Antonia - is Toni inevitable?

[Rolf]

I love the name Antonia but don't like Toni. Is that a deal breaker? Is it inevitable that people will call her Toni? Or that she'd end up calling herself Toni?

I'm sure Antonia Fraser doesn't have this problem but we don't really mix in the same circles .

I'm 37 weeks with my 4th and DH and I are nowhere near finding a name that we like. I've suggested lots but he hates them all and doesn't have any alternatives. So I'm not thinking very rationally about it!

Every Antonia I have knowm (well that's 3) has got called Toni whether they liked it or not. Seems to be the default abbreviation. I have never asked anyone to call me Al or Ali (short for Alice) but they all do. I don't mind, quite like it, but I am just trying to make the point that obvious or established abbreviations tend to crop up anyway.

That's my worry. My DS is called Thomas and he's hardly ever called Tom. If people refer to him as Tom I tell them (nicely!) that he's not Tom but Thomas.

Florence, Alice and Amy don't lend themselves quite so obviously to uninvited abbreviations, do they? And yes, HC, I've liked the name Florence for ages

ds used to tell people off when they shortened dd's name . i am (slowly) coming round to flo, but she can decide herself when she's older.

I am a Toni but not an Antonia. Would it be so bad for it to be shortened??

It definately will be shortened because that is what kids do and adults are no different.

if you prefer annie or tonia could you encourage that nickname so when she goes to school people use that instead of assuming it is toni?