To think that deciding on a shortening/nickname for a DC's name is actually quite common?

[Thurlow]

Apologies, this is half a thread about a thread. Or lots of threads.

I feel like I read loads on times on Baby Names comments that 'nicknames develop over time', or how you shouldn't start with a shortened version and work out to a longer name.

Obviously this applies when your child is still known as Moo because she made a noise like a cow when she was a baby... But not when you're thinking that you want to call your daughter Katie, and then work out to decide of they should be a Katherine, Kathryn etc.

Is it just me, or is it actually quite common in RL to decide at the start that you want a Benjamin nn Ben, William nn Billy, Elizabeth nn Libby etc?

(I should qualify that this isn't exactly bothering me. I'm slightly bored this afternoon...)

[maggiethemagpie]

My son is Zac, Zachary for long (on his birth cert). I wanted him to have a formal longer name as I don't like nick names being the full name, it gives him the option of calling himself Zachary when he's older. I really wanted a name with both long and short versions and Zachary was perfect. Actually I have ended up calling him Zacky most of the time now!

[ariadneoliver]

squoosh Fray-Bentos has a nice ring to it and more of a girl's name than Ginster.

[littlegreengloworm]

Danny, as opposed to Daniel on the birth cert has made it onto the top 100 list in Ireland. I know of two.

[ariadneoliver]

Some people have dispensed with the problem by just picking something impossible to shorten living.msn.com/family-parenting/the-most-outrageous-baby-names-of-2013-1?gt1=32235
Jceion anyone?

[MoominAndMiniMoom]

My DD is Callie, but her birth certificate name is Celyn. We started with the nn and worked our way up to a full name. We wanted her to have a Welsh name that reflected a place that is very important to us, but I hate the name 'Kelly' and didn't want it as a nn for her, so we decided to establish 'Callie' from the start

[5madthings]

Ds1 is Theodore but goes by Theo most of the time. But we do still call him by his full name and we often called him Theodorable as a baby, he doesn't like this so much now at 14 :(

Ds2, ds3 and ds4's names don't get shortened but they all have various nicknames, some derived from their name.

Dd has a name with an obviousish shortening but is always known by her full name, Merryn.

The madthings are often called by their middle names as well or instead of their first names.

[PuppyMonkey]

This "options" nonsense is getting on my wick now. My Dsis has simply "Ann" on her birth certificate. No other middle name etc. But she calls herself Ann Marie though, just because she prefers to.

Do you see? She has the "option" and the "choice" to do that. Despite it not being on her birth cretic ate.

So if you like the nn, just call your child the nn.

[PuppyMonkey]

I don't know what a cretic ate is, that should say certificate.

[sezamcgregor]

I don't like the idea of having a nickname for a real name, so I also worked up from nickname to long name for DS.

I was looking forward to having a Kitty (Katherine) if he had been a DD.

[DramaAlpaca]

I deliberately chose short names for my three DC because I didn't want all the messing around with nicknames.

Despite their short, quite classic names, their friends have still managed to find nicknames for them, and they also have nicknames for each other.

[GoldenGytha]

I hate shortened names and nicknames, I politely tell people if they call me by the short version that is not my name, and I will not answer to it.

I had originally chosen Victoria for DD2, but XH's family immediately started saying Vicky all the time. I wasn't having that so I changed her name to a very pretty name that can't be shortened at all.

DD1 has a name that can be shortened, but like me she insists on her full name at all times.

If someone told me they wanted to be called by the short version of their name then I absolutely respect that, but shortened names are not for me!

[fingersonbuzzers]

Both my DC have long names on their birth certificates but are known by nicknames.

As do I, and I love it. For a long time I was my long name at work but my short name to my friends.

I think I'm just greedy and think why limit yourself to one name when you can have more

[fingersonbuzzers]

"So if you like the nn, just call your child the nn"

But I like both the nickname AND the long version. So I shall ignore your advice and jolly well have both

[fingersonbuzzers]

My DC's nicknames are quite cutsey and girly, and their longer names are far more gutsy and I like that about them too.

[PrincessPotsie]

I hate this! Why call your child a name but use a different one day to day. It's a real pet hate of mine and when friends have done it I always insist on calling the child by his/her proper name.

[erin99]

DS has had an unusual-ish shortening from birth. We love it but it doesn't seem enough to be a whole name by itself so he has the long version officially. (Also to use if he decides the shortening is too wacky.)

Ideally we wouldn't have done the two name thing, but we couldn't agree on one name we loved so had to compromise.

[Sparklingbrook]

I don't give a shiney shite what anyone else thinks. Loads of people have no idea that the boys' names aren't what is on their birth certificate in any case-how would they?

[merrymouse]

There is no such thing as a name that can't be shortened or extended.

Having said that many common longer names will always be shortened and I think it is completely the parent's perogative to say that their Katherine is a Kate not a Kathy or Alexandra is Alex not Xandra or vice versa.

[treaclesoda]

I had a thread last week (maybe one of the ones that the OP is referring to! L

[HavannaSlife]

We put Tommy on the bc, is that more a nn than a shortening? I just think of Tom as the short version of Tommy/Thomas, dunno

Joseph was never going to be shortned to Joe, unless he chooses to when he is older. We do call him Jovis though

[merrymouse]

And completely agree with fingers on buzzers - it's not as though the names are going to run out if somebody takes too many.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Well, I don't regret for a moment doing the long name on birth certificates thing, even if it does induce hatred amongst some people.

PrincessPotsie - if an adult was called Catherine on her birth certificate but normally known as Kate would you insist on calling her Catherine even if she said she preferred Kate? That's as rude as shortening someone's name when they prefer the long version.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

I am toying between Olive and Liv for the next baby (if its a girl). Though im not one of those that thinks there should be a longer version on the BC im not sure if Liv is a stand alone name

[treaclesoda]

Gah, posted too soon!

Anyway, I was saying that I know very few people who use a shortened version of their name. We called DD by a fairly traditional name which has a couple of shortened versions, one of which we like, one of which we don't. From birth we tried to get people to use the shortened version that we like, but no one will, everyone calls her by the full, long, name. After 8 years, we've given up trying!

[Sparklingbrook]

I didn't realise I had committed a MN crime Brilliant!

I didn't make sure DS2's name 'went' with DS1's either. I didn't join MN til 2011 and DS2 was born in 2002 so I didn't know. Awful.