Which is the best diminutive of Edward?

[worriesomework]

I've liked Edward with Ted as the diminutive for a long time. DH said he didn't like it and much preferred Ed.

I went and thought about this and although I had my heart set on Ted, I came round to the idea of idea of Ed instead and now maybe prefer it.

Yesterday DH announced he'd been thinking about it too and he now likes Ted.

Any opinions? I know that our son may well choose his own diminutive when he's older, which is fine by us, but in the mean time we want to know what to call him once he's here! I hate decisions so definitely don't want to go down the wait the he's here and see what feels right camp. We have older children and would be confusing for them to switch between two names.

Edward is my adult DS middle name but prefers it to his first name. All his friends call him Ed and its in his email address, user names for SM ect.

I have an Edward he gets called Ted, not Teddy and definitely not Ed.

We have an Edward. He's mainly Edward or Ted. However also gets called Teddington, Teddy Bear, Woody & Woods & Woodwood

I love Ed and Eddie

I just think it seems like bending yourself in half to call your child a name that has nothing to do with their name.

Yes!

Call your son Edward or Ed for short, if you like the name. Any other so called 'short forms' aren't intuitive imo

And if you prefer Teddington or Ted then call him that!

They aren't intuitive to you. Can't you see the difference?

Perhaps you're from a country where such things are a little more rigid.

I just think it seems like bending yourself in half to call your child a name that has nothing to do with their name.

But lots of traditional diminutives don't have an obvious connection to the traditional long form name they derive from (Daisy or Peggy for Margaret, Sally for Sarah, Jack for John, Dick for Richard, Billy for William) but its not bending yourself in half if you are using a name that has been traditionally used for centuries. The beginnings of these names often make sense in light of an archaic spellings or pronunciation/ regional accent or a piece of information such as daisies (the flowers) belonging to the Margarite family.

But lots of traditional diminutives don't have an obvious connection to the traditional long form name they derive from (Daisy or Peggy for Margaret, Sally for Sarah, Jack for John, Dick for Richard, Billy for William)

I would think that most parents today would directly name their child Daisy, Sally or Jack, rather than Margaret, Sarah or John (but be known as the former)?

I guess it’s a matter of personal taste. I think naming your child Edward and telling everyone to call him Bear is convoluted and a bit daft. But to someone else they might like it.

But yes, in my opinion it is indeed bending yourself in half to name a child Edward so you can call him Bear. I see it a lot on mumsnet, people twisting a name into another name. I often just find it a bit daft.

I don't disagree on Bear (if only because I don't really see it as a 'proper' name). It was more the poster that though Ted was stretch from Edward. It is a really common traditional shortening for Edward that doesn't require any mental gymnastics.

Some diminutives have become totally stand alone names - there are more Jacks than Johns these days, others like Charles/Charlie Robert/Bobby seem pretty well split between the formal name and the short form used as a full name and others seem to remain as mostly in the longer form on the birth certificate (all the Matts, Jims and Lizzies I know both adult and child are Matthews, Jameses and Elizabeths (but I do know stand alone Beths and Elizas.

I never really 'get' posters trying to retro fit a long name to a diminutive if they say what could X be short for if I don't want to use Y on the birth certificate when X is only really short for one thing. If you like Debbie but not Deborah or Penny but not Penelope then use the short form only or look for another name but using Edward (or Edmond or Edgar) and having half a mind to use Ed or Ted or Ned as an informal shortening is totally different because there is a long established history of those names being shortened in those ways.

Ned for me (unless you live in Scotland) - medieval nickname from "miNe EDward" , how sweet is that? I also love the more obscure/uncommon Bear or even Iolo (if any Welsh links) but accept they are a bit niche. Edward's so classy and distinguished in full though imo when they are older - nice choice!

Ha! Didn't read the previous posts about Bear etc when I posted. I don't think nicknames being a "stretch"/ or not being "intuitive" really matter personally - no worse than people known as Buddy, Sonny, Missy, Bean, Pip etc from childhood with no link whatsoever to their BC name imo. Or those who go by their middle names instead. Sometimes it's nice for people to have the choice - one name for work etc, nickname/other for family and friends.

Oh yes, I’ve no big issue with Ted/Teddy (other than how super popular it is in my area!) it’s more stuff like Bear. I understand the tenuous link of Eddie/Teddy/Teddy Bear but I’d just think it was a bit daft if I ever heard ‘yes we’ve named the baby Edward, Bear for short.’

One of my fave pastimes used to be browsing nameberry to see the absolutely ridiculous twists people did to make a random name into the name they wanted to use.

I think most people called something like Pip with no link to their actual name will have a story behind that though. It won’t be that their parents sat down and decided to call baby Gillian Pip from day one. That’s what I find a bit convoluted. And I don’t think anyone (or very few people) is really ‘known as’ a name like Bean. It’s like calling your child baby or honey, it’s not their name really.

I have an Edward. He prefers Ed. I call him Edward, Ed, Eddie, Tedsky, Tedska (the last 2 only at home).
Eduardo.

Mostly he's Ed.

He's 13 and I don't know that many.

It's a great name for long car journeys. Spot the Eddie Stobbart trucks AND read the name on the cab!

I have an Edward. Always thought his younger cousin or brother would shorten his name and that would be what we used.

He's still Edward 9 years later.

Ted is adorable

Jedward or Jed for short.

I have an Edward. He's Edward, Eddie or Ed. He tells me he will only answer to names starting with Ed. He's 11 now.
As a baby he was sometimes Eddie Bear and then The Bear to me and DH but we never say that to him now, but might refer to him as The Bear when talking about him. As he gets older he is more and more often just Ed.

Just for the record, I never once said I considered the name Bear. 😂

Definitely liking Ed more and more. Not as keen on Eddie for some reason (but don't dislike it)- but think baby/toddler Ed is pretty cute. And agree he might stand out more amongst a sea of Teds/Teddys