - which she does like.

My natural inclination for shortening Imogen (other than Immy, which I detest, or Imo, which is ok but can't see me using) is Ginny.

English is full of words that have a vowel mutation on shortening/lengthening so the i/e change doesn't bother me. Genny doesn't exist afaik as a name, and to me, Jenny is from Jennifer. So Ginny it is.

Oooh - don't normally post it but it is Paloma (middle name Imogen as I mentioned earlier)

LuLuBai, just curious, what is the name?

Ginny can't really be a shortening for Imogen, though, can it? Wouldn't the shortening be Genny/Jenny?

I'm all for giving proper names, but a name that actually has the 'gin' sound in would be better. It seems a bit odd to retrofit a name to a shortening.

If you really don't like Virginia, I guess there's always Regina!

You never know - you may find you use Imogen all the time. I worked back from a nickname too. Wanted Lola as a nickname but was keen to find a 'proper' name that could be shortened. We have never once called her Lola.

Ginny short for Imogen is lovely. Both names are great, and nice to have a shortening that you like as well as a full name that you like.

We have run into a problem because we cannot find a shortening of dd2's name that we like. Love the full name, and she has a ridiculous family nickname which is ok as a baby, but cannot use forever (not in the real world anyway!)

so to have both is great.

Why not just call her Ginny- I think it is a lovely name on its own.

My name is Imogen, and I like it- but I have to confess, do get really annoyed when people call me Imogin. That is not how it is pronounced, its ImogEn with the 'e' like 'e' in egg (sorry, rubbish explaining). What I'm trying to say is Ginny is unrelated to the name Imogen, because there's no 'Gin' in Imogen. Could be one for AIBU though...

I reckon stick to just Ginny.