Mary or Elizabeth - dull or bound to be nicknamed?

[peonyraspberry]

Stuck between Mary and Elizabeth, I’ve been told by a friend Mary is dull and Elizabeth is bound to be Lizzie/Libby/Eliza etc.

I don’t like many of the nicknames both conventional and unconventional for Elizabeth, I don’t mind Elspeth, Birdie, Lily and Lizzie but the rest I’m not fond of at all.

I do like Mary but I’m wondering if it’s a bit on the nose coming from a Catholic family in Ireland and potentially being seen as dull.

Middle for Mary would be Elizabeth and vice versa.

I have known several Elizabeths and they have all been know as Liz.

Completely agree about that!

I like Mary and there are very few young Mary's around

Mary is ready for a comeback. I taught for 36 years and only ever taught one Mary in all that time.

I love my name and have always insisted on the full four syllables. This has never been an issue. It's a beautiful name with no need to shorten it to one of its many diminutives.

My mum was an Elizabeth Mary and I think I slightly prefer it that way round, but for a reason you might not agree with. Elizabeth has so many great shortenings while Mary has very few! But I think they are both attractive names in themselves.

While she is very young, an Elizabeth will be called whatever you tell people she is called, even if that's Elizabeth in full. When she's older, she may wish to be called by a short form, and it might not necessarily be one of the ones you like best. Only you can decide whether that's a deal breaker for you, but I would strongly advise against actively forbidding the use of any version, unless you want her to resent your interference. He name, her choice.

I can't see the connection between Birdie and Elizabeth - to me that's a nickname (which could be used with any real name) rather than a short form.

Beautiful names.
And when you start school, no matter what your name, friends often call you something else!

Mary is very underused so I'd go for that - it's a classic. It doesn't matter if your friend thinks it's dull, it's not her baby and she is just one person.

Elizabeth is much more popular, and while I know a few who are just Elizabeth the chances are pretty high she'll opt for some shortform or another. It's possible Mary will end up Molly or Maisie or May, but it's a lot less likely.

Mary is a gorgeous name and under used.

Mary Eliza
Mary Elizabeth

Elizabeth is lovely. I almost had it as a middle name except my grandmother went one about how it honoured her sister who's middle name was Elizabeth, so my mum in her dislike of said Aunt chose bloody Louise instead 😩spot the 80's baby!

Mine goes by Betsy. It suits her and she has lots of other options for when she’s older.

They are both lovely names. Mary sounds fresh to me as it is so rarely used for little ones. Mary is also less likely to be given a nickname, but if you want one Mair, Maisie, Polly and Molly are all good.

Both beautiful classic names. I wouldn’t consider them dull at all. I’d personally go with Mary it was on my girls list but DH vetoed it. Mary Kate was actually another name I loved.

I’ve got a long name & had a good time when I was younger trying out a range of diminutives (one for school, one at university, one for a specific group of friends) before going back to using the whole thing as an adult. My parents didn’t like me shortening it but it was my name, after all.

I always stayed well away from any version that might be described as ‘sweet’ or ‘cute’. I looked young for my age as it was & didn’t need that on top of it.

You could also try and get ahead of the crowd by picking one and using it yourself. Elizabeth known as Betsy for short is probably more likely to remain Betsy than she is to become Lizzie.

Although I'd only use a name like Elizabeth if I were ok with all the commonest shortened versions, because there's still always got to be a fair chance she's going to become Beth.

You can't go wrong with classic, sensible names - both lovely choices

I don't think the name needs to excite you. Ideally you want something that you are happy with that you won't regret choosing.

I agree with @NikkiPotnick ,get ahead of the applying diminutives by picking one. This is what happened when Chas & Di had their PFB, it was announced that he was to be 'Wills'.
The downside with using a diminutive is that it can stick.

Forgot to clear the quote

This is what happened when Chas & Di had their PFB, it was announced that he was to be 'Wills'.

I don't recall that. I do remember them saying that Prince Henry was to be known as Harry.

And they used to call each other Willy and Harold. So even among close family you can't control what shortenings or nicknames are used.

With nicknames you can either choose one as a family then most likely they will stick to that or just use the full name but realise that your child may adopt one themselves. I have a long name and it is rarely shortened, only my dh really because I used a shortening on the dating website!

@HonoriaBulstrode It was over 43 yrs ago and I think that Chas said it fairly informally in an interview, whereas with Harry, he was announced as 'Henry ..., to be known as Harry'.

I think it was to avoid tabloid nicknames like Willy, Billy, Bill etc.
i can't remember if Charlotte's parents did the same, but she tends to be 'Lottie' in headlines.

Mary!! So not used. Wish I had a girl :) :) Mary on list x

I used to know an Elizabeth who was called Liz at school but changed it to Libby when she left school. I think Libby is a great diminutive.

I LOVE the name Elizabeth. We have one in the family whose name is never shortened. Every time I hear her called Elizabeth by her teacher or friends I think what a beautiful name it is. I think Elizabeth is timeless whereas Mary is a little old fashioned. Old fashioned can be great of course but going forward, I’m just not sure about Mary. It seems a bit 60s to me. But hey, reading the other comments Mary is a popular choice so …..it’s a tough one!

I’m just not sure about Mary. It seems a bit 60s to me.
It was starting to fall in popularity in the 1960s, Marie was getting popular.
I only know one Mary who'd have been born in the 60s.

Both very dull