So why do people choose a "proper" name...

[3andnomore]

only to shorten it at Birth?
What is it about calling a Baby Amilai but never using the name, but using Millie, or Benjamin but always calling them Ben...
I mean, why then not just call them Millie or Ben?
Surely if that is the name you want to call your child...
Obviously I do realise that nicknames can evolve through the childs life, but this whole "premeditated" giving it a long (proper) name and nicknaming it at birht something else is sort of , erm....pointless...and kind of really annoying? (I do realise that might jsut be me, lol...that gets annoyed, I mean...but I ratehr encounter a "chavvily" named child but it's actually the name, then a Ben really called Benjamin

[alfiesbabe]

This thread reminds me of when a kid i taught turned up at school and told me about his new baby brother who'd just been born, and then asked me to write down the baby's name for him to take home cos his parents couldnt spell it.

[3andnomore]

But Cote, I never said it's wrong if a name developes it's shortening/nickname...I think that is pretty much inevitable. It may then be a shortened version of their proper name or it might be something they say or do that makes you think of somehting...so, completely normal...my "problem" is when people actually want to call their girl say Millie, but then have Amelia on teh Birthcertificate, just so they can call the child Millie...!

And Lapin, indeed, that was the same of what I meant, of course a lot of names that used to be known as nicknames have become proper names in their own right, such as Megan.

Elf, also agree, if you don't like the shortened version of a name, it's best to stay clear of the name...hence ys being called Flynn instead of Frederic...I would simply hate it for him to be refered to as Fred or Freddie...

[3andnomore]

IN our family, oddly enough, the nicknames can be often longer then the original name, lol....forinstance when my ms was little I often called him Yanucki instead of Yannic, and Flynn is often called Flynski and his oldest brother often is called Svenski instead of Sven...but then we are a bit weird, lol....

[pooka]

DS is Tom. Not Thomas. Because I'm not especially keen on Thomas and I knew he would always be called Tom by us. I also thought about how the name would sound as said by teacher, employer and so on. And I decided that Tom could work pretty well in most situations.

[ReverseThePolarity]

Sorry, only really read the OP, but ime it's actually meant as a really thoughtful thing. The parent is giving the child a "full" name that will serve them well in adulthood, but the shortened form is far more suitable for a child, so Alfred / Freddie; Bertrand / Bertie; Rosemary / Rosie; Katherine / Kat and so on.

(One of those combinations belongs to my ds before you mock.)

[3andnomore]

Reverse, I can see the logic, but well, to me it just only makes sense if you actually like the name on the Birthcertificate, and then let nature takes it's course with the shortening...

Hatrick, think we have the same opinion on this one
Ezra is a real cool name, by the way

[BumperliciousIsOneHotMother]

Until I was 16 I was known by a shorterned name and was never called by my full name (except when we had a new or supply teacher at school and they called my full name out on the register and everyone sniggered not because it's an odd name, but because it wasn't my name IYSWIM). My parents almost christened me with my shorterned name but decided that when I was grown up and had a professional job I might not want to sound like a 7 year old! And now I never use the shortnerned version, only my family and old school friends use it, so they were right!

[unknownrebelbang]

My parents gave me the shortened name because they knew everyone would shorten the full name.

How perverse that everyone assumes that it is a short-form of the full version.

I'm happy with the choices I made for all my three boys, even DS2.

If that makes me weird so be it.

[bluenosesaint]

Only read the OP

IME people give the 'proper' name and shorten it if they like the 'proper' name and the diminutive.

People use the shortened version of the name if they don't like the longer, more formal version and only like the shortened version.

People who worry about needing a more formal name as well as the short name (ie. Millie) that they have bestowed on their child, give their child a longer more formal middle name.

People who couldnt' give a flying f*ck, just name their baby what they want to name their baby and can't understand what prompts people to ask these inane perceptive questions in the first place ...

[Tortington]

i have a joseph and a jacob and they get shortened to Joe and Jake.

for a time - and to amuse myself, when friends called ans asked for "joe" i would say " there is no one by that name livin here!"

[Elkat]

I always intended to give my child a full length name and a shortened version option because it then gives the child flexibility to do what they like with their name. My full name is full on 1970's kitsch - tacky to the nth degree (although my mother insists it wasn't when she chose it!). But it really doesn't go with my professional job. So I use a pet name - one that is much nicer!

I think you may give your child a name, but you're not the one who has to live with it, and you don't know what connotations may be given to a name after you have chosen it - names that might not have been chavvy when you chose it, seem to get connected to something ad then that name is ruined forever. Whatsmore, if your child has a name they just hate, its not fun. If that child is able to adapt it (by using a pet name) then its more likely that they will find a name that suits them and one that they are happy with. For this reason, I purposely chose a name that had lots of variations, so my daughters could find their own names that suit them as they grow up. This bit, I might get flamed for - but I actually think it kind of selfish to choose a name with the express purpose that it cannot be shortened at all (not just choosing a name that happens to be short, but going out of your way to find a name that cannot be shortened) because whilst you may not want other people to shorten your child's name, I think it shows a lack of respect for the child who has to live with your choices - if you've chosen a name and your child hates his/her name and it can't be given a pet name, then in my view that's a bit rough on the kid who has got to live with his / her horrible name for the rest of his or her life. Lets face it, you choose it but you don't have to live with it - as I keep pointing out to my mother!

But then maybe I have put more thought into this point because I have got a chavtastic name that makes me cringe every time I hear it!

[beckystaffs]

My dd1 is called Maddison (spelt with two ss as she is not named after Madison Sqaure Gardens.
We fuly intended to shorten this to Maddie as a pet name, but she is now known as Mads (can't remember who first called her this though) as this suits her better.
My dd2 is Meredith, when i first told my friends they all went "hmmmmm" as politeley as possible. She is shortened to Merry- which really suits her (although people assume its Mary, or that she has a Christmas birthday.) I don't think Merry is suitable for a grown woman [apologies to any MN's how are called this] and think sh might adopt full name again when she is older.
I think it's nice to have a grown up version and a family version

[Flibbertyjibbet]

Sorry, your dd is called maDDison with two ss?

(Pedant alert!!)

Meredith is nice name tho'.

[theboob]

my ds2 is called joseph john ,when i was pg ds1 named him JJ and it has stuck he can pick how he wants to say his name when he is older,ds1 is called cameron all his friends call him cam,dd is called olivia her friends call her liv,kids always shorten names one boy in ds2 class from sir lanka is called pinidu and he gets called pin

[theboob]

my ds2 is called joseph john ,when i was pg ds1 named him JJ and it has stuck he can pick how he wants to say his name when he is older,ds1 is called cameron all his friends call him cam,dd is called olivia her friends call her liv,kids always shorten names one boy in ds2 class from sir lanka is called pinidu and he gets called pin

[theboob]

my ds2 is called joseph john ,when i was pg ds1 named him JJ and it has stuck he can pick how he wants to say his name when he is older,ds1 is called cameron all his friends call him cam,dd is called olivia her friends call her liv,kids always shorten names one boy in ds2 class from sir lanka is called pinidu and he gets called pin

[theboob]

i really dont know how that came up three times