Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Baby names

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

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

There really is no name immune from being turned into a nickname, is there?

117 replies

chipmonkey · 22/03/2010 17:37

Ds2 told me today that there is a girl in his class called Olivia who gets called Oblivion.

I heard of an Amber being called Amberger.

Is no name safe?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
uggmum · 23/03/2010 23:27

My dd is Harriet, I shorten it to Harri. Her friends call her Hazzie, which I do not like.

fridascruffs · 23/03/2010 23:21

I have a really odd first name, but was known as Scruffy for years and years, cos when I was small my cousin used to call me... fridascruffs.

Ivykaty44 · 23/03/2010 22:49

but I always thought leonard was the ful name and leo was the shotrned nickname for ease....casue leonard is a bit of a mouthful

YanknCock · 23/03/2010 22:47

Ivy, please tell me people in this country are NOT going to nickname my kid 'Leonard'. We will have to move.

Ivykaty44 · 23/03/2010 22:46

leonard

YanknCock · 23/03/2010 22:38

scully, my DS is Leo as well

So far the only nickname that has been tried is by FIL who occasionally calls him L.J. (middle name is James). I don't like it.

UniS · 23/03/2010 22:34

funny in'it. I can count on one finger the people who shorten my name. my brother. no one else does.

Ivykaty44 · 23/03/2010 22:29

oh really? hadn't heard of that

blogpage · 23/03/2010 22:23

Janie?

Ivykaty44 · 23/03/2010 22:00

jane would be hard to change

katiepotatie · 23/03/2010 21:18

I got Beany at school, no idea why?

GoldenSnitch · 23/03/2010 21:17

He'd get called Bobby

magbags · 23/03/2010 21:13

Bob? Can't think of a nickname for that.

GoldenSnitch · 23/03/2010 21:12

I an confirm that Sarah is not immune from nicknames. I've had Saz, Sazza, Sare, Sez...

BlueberryPancake · 23/03/2010 21:03

I have a friend who called her little girl Sarah because she didn't want her name to be shortened. She now calls her little girl Sarah-Boo!

sparkleshine · 23/03/2010 21:02

My DS is Thomas. Its obvious hes gonna be called Tommy and Tom.
We already call him Tommy tucker, Mr Thomas, Tom Tom. Hes only 3 months old. Dont know where they came from, i think me or my OH just came out with it one day while talking to him.

Im Vicki, (not victoria) and get Vic, Vicks, Vickster, Vixen.

pranma · 23/03/2010 20:50

I have now been told that Finn is known as Finbob!

TheFoosa · 23/03/2010 20:43

I knew a Kay, her family used to call her Yak

there is always a nn to be founs

lockets · 23/03/2010 20:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Krugerellie · 23/03/2010 20:09

I had a friend called Kay, precisely because her parents wanted a name that couldn't be shortened - her father then proceeded to call her KP all her life

sungirltan · 23/03/2010 19:14

ooh pixieoneleaf i love the name Romilly! i might steal that....

nn are ok but i would try to avoid naming the dds names that get shortened to boys names, which i object to - terri, toni etc it would drive me mad - its theresa and antonia!!

i couldnt name any of my dcs something that is already a diminutive - surely stacey is short for eustacia? or am i imagining that?

TottWriter · 23/03/2010 18:52

My name never has much done with it. Though that could be something about me. 'Jemma' can be shortened to 'Jem' but usually I'm still called Jemma. Though my friends sometimes call me 'Jemmikins', and to my lasting shame my mother referred to me as a certain Beatrix Potter anthropomorphic duck character for much of my early childhood.

Mind you, what my parents were thinking assuming 'Victoria' couldn't be abbreviated I don't know. And yes, they have mentioned that being a reason they chose the name. Mind you, her nickname is 'Idd', so fair's fair. It's not an abbreviation of her name. (It's actually the abbreiation of another nickname.)

Likewise, she knew a guy at college called 'Bert'. His name was Matt. I have no idea. Compared to that, my friends Ali ('Alice - or Alys as she spells it now) and Amy (sans nickname) are rather bland.

My grandmother was always perplexed as to how my Dad's 'Simon' could become 'Billy', but it's to do with the surname apparently. And it's that or 'Si'.

SoLongAsItsHealthy · 23/03/2010 18:41

You can give anyone a nickname no matter what they're called - but if you mean a shortening of their name... I'm Anna and I've never been anything else. To my face anyway! It's actually better than Ann - they tend to get Annie.

stickylittlefingers · 23/03/2010 17:39

MaMight I know one of those too!

I have a name that's fairly unshortenable, but ended up being called Jules most of the time at school - just because I (allegedly) looked like her (I wish!) - probably more to do with being a bit wholesome (I try not to be). But no, if people want to nn you, they will - doesn't matter if you're Esmerelda or Ann.

I'm terrible with nnaming my dds, so can't complain!

Habbibu · 23/03/2010 17:17

And a boy called Michael. Who was called Beaker until the day he failed the physical to be an RAF pilot. Then he was called Orville.