Shefali?

[Sandybeachess]

What do we think of the Indian baby girl name, Shefali? I like the sound of it, bit put off by the common NN “Shef” but we could just tell everyone to call her by her full name... honest thoughts? :)

I think there are much nicer Indian baby girl names out there. I also think she will definitely be called 'Shef' and as much as you can instruct relatives not to shorten her name when she is a baby, people will anyway, you cant control these things, and other children at school often shorten names. Are there any others you like? On my list were Anjali, Asha, Niva, and Nila

Oh and Arya before Game of Thrones came along and made it really popular in the UK 😒

It wouldn't occur to me to shorten it to Shef - I'm not Indian, though, or particularly familiar with Indian names. I think it sounds quite nice (assuming the stress is on the second syllable?).

I think the shortening is inevitable really.
I like Anjali, and I taught a Nandini which I thought was unusual.

Beautiful!

Nickname Sheffy is nice too, that would be my first thought rather than Shef

Kalindi is another suggestion

I like it, but I’d probably not use it if I didn't like Shef. My mum didn’t want people shortening my name so told my family to call me the full version. As soon as I started school people used the shortened version and it stuck. Unless your child dislikes it too and corrects people, shortening is hard to avoid.

It's not a name i'm familiar with but I really like it. I'd probably also go with Sheffi as a nn rather than Shef.

Chef Ali?

It sounds like a nice name. Is it pronounced Shef-AH-li or SHEFF-a-lee?

Thank you for all your comments! It’s pronounced Shef-AH-li.

I really like the sound of Shefali.
Mumsnet is so obsessed with people shortening names. Maybe it's a regional or a class thing. All my children have names which are very long and where people commonly do choose to have nicknames. None of them have ever had their names shortened, other than one teacher of one child in secondary school and ds asked them not to and it didn't happen again.
I know loads of people in a similar position as well.

@Chilldonaldchill, you can say that now, but names do get shortened. I know people who got the full name all through school and college, only to find it shortened when they started work.

If someone says something like 'I'm David, not Dave' or 'It's Elizabeth not Liz' they tend to come across as stuck-up'

I'm not especially keen on the sound - the "Shef" bit puts me off. I like pp suggestions of Anjali or Kalindi.

Or how about Kerani?

Oooohhh, I have a friend called Shefali. I love the name, she goes by Sheffi or Sheffs unless she's in trouble with her mum 😂😂😂

Thank you for all the comments! Shefi sounds better than Shef! I don’t like Anjali or Kalindi as much as Shefali... think it flows a bit better than those two. Welcome to other suggestions! :)

I think of the news reader.

But actually it,s not a bad name don,t know it,s meaning. That may not be important to you but it can change oppinions on a name.

Reminds me of sheftali - a Greek sausage.

Like Shefali Oza? I love it.

And I love her, she’s so glamorous and just doesn’t age!

Shefali Oza,

A great choice name - go for it!