Am I alone in hating this trend?

[Jossina]

Am I the only person who doesn't like the trend of giving children a nickname as their proper name? For instance Tom instead of Thomas or Billy instead of William, Kate instead of Katharine. Aren't these children going to spend the rest of their lives saying, over and over and over, "No, it's just ___. Not short for anything." ?

Both of my children technically have proper names (as in formally on their birth certificates) that are shortened versions.

DD is occasionally asked if she’s the longer version but DS has never been asked/I have never been asked on his behalf. I’ve also never met a child with the longer name, or even anyone under about 55.

I don't think it matters. Tom, Kate, perfectly fine, standalone names. Norms change. Yours sound very 1950s. If someone tells me their name, I don't feel it is my place to comment on it or query it.

I knew a "Charlie" at university, he has been "Charles" ever since he left.
Friend of a friend "Mick" has been recreated as "Michael" since he became a published academic author. My friend's husband who was "Jock" for all his youth is now "Les". Cousin "Jimmy" is now "James" In my limited experience it is good to have the full name on your birth certificate because you might want to revert to it if you become a more grown up sort of person as you age.

my DD is Kate not K/Catherine. It was a conscious decision we were always going to call her Kate so, why give her a name we would never use. She is now in her late 20s and she has never complained.

It's not a new trend by any means!

I'll just mention an 86 year old I know called Jack.

His mother didn't want a John, she wanted a Jack, so that was what she got.

A girl at my school in the late 50s/early 60s was christened 'Vicki' and was forever having to explain herself - "No, it's Vicki. No, I wasn't christened Victoria" and found it an annoyance. Teachers didn't believe her until shown her birth certificate.

It's no different to going through your life having to spell your name out I guess...

My dd has the shorten version of her aunts name, because her aunt is unmarried, they if I called her the full version they would have the exact same name. My sil uses the full version occasionally a different shorty version, i.e. sis called Victoria, she occasionally used Vicky and dd is called Tori. It was just a nod to her really without causing confusion, if my dd gets older and decides she will like to use "Victoria" or even Vicky I don't see a problem with that. It's the norm to shorten names why not to leanthen your birth name?

I also strange how some people love name's short form but not the original name, say how can you love Alfie but hate Alfred or love Penny but hate Penelope? To me, they're the same names.

They sound (and indeed are spelt) differently. So very easy to like one and not the other.

I can a number of reasons why people are choosing to put the short preferred diminutive on birth certs. Some practical, some about actual name preference.

Two of my children have "full names" on their birth certs which could be shortened. In one case the name has been shortened since birth. It is irritating when it comes to any form of paperwork or ticket booking. The child thinks of himself as say "Tom" and if asked to put a name down puts Tom, but then needs to remember that really he is "Thomas". He will inevitably end up with ID and records in both names depending on whether a birth cert match is required. My sister was always Becky but with Rebecca on her birth cert (and passport). On a work trip she found herself in the airport unable to fly because the travel organiser had booked her tickets under Becky.

When it came to third child we were more aware of the practical issues about names not matching and as a result she has the "nickname" on her birth cert. As well as the practicalities we chose do do this because we like the nickname, but not necessarily all the other nicknames or the origin name (think Elizabeth ... Liza, Eliza, Liz, Libby, Beth, Lizbeth, Lizzy etc etc). To me it would be really weird to raise my child as Beth and have her re-name herself as Liza 20 years later.

My sister was given a shortened name at birth. No one ever questioned it.

I on the other hand have a long form name and no one uses it. Just the nickname, so much so, I changed it by deed poll about 8 years ago!!

I th i nk by the time theyre older the longer name will be obsolete. I'm not a fan in some cases but in more I like for e.g. Tom over Thomas or John over Jonathon

DD2 is called Judy, not Judith - they seen like two completely different names to me. She has never been asked if it's a nickname.

I go by a short version of my longer name (think Katie /Catherine). My parents never called me by the longer version and it doesn't feel like 'me' at all. I couldn't even spell it until I was 17 as I'd never needed to. Nowadays doctors are the only people who use my long name and it feels really weird to hear them calling me what feels like someone else's name. I really don't understand why my parents bothered.

When it came to naming my DD I made sure her name couldn't be shortened at all.

I'm a Victoria but always gone by Vicky. Nobody has ever asked for my 'proper' name 🤷‍♀️

I'm known by my nickname and have bee my whole adult life. I have so rarely been asked if my name is short for anything. I introduce myself and then the person calls me by that name, because that's a normal way to behave.

Dd3 is Kitty, which mnet will tell me is a nickname. It was my great aunt's name (not a nickname) and has existed as a name in its own right since the 16th century.

I think people can, within reason, call their dc what they want. Just watch Greg Davies stand up about nicknames and the man known as mumbo (because his mum had bad bo).

Erm... my name is Kate and it's a name in its own right

I also know a 39 year old Shane who goes by Tom as "Shane" doesn't get the same level of respect and he's a director. Essentially I'm saying it doesn't matter what you call your dc as they might change it anyway and there will always be someone on mnet who hates it

I have a Katie, I didn't even know it was short for Katherine until I joined MN. Luckily I gave my other two children the correct and Proper MN approved names, one of which we shorten and the other we use in full.

Tbh I've never understood why people give their children names then spend their life's calling them something completely different, if you want to call your child Jamie then don't put James on their BC if you want a child called Billy don't put William on the BC ect ect just call them the name you want them to be known as! Giving them a name they are never going to be known as is just stupid imho

Ideally you find a name you love but that can also be nicknamed by family and friends. That way you don't need to choose between a full name ((eg Florence) and short form (Florrie).

Some nicknames are just that, nicknames to be used by family and close friends. It's nice to be able to do that with a name. I know a Charlotte who we sometimes call Charlie or Lottie but she likes to have the option of a more 'formal' name.

I don't disagree with you, but Tom and Kate are such bizarre examples to use in your OP. Both have long been names in their own right. I would class nicknames like Susie, Alfie, Freddie, etc, being given as birth names, more of a thing.

And have you been living under a rock to think you're the only person who doesn't like this....?

This is bringing back memories of what a smart-arse annoying little Twat I was in primary school.

Other kid - "What's your name short for?"

Me - "'Cos it's only got 4 letters."

Other kid - "No but what were you christened?"

Me - "I wasn't."

i know a child called thom it's rather odd why not just call him thomas?