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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

Nicknames?

29 replies

Amee1992x · 04/07/2017 12:02

What's the deal? Everyone is thinking of names and nicknames. Don't they just come naturally? Iv never thought of making my kids nicknames before they've even been born or iv got to know their little character and personality. So yeah thoughts?

And I'm not talking about the people who say oh possible NN would be...

I mean the ones who go and NN would be 'whatever'

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Awwlookatmybabyspider · 04/07/2017 12:32

My dd is Molly. I've never gets Molly from me, though. Her nn has absolutely nothing to do with her name. I don't even know where it came from.
So yes I agree with you.

Sugarpiehoneyeye · 04/07/2017 12:34

Yep, couldn't agree more.

coragreta · 04/07/2017 12:40

I don't think they mean nicknames they mean shortenings. As someone with a long name it gets shortened whether you ask or not so I think it's wise to pick what you will go with for short. E.g. Alexandra could be Lexie or Alex or Al or something.

MikeUniformMike · 04/07/2017 12:56

I do think it is worth considering what nn the DC would get say at school or work. For example, I am of an age group where the name Neil was popular and they all seemed to get the nn Nellie. Also, if you choose a name like David, Robert or Peter, and really don't want DC to be Dave, Bob/Rob, or Pete then you might want to choose another name.

MikeUniformMike · 04/07/2017 12:57

Alexandra could be Sandy, Sandra or even Zandra too.

BendydickCuminsnatch · 04/07/2017 12:59

When people say 'Thomas NN Tom' or whatever, they mean 'shortening'. Nicknames = Tommyturtle or Tommywommy whatever.

DS is only ever known by his name shortening, but has his full name on his birth certificate. Soz if that offends, I know it's contentious on Mumsnet! IRL no-one cares.

Original poster

Amee1992x · 04/07/2017 13:02

I honestly just wondered, yeah my sons NN has nothing to do with his name either.

OP posts:

Vereesa · 04/07/2017 13:02

I think the reason some people are so focused on the nickname (shortening) aspect is due to how, unless otherwise specified, people are going to shorten a long name. What they're therefore doing is pre-empting this and picking a shortening that they personally love as well.

DeepPuddleHorse22 · 04/07/2017 14:19

Yes I always say nickname but I in fact mean shortening!

If I had a Victoria I wouldn't like Vicky but like Tori so I would choose that as a shortening to hopefully prevent the Vicky...that's why I think they are important, of course the odd person may still say Vicky but if Tori has been outlined by birth then chances are that's what you'll get/child will refer to herself as. Nickname could be Pumkin Pie-completely unrelated

DeepPuddleHorse22 · 04/07/2017 14:19

Since birth not by birth

grufallosfriend · 04/07/2017 14:24

Ridiculous imo. Parents should choose a name they love and are happy to call their child, rather than give them a name and preselect a specific nickname.

badg3r · 04/07/2017 14:38

Yes I am with Deep on this one - I would use nickname to mean shortening too. My name that I have been known as by birth is a nickname/shortening of a very long family name. The name on my birth certificate is not one I automatically respond to.

Like Vereesa says, I also find there are lots of names that I love, but that I dislike the common nicknames for, i.e. David/Dave, and vice versa like Rob/Robbie/Robert. So I wouldn't use those names, even though I love them, because the chances are they would get abbreviated over the years.

badg3r · 04/07/2017 14:42

Also I do quite like having a "Sunday name" that sounds a lot more grown up than what I go by day-to-day

silkpyjamasallday · 04/07/2017 14:45

I was about to post on this very subject! To me a nickname is something totally unconnected to your given name that your family and close friends call you, so I got called Mongoose, by brother was doodlebug, a friend is known as Shrimp and it extends from childhood into adulthood. We call DD Bouj, none of the letters are in her real name, it just happened to be one of the silly names we called her in the early days and now it has stuck. She will be known as Bouj forever more by us, and she recognises it as much as her real name.

People who post on here about nicknames mean what the child will be called if they have a long name that can be cut down so Bee for Beatrice, Will for William. It really irks me whenever I see it but I refrain from going off on one in baby name threads.

Original poster

Amee1992x · 04/07/2017 17:55

I just wondered. I know get that it's a shortening for a longer name.

OP posts:

Upyourdaisy · 04/07/2017 18:01

When I think of nicknames I also think of longer names being shortened. I love the name Connie and dd4 was very nearly called it, but I would have ended up calling her 'con' which just sounds nasty. Her name is Romany and she is very often called Rome, which I love.

BattyBagshot · 04/07/2017 19:47

Never decided NNs before any of mine were born, although think about what likely NNs were of potential names to avoid any problems with our surname. One of my DC has no NN at all, one will answer to a few of the common ones for his name, but basically uses the full name, and the third has a NN that gets used a lot, but bears no resemblance whatsoever to the name!

bridgetreilly · 04/07/2017 19:51

Someone was recently asking about possible nicknames for Juliet. I really wanted to say that the one I knew at school was called Spud but I suspect that wasn't what she wanted to hear.

BertrandRussell · 04/07/2017 19:54

This really annoys me. A nickname is not a shortening- Tom is not a nickname for Thomas.

ShutupanddriveM5 · 04/07/2017 20:42

If you know that people mean shortenings yet say nicknames what's the problem? You know what they mean why be pedantic about it🙄

ShutupanddriveM5 · 04/07/2017 20:43

Not you OP by the way

Original poster

Amee1992x · 04/07/2017 21:14

I get that it's just shortenings now, I honestly thought people were deciding names and nicknames 🙈.

OP posts:

HoratioNightboy · 04/07/2017 21:18

Bugbear of mine too. But using the correct terminology sounds awfully stiff and formal, and nobody really knows them anyway. You'd sound a right knob asking for suggestions for hypocoristics for Eilzabeth, so people just say nicknames even if it's wrong (and annoying).

candy88 · 04/07/2017 21:43

Hi, everyone!
I want ask you something about the nicknames. I have a little girl named Isabella. I am wondering May I call her Betty for short? What do you think?I love Betty.I don't like the short names at all,I adore her name,but don't like short forms Izzy and Bella.
Thank you, so much.

SuperBeagle · 04/07/2017 21:54

Many names have automatic shortenings. Mine is one of them. The name Elizabeth will get shortened, without fail, to Liz/Lizzy. People can try to get Betsy, Libby etc. as much as they like, but people will continue to assume Liz/Lizzy is fine.

I loved Alexandra but resigned myself to the fact that it would be shortened to Alex, which I didn't like. Also Madeleine with Maddy.

Some names are less decisive though. I can see choosing Isabella and pushing Bella over Izzy, for example. Or vice versa. There's no clear-cut assumption about what the nickname will be. Same with Charlotte and Charlie / Lottie.

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