Matilda - will it be shortened?

[Whatisgoingoff2024]

I love the name Matilda and we are expecting DD next month. I don’t like the shortened version of “Tillie/Tily” but my husband says it’s inevitable it will be shortened.

For those of you with a Matilda, what do you call her??

I know/have known Matilda's go by Tilda, Matty, Tilly and 'I prefer Matilda'!

Matty/ie or Matilda

You can insist on the full name but she might prefer Tilly or Tilda.

I know a Tilda. It’s quite nice and she suits it

Some people will always find a way to shorten a name. The only thing you can do is call your daughter by her given name when she is with you. I think with Matilda it will be inevitable that it will get shorten to Tilly or Matty.

I agree with @HugoThatway you can insist to friends/family you would like her to be called her full name when younger but at the end of the day nicknames can be inevitable. Maybe she’ll like being called Tilly, maybe not.

I think Matilda is a great name. If you call your child Matilda that will stick until possibly the teen years where they might prefer a shortened version. By then, it’s really their choice so you have to accept it.

It’s a name that has quite a few shortened forms so you might be able to push for the one you prefer.

I know children who have single syllable names and they invariably get lengthened!

It’s a name that has quite a few shortened forms so you might be able to push for the one you prefer.
Don't do this unless you want that short form.

There's no harm in saying 'This is Matilda, we're not shortening it.'

DS has a Matilda in his class who goes by the full name.

I have. Matilda. It was shortened until she was about 8 when she decided that she wanted to be Matilda, so she is Matilda and no one shortens it. They might as she gets older but she can decide then if she minds.

My husbands cousin just had a Matilda. I really hope they shorten it to Mattie because Matilda is awful and Tilly is worse.

The two women called Matilda that I know - totally separate circles, don't know each other - go by Millie.

One wanted to be Tilly but it never stuck.

So rude. It's a lovely name.

Even if you don't think so, it can be personal preference rather than awful 🙄

@HollyGolightly4 , that user is rude on a lot of threads.

I think Matilda is quite dreadful, but Matty is very cool.

If you don’t like Tilly then don’t use the name.

Parents choose their children’s names but they don’t own them.

You might not like “Tilly” but what if your DD does?

And it will be her name, not yours.

Only choose a name for your child if you like all the common diminutives.

We’ve got a Matilda. Affectionate known as Tilda or tilz, NOT Tilly

Will definitely be shortened to Tilly.

Hmm tough one OP. We have a Natasha and everyone calls her Tash/Tasha which I don’t like. Could be similar for your Matilda unfortunately. People can’t seem to cope with 3 syllables which is a shame.

Also, we have a cat called Matilda! Lovely name imo. She gets called Matsy though. And also Matsarella!

Don’t use a name if you can’t live with the obvious / most common diminutives. Remember that your squishy little baby will, in a few years, develop some very firm ideas of what they want to be called and they have an uncanny knack for gravitating towards the diminutive that you hate the most.

As her parents you can choose to exclusively call her Matilda. But don't be those parents who get antsy if they hear a pal or an auntie call her Tilly.

I love the nickname Mattie!

The only Matilda I know goes by Tilda

My DC (grown up) have friendship groups comprising: Eleanor, Matilda, Emily, Amelia, Annabel/Isabel/Christabel/Mirabel. They are known as: Ellie, Tilly, Milly, and Bella, and then there are the Mollies and Hollies.

Matilda will be shortened and parents will have no agency over it or how it was shortened. My DS would have had more chance as a chocolate teapot than being called Eddy. He was called Eddy aged 5. It stuck!

Our daughter is Mathilde and mainly gets called Tilde or Tula. When she was born our son tried to say her name and could only say Tuladude for several months, so we call her that too!