Thoughts on the inevitability of nicknames, esp for longer names?

[DorotheaPlenticlew]

One of our shortlist names is Penelope, which DP and I both like (so nobody tell me it is shit please, that is not what I'm asking ).

DP likes the nn Penny, but I can't seem to warm to it. Not super-keen on any of the other nns I can think of for the name, either. Should I therefore abandon Penelope on grounds that she will inevitably end up called Penny?

I am pretty sure that the answer is yes, and DP definitely thinks that if I can't learn to love Penny we shouldn't take the risk.

However, I do know some people with long names who don't shorten them and never have, and won't hear of it (one of them is called Evangeline, as posted on another current thread, which is what made me think of asking this).

Any thoughts?

I think that if you really don't want her to be known as Penny, you will have to avoid Penelope (which is a shame as it's a lovely name). We almost called DC4 Antonia but didn't in the end as we don't like Toni.

I like Penny, but if you really don't, you'd best have a rethink. It sounds terribly stuffy to always have to enunciate more than two syllables, so you may as well pick a name that you also like the shortened version of.

Well I don't agree there at all BoF (or I really couldn't care less if people think I'm stuffy, and I certainly don't think that dd's friend Elisabeth or ds's friend Katia are stuffy just because they don't use Lizzie or Katie). But I think the more pertinent thing is that the OP's dh likes Penny, so he might well call her that (even if not particularly intentionally, short versions of names sometimes just creep up on you).

You never know, your DD might invent a really sweet nn for herself (very likely with a long name like Penelope) and it will be irresistible.