Archie for Arthur?

[lovelsa]

So I'm due in about a month with #2 and this little boy has NO NAME! I know we have a bit to go, but I knew with my first that he was going to be a Henry from the start and kinda feel bad that this little one is he-who-has-no-name. #harrypotterpun🤦🏻‍♀️

Boy names are just so tricky! One that we don't mind is Archie, but I'm a firm believer in a full "proper" name, but am totally not a fan of Archer or Archibald, and don't want to use Archie as a stand alone name. I read about someone that did Arthur and nicknamed Archie. Do you think that's too much of a stretch or could it work?

Too much of a stretch, they’re totally different names. Like saying Tom is a nn for Tobias, or Henry for Hector.

I think it's too much of a stretch tbh.

However, as someone who also is a firm believer in full names on bc, I think Archie gets a special exemption as Archibald is so awful that it's not compatible with modern society. It's not the same as putting Tommy on a bc, where everyone will assume his full name is Thomas. Archie is more like Molly, which is now considered a full name despite originally being a pet name for Mary.

Nope, it doesn’t work. They don’t sound remotely alike, apart from the “ar” sound.

I don’t think it would work, sorry. What about Artie nn for Arthur? It’s a little similar!

I agree with pp - either Arthur nn Artie, or just put Archie on the birth certificate.

Thanks guys. I don't like Art or Artie and I can't bring myself to do Archie as a stand-alone name. This baby is just destined to have no name 😂

I don't think Archie is an abbreviation of Arrhur at all. However I think Arthur is a wonderful name and goes well with Henry!

@HJL2506 Only problem I have with doing Arthur is that I am under no false pretense that he won't end up being called Art or Artie, which I don't love. I'm fully aware (from friends that have experienced it) that a "Samuel" will end up "Sam", "Matthew" will be "Matt", etc. no matter how hard you try.

@lovelsa ahh I know what you mean. Although my boy is called Stanley and if ever anybody calls him Satan I will be correcting them! I cannot bear Stan!

Saying that bough I have a cousin called Matthew and he's 15 and nobody has called him Matt! It's hard when you love a name isn't it. X

Stan not Satan! Stupid typo!^

How about Alfie / Alfred

I've honesty never heard anyone shorten Arthur to Art or Artie. I have a daughter who's name is rather long and try people shorten it but I just correct them. Maybe that makes me an a-hole but I hate the nn from her name, she does have a nn that's not similar to her name though so if you really wants to put Arthur and call him Archie it's not the end of the world. He'll go by whatever you refer to him as

Don't really see a problem with this!

It's not unheard of for people to be known to most of their friends by nicknames that aren't the most obvious shortening of their first names, or for small children to have favourite non-standard pronunciations.

Or for people to be known by their middle names, for that matter, which always requires explaining in official situations and on forms.

If you introduce most people to him, you'll be calling him Archie, and it'll only really be nursery workers, teachers and so on you have to explain it to. And as he gets older he'll explain it himself and decide what he prefers to be called.

There isn't even obvious scope for teasing about it, only the odd very pedantic kid that might say something but then would have to get used to it.

“although my boy is called Stanley and if ever anybody calls him Satan I will be correcting them! I cannot bear Stan!”

Once your child is old enough to voice their own preferred variation of their own name you can’t do much about it.

Archelaus?

Arthur really doesn't get shortened.

Artie is short for Arthur (cf Kipps/Half a Sixpence, for example). Archie would be short for Archibald.

crispbutty yeah if my son chooses. Others will be corrected!

I have a 9 year old Arthur. No one ever shortens it. He would soon put them right if they did.

Archimedes?

Arthur is lovely and doesn’t particularly need to be shortened. Archie is a bit overused and boring imo.

Different names. I’m really struggling with boys names too. If I like the full name I hate the short version and if I like the short version I hate the long!

I generally dislike shortened names on birth certificate (Harry, Katie, Charlie) but I agree with a previous poster that there are a few that are so established that it's fine. I would count Archie as one of these (especially as Archibald is not a pleasant name to modern ears), along with Molly (Mary), Sally (Sarah), Trudy (Gertrude).