Can you give a baby an unshortenable 3-syllable name?

[mrsrawlinson]

I really love Juliet but I'm not sure it'll work while the baby's little. Same goes for Beatrice. The alternative is Anna, which I also love but am having doubts over whether it isn't a bit dull.

All two-pence-worths welcome!

You can shorten both of those! I know a Ju and a Jools and a Bea. Beatrice is my fave, by the way, I love it. Not sure about Juliet - the only one I know got horribly teased at school.

In what way are these names unshortenable? Juliet could be Jules, Julie, Ettie. Beatrice could be Bea, Trixy.

Or do you mean you want a name that cannot be shortened?

Oh, sorry - if you meant unshortenable as in you wouldn't shorten it, you have to be prepared for the fact that everyone else probably will!

i love juliet (ettie) and beatrice (bea) really lovely names.
x

Juliet is nice but I much prefer Julia.

I wouldn't get hung up on shortened versions - just call your baby what you want.

Gosh, none of those shortenings had even occurred to me! I can't say any of them are especially appealing, and you're right, people will do it in any case. Has anyone successfully stopped this happening?

Is Anna dull, then? Or am I ridiculously over-thinking this?!

Even if you stop family from shortening them, you'll have no hope with her friends. My Dad had a work collegue called Ian who was shortend to I (pronounced Ee). You would have thought that you were safe with just three letters, wouldn't you?

You can't stop people shortening names I'm afraid. You can ask people not to but once children are at school, it will happen anyway (DP has his name regularly shortened evne though he asks people not to and it has always happened, people at nursery -children mainly - are already shortening DD1's name). Unavoidable I'm afraid.

No, Anna is lovely. all 3 are pretty. If you give them a long name it gets shortened, and a very short name often gets lengthened ime

As a family you can refuse to shorten, and like my DH, your DC can ask to be called by their full name, but growing up their friends will always shorten, that's why we chose names that can be shortened a few different ways, so they can pick which one they prefer.

What about Annabel? I love that name.

As Debi said, if you pick a short name it will get lengthened, or have an "y" added on the end.

Anyway, DC may have a nickname or something completely different, my bro is called "Dunge" after the dungeon master in Dungeons and Dragons, and "Stump" because he is short, neither of which have any bearing on his own name at all.

Anna is beautiful and not dull at all! It was what DS2 was going to be called, but for obvious reasons we didn't use it!

Can't win really, can we?!

You may as well just pick a name you like. Once they have it you have no control, except for what you call them. I am the only person to call my eldest by his full name-friends shorten it 2 different ways. The middle one has a name that you can't shorten so his friends use his surname! He likes it so there is nothing you can do. DS3 is called a variety of short forms, but always the full name by family (except brothers). I also know someone who called their DS Ian to avoid it and he was known as E at school. You can't win so don't even try!

Probably best, Cece!

Alia

LOL. DS2 actually got a single syllable name which is now lengthened

DS1 has a 3 syllable name that we shorten

DD has a 2 syllable name that tends not to be changed (well not much)

Well i have a Beatrice - it's a lovely name and you can't have it so naaaaaaaaaarrrrrh!

Actually she is nearly always 'Bea'

If you want one that can't be shortened you can have dd1's name - Miranda

I'll chuck dd2's in for good measure but this can (and is ) shortened - Rosalind known as Rossy

I thought DD's name, Amber, couldn't be shortened - I was wrong. She is currently generally known to her friends as Bam, which was arrived at via Bambi...

I think Anna is the one least likely to end up being shortened by friends. Personally I'd be quite upset if a beautiful name like Juliette got shortened to Julie or, worse, Jules.