To clarify what Nicknames are?

[StMarieforme]

A nick name is something someone acquires in life because of a personality trait, or characteristic. Ie Spud (cos his head is shaped like a potato), Doughnut (because he was asked to go on a snack run for 3 people and came back with 24 doughnuts) etc etc.

If you give your child a name that can be shortened, it's a derivative or shortened name. Not a nick name. IE name them William, shortened to Will, Bill, Billy. Elizabeth shortened to Liz, Beth, Libby.

Drives me insane!

See me same time next week re Staycations!!

I've never had a nickname. Both my kids have a small selection of them that they reply to when I call them. When we are out in public I'm sure some people must think that's their real names 🤣. I think nicknames evolve and you can't make them up if that makes sense

Yes but most “derived from” names are shorter than the original and given for that reason, to make them shorter/smaller. That is why they are called diminutives.

Something I wish I'd known when spending hours selecting my dcs names was how little I'd use them 😄.

They have relatively normal names but rather like the pets are called about 5 other names like little bee, bingbong , jelly tot, small human etc etc.

The cats similarly have classic names but are mostly called smooshy face and cuddle puddle.

I’m on a staycation this week. It means we are staying at home and maybe will do a few things locally.

We are having a caravan holiday in the UK next month that’s our holiday…we will call it our ‘summer holiday’ as it is to us as it’s our only holiday each year out of season.

Technically "nickname" has two established meanings:

1. a familiar, pet, or derisory name given to a person, animal, or place: his nickname was Lefty because he was left-handed
2. a shortened or familiar form of a person's name: Joe is a nickname for Joseph

So, a particular William may use the common diminutive Will as a nickname. And/or he may use Spud, which is not a diminutive, as a nickname. If his legal name is Will, then Will is not a nickname in his case. But the people you are correcting are not incorrect.

It’s far more idiotic to ‘christen’ (🙄) a child with a name they’ll never be known by. My friend and her husband were pressured into putting ‘Theodore’ on their son’s birth certificate and massively regretted it because they only ever really wanted him to be Theo and he feels zero connection with the name Theodore and now he’s an adult it’s just admin for him having to correct it on things.

If you like the names Kate or Joe or Alex and never intend to address your child as anything else, just name your child Kate or Joe or Alex instead of saddling them with Katharine or Joseph or Alexandra/er which they won’t consider their name and will have to explain all the time.

Not just the Australian habit of putting "O" on every name. Jonno, Daveo, Steveo, Gordono, Cecilo, etc.

YANBU.

I live around posh people and they ALL have nicknames in addition to shortened versions of their posh names. There's Fizz, Bumps, Wodge and Bim etc to their friends. Charlie, Bec, Lulu etc if you just live in the village.

@KreedKafer
If you like the names Kate or Joe or Alex and never intend to address your child as anything else, just name your child Kate or Joe or Alex instead of saddling them with Katharine or Joseph or Alexandra/er which they won’t consider their name and will have to explain all the time.

Completely agree with this.

Also agree with @StMarieforme on 'staycations'. No Jean, you're going on holiday to Cornwall, not having a staycation!

Agree, I find this jarring as it’s the wrong term. Also staycations. People calling a holiday in the UK a staycation when it’s actually having time off work and staying at home.

Yes, the technically correct term for a shortened version of a name is ‘a diminutive’, not ‘a derivative’. A derivative is usually a full name that is derived from, but different from, another full name. For example, a feminised version of a male name (eg Michaela is a derivative of Michael, but Mike is a diminutive; Josephine is a derivative of Joseph but Joe is a diminutive) or an Anglicised version of a Biblical or non-English name (eg Isaac is a derivative of Yitzhak).

I will die on 1000 hills re 'staycation'.

(I agree it's when you stay in your home and visit local attractions etc)

as @KreedKafer has explained, your understanding is wrong, and the other posters telling you that the correct term is diminutive are right, so maybe make sure you know what you are talking about before moaning about others getting things wrong.

Nice explanation!

I'll add that 'diminutive' doesn't only describe the shortening of a name, but also the lengthening of it in an affectionate way (thus, I suppose, it would be a diminutive in tone rather than length). For example, Russian name diminutives are often longer than the original.

I'm really good fun at parties, btw...

Re Staycation: the very definition of this is perfectly portrayed in an episode of the ye olde sitcom To the Manor Born where Penelope Keith plays an posh but broke(ish) person who pretends she’s on holiday in Spain but is actually hiding indoors for a week on a sunbed learning Spanish from a vinyl record

Regarding all the different ways with Elizabeth/Elisabeth - there are so many from Bunty to Liz via Bess, Bette, Lilibet ….

You are absolutely right @StMarieforme .

I frequently say it on the baby names threads.

@LadyDanburysCane is also right re 'staycation'.

I agree

Staycations = you stay at home.
Holidays = you leave your home, with luggage.
Nicknames = Spud/Bob/Brusier aka Steve.

Thank you. When I posted last night about diminutive I was also trying to think of how to express what I understood a derivative to be be, by contrast. I was too tired to come up with any examples. You’ve explained it perfectly.