Are there any advantages to having a 'long' name but going by a nn?

[Sannebanana]

I'm trying to decide between Anouk and Anouska at the moment. TBH if I go for Anouska she will probably still be called Anouk as a nn, so am I overcomplicating things putting a longer version on the birth certificate? I think Anouska might be easier to find a middle name that works with it, but if DD is never going to be known as that then is there any point?
Thanks

Personal preference really. I prefer a 'proper' name on the bc but lots of people don't. If you prefer Anouk then stick with that I suppose.

Gives her a choice when she is older.

I prefer having a choice.

You don't know that she will never be known by it - you just know what you will choose to call her.

I think full names are a good option if the short name might be a bit cute or better suited to a child such as Tilly or Archie. If little Tilly wants to be a judge she may refer Matilda.
I think Anouk is lovely and also like Anoushka. If you really like Anoushka but Anouk has the edge then Anoushka would be the best of both worlds.

I think that the advantage of having a long name is that, if it is a popular name, it doesn't date. If you are called say, Elizabeth, and everyone calls you Betty, you can revert to your full name or a more modern diminutive as Betty goes out of date. If you are called Betty, you are stuck with Betty. I am not sure it matters with unusual names like Anouk or Anouska.

Having a name which shortens to a nn does become interesting as you become older - both my parents are always known by the short versions of their names and no-one would ever call them by their full names.

It's almost as if the full name was what they were called by only in very formal occasions when they were young (e.g. if they were being told off), and as soon as they could choose, they opted for a short name. My mum in particular I know put her foot down when she was about 18 or 20 and said 'everyone from now on will call me X'.

Now that we are thinking about names for DD, I asked her what she thought of her proper name, and she said she still likes the fact she has to sign the full name when writing a cheque, for instance, so it's not as if she hates her full name.

I have a name which shortens to a nn too, but in my case the nn is only usually used by friends and even then, not consistently - some friends use the nn, some don't. The one thing I hate - and I don't really know why - is people I don't know well using the nn.

It used to happen at work, and always came across to me as people being over-familiar and chummy, 'presuming' they could use my nn; however at the same time if I said 'actually I prefer to be called X', I would feel like I was being terribly precious and fussy about it. I did eventually ask someone who used the nn all the time if he could call me by my full name, but I did feel bad having to do it. I have no idea why it bothered me so much!

Short "diminutive" forms of names sound unfinished and nicknamey to me, and it's nice to have the "full package" of complete longer version too.

I have a long name that has 3 common nn. I love it. I use my long version professionally (and older family members sometimes use it) and the shortest version tends to only be used by DP and people I'm very close to, which is nice. Conversely, the middle-length version is most commonly used by everyone else, but is my least preferred. Growing up, the full version was never used really.

Anouska is a good bet I think if you're also going with a mn.

I have a long name which I use nearly all the time now, I am often told it's elegant and I do like it. As a child I was only ever known by the nn, but as an adult this is reserved for close family. I really like it like this, and would hate to be confined by the nn. All this despite the fact that I used to cry about the long name when I was little, because I thought it was horrid. I'd always want to give a child the same kind of choices; I definitely grew into my full name, and really the short one has the potential to sound a bit daft in a serious professional encounter.

I am always known by my nn but like having a long name especially for business purposes! I have given DS1 a long name but he is currently always known by his nn and can choose when he is older what he prefers. I think the main advantage is that it gives you an option - shorter names can therefore be more limiting unless you are more than happy with it..

I love Anouska btw

I've found it useful - if I call a DC by all their syllables, they know immediately they've just done something dreadful!

I think it matters less with Anouk than some shortened names, but you don't know what your child will grow up to be. Stick words like "Dr" and "Major" in front of it and see how the nn sounds compared to the full version.

I have "formal" name on my birth cert. but have been known by my nickname my whole life. I didnt expect to ever have to use my birth cert. name - but then I met dh, whose surname sounds absolutely ridiculous with my nickname. think slightly rhymey, but not in a good way, makes everyone who hears it smirk uncontrollably!

I thanked god I had another name to choose from when he popped the question

Its good to have a choice. Plus if you have a particulalry daft nn (as I do) it can take years to live it down and a 'real' name is useful.

Also, a 'sunday name' is useful when you have to deal with stuck up eejits.
'Arabella Ponsettia Carrington Harrington Burley' sounds better than 'Hi, I'm Bella'. Sad but true.

Ooh yes, and think 'Dr Pixie' (she off the telly).

Both my brothers have long names but were only ever known by the shorter diminutive growing up. While they still use the shorter forms with friends and family, both of them have opted to use the longer forms professionally (one of them spent several years living and working in a country where the standard English diminutive of his name is actually a word, so it was particularly useful to have the longer form to fall back on in that case).

You're not just naming your child, you're naming someone else's boss/teacher/probation officer/wife. And I think giving options to the adult your child will one day become is a good thing.

I have a diminutive name and I hate it if people ask if my 'real' name is XYZ rather than just X.

I really don't think anyone gives two hoots about whether you have the long version or not. I don't think anyone checked Tony Blair's birth certificate to check he was actually Anthony before voting him PM.

Hear hear, notso, I also have a shortened name in my birth certificate and am glad that my parents used that instead of the long version. I just called my DS2 CIharlie, not Charles, because I prefer it.

Charlie, obviously!

I have a long name but am known by my nn generally. I do use my proper name for professional purposes though and enjoy using it. I'm Dr Jolliannah Bear at work and Jolly at home.

Just to add ... I know an Anouk and she is always called "nookie". Might be something to consider

I personally would always go for a full version on the birth certificate, but this isn't a straightforward "long or short version" question. To my ears, "Anoushka" is the more obvious diminutive (Russian, for Anna).

I didn't know Anouk was a diminutive at all, but I just checked and my dictionary lists it as a nickname for Annick. I just don't think this is the same as naming someone Billy instead of William.

I have done this with my son. I want to give him the freedom to choose how he wants to be known when he is older. The name doesn't belong to me, it belongs to him.

These are both foreign names to me, so I would never have guessed if Anouk was the usual nn for Anouska. However, I much prefer a full name on the BC. As others have said, it gives the child the choice later in life. Also, people with nns as fns often don't get nns, and many don't like that fact... If you get me.

I will say though that if Anouk is pn like Anouska, then I really don't like it, although I've always loved Anouska (figure it's one of those names you have to have 'heritage' for though :P).

Anouk is a name in its own right too, kind of like Emilia/Millie. I know what you mean about heritage, I can get away with it as I'm South African :) I think I'm going to go with Anouska as BC name and then Anouk as nn, thanks everyone :)