Avoiding common shortenings

[17caterpillars1mouse]

Love Tobias but strongly dislike Toby.

I always seem to have this issue with boys names, love the full name here the common shortening.

Do you think a Tobias could avoid being called Toby by the majority of people?

Would also love to here if anyone have some of relatives that have a name with a common shortening but they just use the full name

You can obviously try to insist that it's Tobias but people inevitably shorten. Also most kids I have known, once they get to teens, if not before, seem to only want to be called by the shortened version of their name.

Tobias and Toby are nice imo.

You can't. Simple.

I have a Samuel. He's now 9 and a firm Sam to everyone but me. To be he will always be Samuel. He prefers Sam and tells me off for calling him Samuel.

To me the Tob in Tobias sounds different to the Tob in Toby so I don't know if people would go straight to Toby. It may well get shortened but maybe to Tobe by his mates rather than Toby. I know a couple of Harrisons who have never been called Harry because that isn't their names but do get Har or H

"Do you think a Tobias could avoid being called Toby by the majority of people? "

Well, he could if he wanted to. But once he can talk it's none of your business!

Tobias ist really common in the part of Germany I live in and they all get Tobi (which sounds exactly like Toby to my ear) from friends (though mostly adults don't shorten colleagues or acquaintances names unless introduced by the short form).

I struggle to stop myself shortening Tobias to Tobi for Tobias es I don't know well because it seems an incredibly formal name to me and my brain wants to turn it into something more friendly, but that's probably my ideosyncracy

If you hate Toby then don't do it, in the long run your opinion is irrelevant as he can & will decide whether he wants to be known by whatever version he likes, you simply can't control that

Pick a one or two syllable name so it can't be shortened. Unfortunately, if they can't shorten it they may lengthening it with an E. Something short like Ian, Pierce or Eric haven't got much room for change because they can't really be shortened or lengthened without sounding ridiculous IYKWIM. Just beware if they can't shoren or lengthen it, they might come up with a nn instead.

For sure he will be called Toby.

You can try and control your family but you can't control what other kids choose to call your son, and it will Toby.

A school friend's mum made the same mistake with Rebecca - she hated the name Becky - and yet Becky is who Rebecca became.

So choose something else.

It's a shame op because I love the name Tobias. As for Toby.....nope not keen either.