Do you call your DC by their full name or a shortened version?

[Lexiesgirl]

I'm just interested, as I've recently had DC1 and have since discovered that giving your child a longer name but calling them by a short version seems to be a little contentious! Some people like it, but other people seem to think it is strange to register/christen your child with a name you won't actually call them.

So, DD is Alexandria but she is always known as Alex, and that has always been the plan.

Did you go for/are you planning a longer name but call your child by shorter version?

(And don't get me started on how giving your child two middle names is apparently 'overkill'!!)

Yes we have a full version on birth certificate but he is never known by that name in fact I almost don't recognise it when it's used at the doctors! Some people don't even realise he is called the full version. The shortened version is a stand alone name but we wanted a more 'formal' name for him to use as an adult if he wanted to.

I purposely picked a name that couldn't be shortened for Ds.

yep I have two DD's with full names who are only known by their shortened names.

Shame in a way as you really do end up choosing between one name or the other, or I've found that any way. Very few people know DD1's given name, which is a shame as I love it. Hoping she will use it later in life though.

Yes, dd2 is Annabel but known as Annie

me and dp have a difference of opinion on this as well. Our ten month old daughter is called Amelia. I often like to call her Millie as does FIL and occassionally dps sis does too, but dp always uses her full name as he prefers to because "thats her name" and mil says she will not call her Millie at all either. Fair enough she may well grow up preferring Amelia, but at the moment I love calling her my little Millie Moo. :o

No, we chose two short, two syllable names for our ds's which are just fine as they are.

We have no plans to shorten them, who knows what their friends will decide as they get older though!

Heh, northern, I do the same thing - and its especially confused by the fact that she has DP's surname rather than mine, so at the moment (she is only 3mo) her full name doesn't sound familiar yet when they call it out at the doctors!

Similarly, we also chose it so that DD could have a choice as she grew up.

We sometimes call our ds Quinn or Quenny but mostly he is Quentin.

I don't shorten my dd's name, but other people do and I hate it as it isn't one that can be shortened!!

I don't shorten my grown up childrens names , but other people do ,it never bothered me really.

Nicknames just sort of happen imo .

We put a shortened version of a name on the birth certificate as we love the shortened version but were only 'meh' about the longer/official versions.

We actually call her by a multitude of very long nicknames so she never really gets her proper name.

only 1 out of our 3 get called whole/real name.

dd is nickname
ds2 is shortened version

madame, what is it about lengthening names? I have a one syllable RL name than can NOT be shortened in anyway - so everyone I know lengthens it. It's like some people just can't cope with someone's real name!

I thought about this long and hard with my son. We wanted to call him Herbie and we contemplated putting Herbert on the birth certificate. In the end we decided on Herbie for the birth certificate as that was what we were going to call him day to day and thought it might be confusing for a child who has been called Herbie since starting school and then on his first day of school the teacher says "herbert" when calling out the register. I also though if we are never going to use the full name what is the point, if he think Herbie sounds childish then he can call himself "herb", but with so many children's names ending in ie these days i don't think they will see these names as babyish.

Samuel known as Sam, also 2 middle names.

Samuel here too and gets Sam or Sammy mostly.

All of mine have names that can be shortened, but whether I use shortened versions or not depends - probably more than half of the time, though (unless DSM is around - she loves their full names, and berates me for using shortened versions ).

We have considered various shortened versions of names (Joe and Kit spring to mind) and with both of those had decided we would just use them on the birth certificate (rather than e.g. Joseph or Christopher). In the end, we decided against both of them, so not an issue!

It is bizarre. DD is Meg.

She gets Meggy-Moo, Megatron, Megalicious, Meglet, Megalice (her MN is Alice, Godson thinks this NN makes her sound like a Pokemon apparently), and for some strange reason, Peggy.

Samuel here as well
Known as Sam, Sammy or Samjam

we use both, not intended, just sort of evolved. DD is either/or and loves both names, she herself prefers the shortened version and is mostly known as this at school etc, but also chops and changes and becomes her full name too.

DS is only 2, but has just started to assert from time to time that he is his full name, not his shortened name, but responds to both, we are starting to call him his full name more now.

DD1 is Catherine, never shortened (I sometimes call her Catarina, which annoys her); DD2 is Anastasia which just seems to long and grand for a smiley, cheery little round cheeked baby, so she seem to have become Annie. For now...

too long; and seems. Jesus!

DD1 is Helena, but always called Len. She has friends who don't believe her name is Helena.

DD2 always called Fliss.

DD3 is Miranda, called Miri, 'baby Randa' by the older two or Moo.