Problem with name shortenings

[Namingbabygirl2]

I am due in a few months with baby number 2 , and it's a girl! Will be a little sister to Lucy.

I have a few contenders but I despair settling on one as I don't like their shortenings. Before you think what a grinch, I am French and I believe this is very much a UK/France cultural difference.
In France, we do not typically shorten names, so I dislike name shortenings in general - that's why I picked Lucy as a name for my first daughter (even if to my horror MIL and FIL started calling her Luce!):

• Francesca: LOVE LOVE this name but I really dislike the shortenings - Fran, Franny, Frankie, Cesca, I like none of them. Is it madness to pick this name and ask family not to shorten it? Is every Francesca known as a shortened version?
• Juliet: same hiccup here, love the name but dislike Jules
• Isabella: Does this name get shortened? If so, what is the usual shortening?
• Alexandra: ...same, don't like Alex much.
• Elsa: would people wonder if I am a fan of Frozen (and the answer is yes after watching it 100 times with my daughter, but I just really like the name and it was suggested out of the blue by DH).
• Anna: no shortening (yay!) but a bit...common? We have a common last name

It is a minefield! And I feel like my dislike of shortenings is eliminating so many lovely names.

Please help me find a name I like the shortening of, or that doesn't get shortened ever? What's your favourite from the list?

PS: When speaking of shortenings, I mean a name that is routinely known as its shortening - e.g Matt for Matthew or Alex for Alexandra. Massive cultural difference and really difficult to navigate when trying to find a name.

Thanks!

I think if you really don't like the short version you shouldn't pick it. I've got a long name that I don't shorten, and if other people do then I say that isn't my name.

But, that's only going to be up to you for a few years! Then it will be up to your child. They might love being called Alex.

Francesca: Fran, Franny, Frankie, Cesca, Chessie
Juliet: - Jules, also JOOL-i-et/Julie-ET
Isabella: Izzy, Issy, Bella, Ella
Alexandra: .- Alex,Lexi, Alexa, Sandra, Sandy, Sasha
Elsa: Let it go
Anna: Annie, Annabel, Ann

Anna's the safest one. Use Francesca as a middle name

I don’t think shortenings are in any way inevitable. The adult Juliets and Alexandras I know don’t use short forms. However, that’s not something you can police — if your little Anna starts wanting her friends to call her ‘Nan’ (one adult Anna I know goes by this), then that’s her call, surely?

Laughing at your shortening-proof name Lucy turning into Luce

Isabella often gets shortened to Iz, Izzy, Belle, Bella. Far too many options or this one to be a goer for you. I'd avoid.

I think Elsa and Lucy go well together. The Frozen mania has died down a good bit and it is a gorgeous name. More so than Anna in my opinion.

But it's impossible to guarantee a name will remain un-nicknamed, so you may just have to let go of some of that angst. Just tell yourself that you and your husband will always call her by her full name but others shortening it is something that will largely be outside of your control. And it's a sign of affection.

Anna isn't all that popular (#82 in England & Wales 2021) but is a name that seems to be always in use, so Anna Commonsurname won't be unique.

OK so I don't dislike the Isabella shortenings esp Izzy, Belle, Bella. That's actually amazing to see shortenings I like!

As for angst of shortenings I think I have to learn that it is a thing here and let it go no pun intended. Oh and she will pick of course whatever name she fancies in whatever form she prefers.

But if I can I would prefer to stay away from the VERY routinely shortened one - I think Francesca is one of them. Had a shock the other day when I learnt that friends I had for years were not actually named Ben, Ness and Joe but Benjaming, Vanessa and Jonathan!

and yes @ArsenicInTheAppleTart couldn't believe it when I heard it, I didn't even think it was possible! Luce!! 😅

Isabella will definitely get shortened to Izzy. Of your choices I think Anna and Elsa are the most shortening-proof, and I think Anna with a common surname is completely fine. It’s no more common than Lucy, and a bit of anonymity in the internet age is no bad thing.

And I guess what I'm trying to say is I love nicknames (DH and I are calling Lucy Lucy Lou), but she would never go to someone and say 'hi my name is Lucy Lou' if that makes sense. Which I find is such a shame for beautiful names such as Francesca, if someone goes on in life only using their shortened version and others too. 'Hi I'm Fran' has less cachet than 'Hi I'm Francesca' IMO. Rant against shortenings over, very much a cultural difference!

It's not inevitable. I know an Alexandra and a Victoria that are just those - no shortenings. If anyone tried to, they both politely advise it's long version only.

Most names can and will be shortened, and it is only your choice for a very short time. Eventually your child will start to choose for themselves.

My rule of thumb was to pick names where I was OK with most of the long and short versions, perhaps you are doing that. Otherwise, you could end up doing as my parents did. They wasted many years trying to forbid my sister from being known by the main shortened version of her name, even pulling her friends up publicly or on the phone, which was hugely embarrassing in her teenage years.

I have a Lucy. She is frequently called Luce (amongst other things), including by us. I actually have three daughters, all known by various forms of their given names, and it is they who generally choose, especially as they are all in their twenties now.

I like all of the names you have listed, and would be fine with most of the shortenings too. I've heard far worse suggested. Perhaps Isabella is the one for you because you seem happiest with its shortenings.

How about Ailsa?

In 2023 it might be an advantage to have a common name because it would be harder to find a specific Anna Jones when you Google. If she has an unusual surname then she may come up very high on Google.

I agree to some extent @BoohooWoohoo . I have a name combination that is unique so a quick search will find me and I'd prefer to have a bit more privacy.

I was given the shortest name on the planet by late parents for this very reason. I also disapprove of shortening names,or making them nicknames. I have a cousin (Isabella) saw her a couple of weeks ago, she was furious because someone dared to call her "Belle"....she's 97!

I work with a Francesca. I once called her Fran., she put me in my place immediately. She's in her 30s and definitely a Francesca.

Elsa & Lucy or Anna & Lucy will be your best bet here.

Isabella will get Izzie/Belle/Bella/Iz, most likely Izzie or Bella.

Isabella has a number of abbreviations - Izzy and Bella would be the most popular, though I know a 'Bizzy' too.

I think Elsa or Anna would be perfect.
There are people who would try Ellie or Elsie with Elsa, or maybe turn Anna into Annie. There is also 'Anna Banana'... But those nicknames would be a bit of a stretch.

Suggestions:
Iris
Ivy
Maeve
Eden
Hollie
Nancy
Sadie
Greta
Claire
Hannah
Frida
Marie
Stella
Marina
Mila
Lauren
Maris
Erin
Nora
Martha
Maude
Celine
Esme
Anya
Carly
Kay
Sienna
Joy
Erica
Margot
Noelle
Isla
Ava
Cara
Cora
Vera

Isabella always gets shortened in my experience. The 3 Isabellas that DD knows go by Izzy, Ella & Bella!

Elsa is lovely but the Frozen connotations would put me off. I really like Anna - it’s simple but nice and timeless.

I think that pretty much any name can be shortened - there’s no real way around it! Obviously there are the more obvious ones though (like Isabella). Your best bet is to choose something not easily shortened and hope for the best, but in reality it’s going to be unavoidable especially when she’s older and in school.

How about:
Celeste
Darcey
Elise
Beatrice
Maeve
Lara
Eva
Amelie
Sasha
Clara

My sister is called Lucy and she's always been "Lu".

I think Elsa might be your best bet, although she will still, I promise, get "Els"! Anna is very boring.

Yanbu for hating shortenings. It's definitely cultural.

One of my in laws is called Lucy and they call her Luce - let's be honest though, one hears that as Loose. Not a nice label for a girl!

In fact all the names, going back generations, in my dh's family have been shortened to the first syllable rather than the standard nickname, to what I would describe as troll names eg Margaret to Marg rather than Meg. Sylvia to Sill. Even Adam to "Add". Who needs to shorten Adam, it's so short already!

So my main stipulation for dd's name was a 1-syllable name that couldn't be butchered in this way!

For ds, due soon, I've chosen a 2 syllable name but I won't get worked up if they shorten it to the first syllable (which they will).

In my mum's mother tongue, names are never shortened, only lengthened for affection. Like Jane to Janey (but the equivalent in her language). I way prefer that

Zara
Laura
Lara
Claire

Are not often or obviously shortened

For example, from this list, my in laws would shorten to

Celeste to Sell
Darcey to Darce (rhymes with Arse)
Clara to Clarr
Elise to Ell
Etc.

Troll names.

The only safe one on the list I'm quoting, for folks like my in laws, would be Beatrice to Bea

I have a Scarlett her name has never been shortened by anyone, that includes her friends at school (y5). I have four other children and all their names get shortened by everyone.

In certain fields, such as academia, name recognition is very desirable as your professional reputation is linked to your publications.