To expect people to use the nickname I chose?

[ReiofHope]

I’m 35 weeks pregnant and I’m having a little boy. Since I was a child I’ve loved the name Alexander James using AJ as a nickname. (I’ll admit it started as I loved the Backstreet Boys)
Now 20 on this generation of babies has a James and at least one other child with James as a middle name. So I changed the middle name for my son to jason but still want to call my baby AJ.
Over the last few weeks everyone from my step mum to the children on my partners side have been referring to him as Alex no matter how many times I correct them.

It’s not as if they’ve ever refused to use nicknames before we have an Ollie (oliver) harry (Harrison) Albie (Albert) and Mila (Emelia) so why is it that they’re refusing to use my chosen nickname?

Am I just being an unreasonable bitch to expect people to use a specific short form?

AJ isn't a nickname, it's initials and it isn't cute, so unsuitable for a baby. You can call him by whatever affectionate term you like, be that AJ or Alexypalaxywoowwoo. Other people will choose their own, that's the nature of nns.

Often, nns have nothing to do with the name itself. You have no idea what his future friends are going to come up with!

I couldn't bring myself to use initials ever so I would use the name if I knew it

Then have the guts to name him 'AJ'. I agree with Wednesday.

Anyway nicknames are usually naturally formed. Your baby isn't born and you are dictating
And as pp have said it is initials not a nickname

I wouldn't call him AJ either. That makes him sound like a wanna be pop star! I would prefer to call him Alex as its far nicer and is his proper name!

AJ sounds proper chavvy.

Just tell everyone you've decided on AJ leave out the full name then just register him Alexander James

Oh OP. Why don't you call him AJ on his birth certificate if it means that much?

You don't get to choose nicknames you know. Just names.

Not unreasonable at all, every time they refer to him as Alex just say AJ, they'll get the message eventually, but yelling or getting mad just repeat AJ over and over and over again until they all get it. When he goes to school put on the prefered name section AJ. Simple, your his mother, you decide what he's going to be called until he's old enough to call the shots.

AJ is a teenager's nickname. You'll have to wait a few years.

change the name completely -- that will fool them all. But don't tell them until the baby is born

Reminds me of those awful hyphenated American names like Daisy-Mae.
I doubt even CS Lewis, TE Larwrence, LS Lowry etc were known by their initials in their families!

@AiryFairyUnicornRainbow Jason is my father’s name.

People are speaking about the baby a lot as he’s due in 2-5 weeks (I have some health problems which could dictate an early birth) plus there are 13 children under 10 in our close family so they’re getting excited and speaking about him a lot too.
I’m a teacher so I know parents and children have a say in what their preferred name is.
Once my son is old enough to chose his own name he can and I’ll respect that but while he’s a baby or toddler surly it’s not up to other adults to name him?

His dad is fine with AJ. It’s something we discussed a long time ago when picking names.

Oh well I suppose I’ll just have to get used to people naming my child what they want.

I totally don't get this on Mumsnet. It's one of the things that makes my head hurt.

I am going to name my baby Jessica but her nickname will be Jazzy-Wazzy I simply CAN'T stand Jess and will berate anyone loudly who dares to call it her.

You don't get to pick nicknames. If you want him called AJ then name him AJ.

My mum tried to pick names that couldn't be shortened. I was called 'H' for my entire school life even by the teachers.

Totally stupid. If you want to call him AJ name him AJ, otherwise people are not unreasonable to call him by the name you chose. I hate this "nickname" crap.

A name which is just initials is a bit silly, tbh

We've got someone at work with a "name" like that and it's hard to take her seriously.....

Nicknames evolve naturally over time, just don't try and force it

He'll pick his own nickname when he's older. I'm Phil, one branch of my family still calls me Philli, which sounds ridiculous on a 51yo.

Why don't you call him AJ on his birth certificate if it means that much?

Exactly

Jason is my father’s name Ahh i see that is lovely. The only reason I ask is that you dont get many babies named Jason these days. Its unusual. Like Gary, or Ethel. It is an unusual choice but i can see why

I think things will settle down when he is born. I mean, at the minute they are naming an invisible being, some pple call theirs 'bump' or 'bean' or something like that, that doesn't stick when baby arrives, - when AJ is here, things will change I am sure - and he has a proper legitimate name

I do think that if you want him to be called AJ, you should put that on the birth cert - as pple don't always tend to follow self imposed nicknames, they are something that come along later in life IYSWIM.

To me, nicknames aren't something that are chosen, you are stuck with them via friends or family once you have developed a personality

all the best

You're a teacher and you want to call him AJ?

My mum tried to pick names that couldn't be shortened So did mine, and fuck me I have been stuck with this old lady name all my life. I have only ever met one other person of my generation, with same name. I would never chose it, but id not change it either

If you knew my name, you would assume im 20-30 years older than I am

When picking our sons name we thought of how it could be lengthened, shortened and the initials, as well as the name. You know others will mess with it.

I can’t really understand it when people name a baby fully intending to call it something else from the get go (although I get this more with initials).

All you can do is announce him as AJ and hope for the best. Once he is here you should find most will follow suit.

It's all so wanky and contrived and, frankly, a bit juvenile. If the child's names don't matter apart from the initials why bother telling anyone the names? Nicknames aren't imposed, they're bestowed, 'earned' if you like. Stop trying to make AJ happen.

AND in the spirit of what I said above, of always hating my name, as it as an older generation name....think about this OP, saddling your kid with a name that doesn't fit anywhere (these days). Other kids in his school will have a grandparent of the same name n think it hillarious

That is how it was for me anyway

My sons initials are cj and I always intended to call him cj but I never have and neither has anyone else. I imagine him being called cj at senior school but that will be up to him. If I was you I'd call him AJ, it might catch on or he might just get used to being called both.