do names need to be full versions

[rhia22]

me and my partner are arguing because we love the names freddie charlie and jamie for our boy but I think he should have the long versions on his birth certificate (even though i don't necessarily like frederick charles and james) and my boyfriend doesn't... what are people's take on this?

I do find it odd that so many people seem to think that if you put a traditionally diminutive name on the BC, that means the child is thereby forbidden from going by any other name. If it says Jamie on the BC, the child would be just as free to go by Jim, James, Jimbo etc as if it were the traditionally full name. If I liked both versions of a name, I would put the full name on the BC. If I only liked the diminutive, that’s what I’d put. It will have no impact on your kid’s life. Unless, years in the future, they log on to mumsnet and discover, to their HORROR, a whole host of people to whom this issue is so secretly pressing.

Long version on BC definitely.

I have a shortened name on my bc, I really, really wish my parents had given me the long version, I would have had more choice in how I want to be known.

A Charlie can’t become a Charles. A Charles can become a Charlie.

I agree. Give your child more options.

It doesn't bother me, especially if I dislike the long version.

I was going to call DS Dougie but have Douglas on his BC. I don't like Douglas at all but would have had the full version of the name on the BC.

Why put a name on their BC? The shortened version of a longer name is a name in it’s own right. My friend is Katie. That is the name on her BC. She isn’t using Katie as a nickname of Katherine as Katherine isn’t her name.

I think Jamie has been a name in it's on right for a while. I went to school with a few Jamie's and it's never been assumed as a nickname. I also think Charlie has been a popular name for a few years now and has now evolved into it's own name and most people would assume that's the given name. Of your list the only one i would think was a nickname is freddie. But if you pointed out it was his full name I wouldnt for a minute think that you should have called him frederick- it's a lovely name on its own.

What’s the point in naming a child Catherine for example if you’re only going to call them Katie?

Well, the point is that Katie, as she grows up and goes through life, might prefer to be known as Catherine, or Cathy, or Kat.

Elsie is short for Elizabeth.

It seems a really old fashioned way of thinking to need a long name on the BC, in my opinion. When our children are adults ‘nickname names’ will be adult names because Lottie, Charlie, Hattie, Albie, etc. will be adults.

@bridgetreilly - my friend has Katie on her BC as that is her name. She hasn’t used Catherine or Cathy as her given name is Katie. It isn’t her nickname.

A Charlie can’t become a Charles. A Charles can become a Charlie.

I think this sums it up very well. Its easy enough to say i'm never going to use the longer name, so what the point in putting it on the BC. However, by doing this you remove the option of your child using the full name at a later date.

If you are going to call them there shortened name all the time, put that on the BC! Otherwise it will be like a strangers passport/BC/DL etc! I have a friend who's child is called Billy and always has been, but they were heavily encourage by mothers to put 'William' on the BC - they did and regret it as they have never called him William!

their*!

Name which you will call them on their BC.

My son is Charlie on his birth certificate. We knew it would be shortened if we called him Charles, so decided on just putting Charlie on the birth certificate. Never had any issues and son has never questioned it or wanted the full name.

The thing is, it's not all about what you (the parents) are going to call your child all the time, it's about what the child wants to call themselves when they are an adult and into old age (including when you're dead). Don't make it solely about your preferences, think about their entire life.

You get control over their name for about ten years, if that, then they'll exercise their own choice. I think a longer name on the BC gives them more of that choice (in an easier way than them potentially changing their name entirely by deed poll when they're old enough)

I actually find this obsession with full names on BC a bit bizarre.

What about stand alone names that don't have short versions like Leo, Joel, Hannah, Clare or Alice?

Are these children at a disadvantage? How will they cope when they're older and don't have options?

@Toomboom Can I ask, how old is your son Charlie?

I actually think a better way to gauge this would be to ask adults with shortened names (and full names) what they think of their names. Are they glad they weren't (or were) given the long version? Frankly, I don't think it matters much what the parents think, it's what the owner of the name thinks that matters, although obviously, this is impossible to know. Asking adults with shortened names might be the best clue though.

For what it's worth, I have a shortened name and have always wished I had the long version. I've never mentioned this to my parents though so they'd have no idea I thought like this. I remember my mum once talking proudly to someone about how they'd given both me and my brother shortened names and standing there thinking 'I wish you hadn't' I don't know what my brother thinks about his name.

@KenDodd He is almost 20

My brother is Raymond, but has always been called Ray. It has never bothered him either

But if you have no intention of using the longer name why have it? I never wanted to be Elizabeth and have no intention of using it now. It complicated EVERYTHING and if it wasn't such a ball ache I'd be changing it by deed poll.

It only really matters what you think, but I personally don’t love it when children are named nicknames and not the full name. It seems to be depriving them of the choice, and there’s something about it that makes me feel like it’s disrespectful to the child to only give them a nickname. But I appreciate these are my own weird hang ups, not universal laws! If you are happy with a nickname, you should feel comfortable going for it.

My son is James and that's what we call him - no short version.

However, I'm not sure what others think but Jamie is not an obvious shortened version of James unlike Jimmy and I think Harry is the same, in that it's a name in its own right.

I would definitely use Charles on the birth cert though if going with Charlie!

Definitely so they have the option of the full version when they’re older. My Mum gave me a shortened name and I changed it to the full version by deed poll as soon as I got chance. Hated having a shortened name.

Saying that my brother is Ben, just Ben, not Benjamin or Benedict. He's always liked his name.