Changing a NN question - Abby
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| Tue, 07-04-2006 - 9:58pm |
I posted this on the other board, but thought I'd post it here too to get more input. I hope that's ok.
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I posted below in the beginning a trend discussion. If you didn't read my post it's at http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=iv-psbabynames&msg=32154.14
My 9 year old DD is Abigail, nn Abby. There are about 200 kids in her grade and only one other Abigail/Abby. The problem is that she and the other Abby have been in the same class since preschool. Yesterday my Abby found out that they will be together again in 3rd grade. My DD decided that she no longer wants to be "Abby Z".
So last night at dinner we tried to brainstorm other names for her. She doesn't want to go by Abigail because when people call her that she thinks she's in trouble (LOL). She doesn't want to go by Lillian or Lily because she went through a phase of naming all of her dolls that. We thought of the initials "AL" or "AZ" but she doesn't like the way that they sound.
Then I remembered something. In 2nd grade I decided to name a daughter Abigail after I did a report on Abigail Adams. While doing that report (almost 40 years ago) I found out that John and Abigail Adams had a daughter who was named Abigail, but everyone called her "Nabby." I googled it just to make sure my memory was right (I am getting up there in age) and I was right. So I asked Abby what she thought of the NN "Nabby." She loves it.
My niece is a Katherine who had always been a Katie. When she entered HS she changed her name to Kate and had no problems. Would it be so easy to change an Abby to a Nabby? How confusing is that? Will she spend all of her time explaining to people why her name is Nabby? How weird of a NN is it? Do you think it's a strange thing to do? If so, can you think of another NN for an Abigail Lillian Z? TIA.
edited to add: Last night when I googled it I did "Nabby Adams". I just did another search of just "Nabby." It turned up a lot about Abigail/Nabby Adams Smith, but also a bunch of geneology. It seems that Nabby was a name used in the 1700s, many times as a NN for Abigail. So it wasn't just a name made up by John and Abigail Adams.

I don't think it would be too hard for her to change her nn at this point, especially since she's doing so to differentiate herself from another Abigail/Abby in her class (people would get it, KWIM?).
This was actually the exact compromise my dh and I recently thought of when naming our now-two-month-old dd Abigail. I know the name has become quite popular, and didn't want her to be one of many Abigail/Abbys in her class, so we use the less-common nn Aila (pron. just like Ayla) from the end of the name (abigAIL) rather than Abby from the beginning.
I can't help but think of the word "nappy" (as in a diaper or describing hair) when I hear/see Nabby, so that one's not my favorite nn alternative, but really all that matters is that your daughter likes it. It will be her name, after all. ;)
Good luck to her!
HTH
~Kelli
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I went through all of elementry school being Rikki and when I went into 9th grade I started going by Dawn. It wasn't an issue with teachers, etc. But my family and friend still call me Rikki simply because its a habit. So I doubt it will be an issue some of her friends may still call her Abby but atleast she won't be Abby Z.
Dawn
Have to agree with Kelli, I thought of nappy (like the diaper) when I read Nabby. It doesn't mean its a bad thing though. I understand she wants to be different with her name, so if she is alright with it, than try it out.
Theresa
I do not believe that changing a nickname is a problem at all. Nabby would not be my first (or 15th) choice, but it's not my choice to make. I agree with the Nappy comments posted earlier. Nabby also reminds me of a name a child would call his or her Grandmother. I prefer Gail as an alternate nn for Abigail.
What is Abby's middle name? Perhaps she could go by a double moniker. For instance, if her name is Abigail Rose, perhaps she could use the nn Abby Rose.
ETA: I see that Abby's middle name is Lillian and she doesnt want to go by that, so scratch my suggestion above on using the middle name. Lian (pronounced LeeAnn) might be a nice nn from Lillian though).
Edited 7/5/2006 10:03 am ET by creal01
I had another one come to mind - Baila (pronounced 'bale-uh', NOT 'bay-luh').
Terra.
Well, if your DD likes it go for it, but Nabby reminds me of "nabbing" like to take or steal. It *may* be hard to get some of Abby's classmates and possibly her teacher to rmemeber, but I'm sure her friends will call her whatever she'd like. Have you thought of Gail or Bebe (from the end of Abby). Or I like the other poster that has a dd nn Aila ??
If your dd loves it, it should be just fine.
Karen