We love this name but dislike the inevitable nickname....

[Stateofgrace]

Madeleine :)

We strongly dislike the ubiquitous nickname 'Maddy'

Last night as a way of getting around this dp suggested 'Magdalene', which could be a way around it? (We think Maggie is lovely).

We understand that her peers will nn her regardless, but I suppose we don't want 'Maddy' as a fait accompli from the get go...

What do you think - either way will she be 'Maddy'?

Any other name suggestions? We are tending to lean toward French, Irish and Italian names (although not a deal breaker) - names that have been suggested thus far include:

Aoife
Lucia
Saoirse
Mathilde
Aoibhe
Isobel
Manon
Cicely
Florence
Beatrice / Beatriz

love Manon.............what a pretty name

In all honesty I think some of the alternative names on your shortlist are far nicer than Madeleine. While the Madeleine McCann connection wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, I also strongly dislike the NN Maddy, and every Madeleine I've met has had their name shortened in this way (either than or Madz, which IMO is even worse!). So I would pick something else personally, if it bothers you that much.

Manon and Lucia are both beautiful choices, and much more unusual (without being weird) than Madeleine. Mathilde and Saoirse are very pretty too, but with more scope for spelling/pronunciation problems than some of the others (and with Mathilde you have another obvious NN in Tilly).

My own DD Madeleine is 17 now - we loved Maddie too so didn't mind that at all as she was growing up (Moonlighting fan here). But if I'd have wanted her to be known as Madeleine only, that is what we would have called her all the time and that is what she would have been. She now calls herself Madz though, and not a thing we can do about it.

Magdalene is not half as nice imho. Ditto Magda.

I think it depends. I love the name Elizabeth but have always ruled it out as I hate Liz. I realise I couldn't control the nicknames in the future (even if I managed in childhood by using another, like Eliza or Beth).

Magdalena I doubt would be shortened to Maddie, it is more obviously Maggie or Lena. So if Maddie is a deal breaker I would go with that.

Manon is also a welsh name pronounced MAN-on. Just for you to be aware that welsh people may assume it's that m