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Original poster

Tabitha and potential nicknames

33 replies

persephoneplum · 14/10/2009 10:32

Tabitha has been in my top five for a few years now, and now that Octavia and Freya are a little out of favour with me right now, Tabitha has made its way to the top again.

My problem with Tabitha is the lack of appealing nicknames. Whilst I'm not sure it really needs a nickname, it's nice to have a few in mind, just in case

I don't like Tabby or Abi at all, and was thinking of the following ones. Can you add any more? I guess I like the more 'hipsterish' names, if I had to pick a category.

Bea - (pr. 'bay') my dear long-departed nana's nickname.

Bibi - really not sure about this one, but cute for a baby nickname.

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BigusBumus · 14/10/2009 10:36

Why don't you like Tabby? I love that name.

Bibi is ind of cute and would make a good funky teen/adult name too.

But why shorten Tabitha at all? Its best as it is! (Its my cat's name )

GrimmaTheNome · 14/10/2009 10:40

She's almost bound to get called Tabby by her friends. Or Puss. Or Tabs (which mightn't be too bad)

Original poster
persephoneplum · 14/10/2009 10:42

I seem to have a thing for cat names. My first son is Felix!

It doesn't bother me at all, having two 'catty' names in the family - it's not like calling someone Fido.

I don't know about Tabby. In a complete aboutface about the cat thing, it's just what we call the local tabby tom cat who roams around getting females pregnant. I guess it's not an overly positive association.

And I do agree about not shortening it at all

OP posts:
overmydeadbody · 14/10/2009 10:44

Tabs and Tibby are nice nicknames

CantSleepWontSleep · 14/10/2009 10:46

I am mostly known by my full name, but when shortened it is usually to Tabs.

colditz · 14/10/2009 10:48

Everyone will call her Tabby whether you like it or not

CantSleepWontSleep · 14/10/2009 10:51

No they won't Colditz! Mine has never been shortened to Tabby.

thesockmonsterofdoom · 14/10/2009 10:52

I have a Tabitha, she is mainly Tabi or Tabs, her middle name is Jasmine so she is often Tabi Jaz.

MrsBadger · 14/10/2009 10:52

All the Tabithas I know are Tabs

I think it is fine so long as your surname isn;t Catt - actually wasn;t there a novel about a family called Catte - father Maximilian and children Thomas and Tabitha, known as Manx Catte, Tom Catte and Tabby Catte...

[drifts off into nostalgia]

PixiNanny · 14/10/2009 11:07

I think of Tabitha as a cat-name. I'd probably call somebody with the name Tabatha Kitty (in fact I do know a Tabatha who calls herself Kit/Kitty haha) or something, it just fits for me (hope you're not offended, I don't mean to be!)

DamonBradleylovesPippi · 14/10/2009 11:09

Tabitha was one of my favourite names for dd1, shame dh didn't agree.

MrsBadger · 14/10/2009 11:13

actually when the Tabitha in that book goes off to boarding school she ditches Tabby as a nickname and is known as Kitty, which she much prefers...

GreatGooglyMoogly · 14/10/2009 11:13

Bitty?

Tillyscoutsmum · 14/10/2009 11:15

The only one I know of is Tabs or Tabsy

I think Bea (pr. Bee rather than Bay) might work. Bibi ok for very young child

Vronsky · 14/10/2009 11:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

ThePrettiestStar · 14/10/2009 11:42

My DD is Tabitha, she's only six months and it already gets shortened to Tabby (most of the time) and Tab.

I don't mind either. Any name will be shortened sometime/somehow.

Just out of interest (nosiness!), those of you with a Tabitha... do you have other children and what are their names?

Original poster
persephoneplum · 14/10/2009 11:46

Oh my god!

Kit and Kitty are just PERFECT! I have been making a list for ages of full names which could be shortened to Kit, and whilst I do prefer Kit on a boy, if my next and final child is a girl, then I'd love to use it in some way.

Thank you so much - those would never had occurred to me without you guys. That's the one

Tabba and Bea (pr. Bee) are mighty cute too.

OP posts:
mrswoolf · 14/10/2009 12:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PixiNanny · 14/10/2009 12:33

persephoneplum: do you have a thing about cats by any chance?

Curious though, I know Kitty is a nickname for Tabitha, but why? How did that one start? (reminds me of the Richard/Dick thing )

ThePrettiestStar · 14/10/2009 12:46

What really gets me is that where I live most of the people call her Tab ita instead of Tabitha. Drives me absolutely barmy. I think this is why I just don't care if they shorten her name to Tab. Easier on my nerves.

Tabba is cute, not sure I could get away with kitty.

mrswoolf you have to explain woo now - it's a really sweet NN.

Kingsroadie · 15/10/2009 17:07

I would automatically call her Tab if shortening, and that is what I have heard others called - and also in Jilly Cooper - . I really like it - again - same with Octavia. Just as an aside, we're not really considering it as "Tab" is a nickname given to someone who went to/is at Cambridge by the Oxford goers - my husband being one of the latter, and therefore not overly amenable to it. Silly I know but I suppose reasons for choosing or not choosing certain names are often a little silly!

biscuitbear · 15/10/2009 18:58

If you like bibi as a nn how about Biba. I thought about Biba and Tabitha for dd2.

Horton · 19/10/2009 13:33

I have a Tabitha who is Tabs, Tabsy, Tab, Topsy and Tibby at various times. I mainly call her Tabitha, though. I don't have any other children yet (no 2 is due in June).

Can you remember the name of that Catte book, MrsBadger? It rings a bell for me and googling is getting me nowhere!

killmeplease · 29/08/2016 15:17

TABATHTUB

(ta-bath-tub)

user1471501988 · 29/08/2016 16:23

How about 'T', nothing to dislike about that.