Anwen being shortened to Annie... but there's a catch!

[OhWhatAPalaver]

We are thinking of naming our DD2 Anwen but to have Annie as a nickname/shortened version. The catch is that there's a chance DD2 could be born with very curly ginger hair... would you still call her Annie if this was the case or would we be doing her some kind of injustice?! Or are we being daft for even worrying about it?

We were also thinking of Arwen but unsure of that too for other reasons!

being daft

You're being daft. Annie might not be the nn that sticks, anyway.

I prefer Arwen.

Arwen sounds mystical Celtic-y (real word). Annie seems a bit humdrum in comparison.

I didn't think it was that big a deal either until a friend, (who also has curly ginger hair), mentioned it! I think she would have felt hard done by if it was her...

You are over thinking it I think. You can't discount a name because of what she might look like! Presumably if she did have curly ginger hair it would grow downwards and not up in the shape of a lollipop.

Along similar lines, we were going to call DD Anna, which would most likely have ended up turning into Annie. In the end, she just wasn't an Anna so we chose a different name but she does also have curly red hair, so I am now quite glad we didn't. I think it would be cute, but possibly annoying as a teenager.

I would still go ahead with Annie. I think it's such a cute name and you have no idea what your daughter will look like. It still sounds like your a bit unsure so maybe best just to prepare other back-up's and see what she looks like. I really like the above suggestion of Arwen too. Anwen sounds easier to shorten though! Maybe Anna if Annie is a no-go.

I prefer Arwen but don't think you need to discount Anwen / Annie because of the hair she might have. It's only a nn anyway so if she hates it as a teenager she can just introduce herself as Anwen and / or use a different nn.

I've a relative (now adult) with a very similar name/nickname and red hair. I don't think people do the "oh like Annie" thing more than once, generally speaking. Though most people don't at all.

I think Annie is a terribly boring name anyway so would definitely give the girl a break and swerve it ...especially with red curly hair on the cards too!

Annie is a very dull name tbh

The most recent version of Annie didn't have red hair. Not sure it still has the same strong connotations anymore.

Nooka beat me to what I was going to say The new generation will know the new film better.

I don't think it's a big deal, but if you're wavering on it, how about Anwen nn Winnie?

I think Winnie's got the same sweet, vintage vibe as Annie, but it feels a little less "safe". Don't get me wrong - I like Annie, but it isn't as striking a name as Anwen, and it seems a shame to give your DD a really unusual, interesting name but call her by a much more "ordinary" nickname. I think Winnie has a bit more spark to it.