Oliver always Ollie/Olly/Oli

[Idontthinklikethat]

Anyone managed to avoid the obvious nn for Oliver? DH hates the nn …likes the full name. Was the same with Alexander.

Olly isn’t totally inevitable but it’s more likely than not, so if Olly is unacceptable to you, then I’d avoid Oliver. Nicknames are only avoidable if the person with the name wants to avoid them - not their parents. Oliver would be your son’s name, not yours or DH’s. It will be for him to shorten as he wants to and he shouldn’t have to consider his parents’ wishes in that.

We agree entirely that it would be his choice, I guess we’re trying to see whether other people would shorten naturally - because we’d introduce him as Oliver from a young age. I like Ollie I think it’s cute!

Ds has middle name Oliver for exactly this reason. First name is a short one so no chance of it happening!!
Gets lengthened instead!!

Can't win!

Nicknames are only avoidable if the person with the name wants to avoid

I'm not even sure that is true, NN are given to people the receiver doesn't always have a choice in the matter.

Op you can introduce him as Oliver and when he is small you can correct people but you will be onto a losing game. Mine would have been Benjamin but I didn't want a Ben.

My DS was happy to be Oliver until about a year ago at 12 and is now Ollie, completely his choice.

I quite like Ollie though!

That’s very true, I guess I don’t know how much it would bother DH if he got called Ollie was at school for example, provided DS didn’t mind, and we called him Oliver at home?

Yes I imagine it might grow on you? By that point he’s very established as Oliver so it’s a cute shortening …so hard talking in the abstract about names and I wonder whether I think too much about it! Argh!

I know an 18 year old Oliver who has always insisted on being called Oliver his biggest problem was teachers calling him ollie when he didn't want to be.
I do think it could go either way though it will be the child's choice.
I have a sibling who is known by full name to family/professionally but nn by friends.

As long as your husband doesn't become one of those people who when his friend knocks at the door and says is Ollie free, says no Ollie lives here and shuts the door, or who pointedly says 'oh you mean Oliver' or continues to correct. I know of a teen whose parents do this it is excruciating.

Your over thinking it.
You call him Oliver, introduce him as Oliver. Once he's older he'll decide to shorten it to Olly or not.

I wouldn't automatically call him Olly if you told me his name was Oliver if that's what you mean.

But do, if you go with Oliver, decide how you want Ollie to be spelt.

@SlowBoiledFrog

As long as your husband doesn't become one of those people who when his friend knocks at the door and says is Ollie free, says no Ollie lives here and shuts the door, or who pointedly says 'oh you mean Oliver' or continues to correct. I know of a teen whose parents do this it is excruciating.

Oh god yes I knew one of these when I was younger. Don't do this

I met a Liv once. It was short for Olivier.

I don't think Oliver is a name which immediately gets shortened, but it is a risk

I call him Oliver. So does his dad. So does everyone we socialise with.

The school teachers would always call him Oliver - they didn't even ask, which they did with Christopher (whose answer was a shrug ).

I'm vaguely aware some of his friends use a shortening - see, I'm not even sure which - but it doesn't bother me. I'm not normally there.

Haha no he wouldn’t be “one of those” I agree cringe!

Ha, my dad answered the phone once to a friend who asked for me by a shortening of my surname (fortunately he knew that was me).

He said afterwards he was tempted to reply pompously "I take it you are referring to my daughter [merry]?"

My DB is Oliver and has always been Oliver or he'll sometimes call himself Ol. But the ie is a friendly thing it seems. Plus fashionable in names at the moment, Alfie, Ellie, Albie, Millie. My DC have short, unshortable names and ie seems to be added as a NN. Think Paul becoming Pauly / Paulie.

Our Oliver was always just Oliver until he went to uni when his mates all used Oli. I don’t think there’s any way of avoiding it when it comes to school / uni friends.

I know a Ollie and a Ols

I agree with PP saying sometimes you don't even get a choice over your own name 😂 My name has many diminutives. I get called my full name only by my Mum and eldest brother because he knows it winds me up (not really a fan of it) - I'm the (most common) shortened version on all my work ID's/email and to colleagues but my siblings call me a slightly different variation of that and oldest friends something else again. Then I'm called something else entirely by OH only. 😂
Oliver is lovely and nearly all Oliver's I've known are an Oli/Ollie/Olly. Ultimately there's nothing you can do as with a lot of names as most can be shortened or lengthened so I'd just try find one that you both love with a NN that bothers your DH the least

Congratulations though OP

My brother is Oliver and always Oliver and he is in his 40s now!

Thank you so much for all of your comments 🥰

I know an Oliver who is always called Bob - short for Olly-bobs.
You can't always control or predict nicknames.

My son is an Oliver nn Olly BUT he has an Oliver in his class who is very much Oliver!

My Oliver is always an Oliver!