Do/will your children have nicknames?

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2003
Do/will your children have nicknames?
26
Tue, 01-23-2007 - 2:11pm

Do/will your children have nicknames?



  • Yes, I love nicknames
  • Yes, but only with family/friends/other specific group
  • Yes, but I don't like it
  • No, I don't like nicknames
  • No, my child has a name that can't be "nicknamed"
  • Please feel free to add comments/share your children's names, etc :o)


You will be able to change your vote.


iVillage Member
Registered: 10-24-2005
Thu, 01-25-2007 - 12:11am

My name is Laura...no nn potential, my DH is Brett...again no nn potential, and we named our daughter Audrey...no real nn potential there either. I don't particularly feel the need for nn, or like nn. I am of the mindset...if you like the name Elle, then name her Elle, not Eleanor, etc.

People on this board can say whatever they want about "professional names" or "grown up" names. But in my personal experience, people with nn, have never resorted back to their given full name. My mom goes by Cathy, not Catherine. My dad went by Charlie, never Charles. My brother goes by Dave/Davey, never David. My great grandmother always has been Catherine, never shortened.

So I don't really see the point of nicknames. A name is a name is a name in my book.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2005
Thu, 01-25-2007 - 12:31am

<<>>

Wow ... your comment really got me thinking. Maybe it's just a regional thing, but pretty much everyone I know that's gone by a nn either abandons it as an adult (or only close family and friends continue to use it) or at the very least doesn't carry it over into their professional life.

My mother is simply Cindy to her family and many friends, but always Cynthia at work. My father also goes by his full name, Richard, in his job as county manager (although his friends call him Rich and to his mom he was and always will be Richie LOL). My brother's given name is Stephen, but we've called him Stevie since he was born. Now that he's older and about to become a practicing psychologist, however, he seems much too grown up to be called Stevie, so Steve or Stephen it is. I'm sure they're glad they have the options of using a more formal name, rather than always having to be Cindy, Rich -- or worse, Richie -- and Stevie for the rest of their lives. ;)

I'm not arguing with you, btw ... those are quite a bit different than Elle vs. Eleanor, since obviously both are valid stand-alone names. It was just interesting that I've never really thought about how many people around me once went exclusively by childish nns, and have now reverted back to the more mature versions. Almost every Billy, Jimmy and Liz (among other common nn names) I've ever known is now William, James and Elizabeth (or uses some other more "adult" nn, like Bill rather than Billy).


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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-24-2005
Thu, 01-25-2007 - 1:49pm

Interesting...I am sitting here trying to think of someone who has reverted back to their full name...and can only come up with one person that I know of...and I haven't spoken with him in years, so I don't know if it stuck. We knew him as Andy for ever, and when he graduated college, he wanted to go by Andrew. But, like I said, not sure if it stuck.

My brother and sister are Emily and Thomas...never shortened them.
A family friend is Debbie, not Deborah, same with my MIL.
My FIL is Thomas, and goes by Tom, but not sure how is referred to at work.
Another sister is Jennifer only, she's hates all the nn associated with that name.

Maybe it's a regional thing...who knows. It's interesting how a name evolves over one's lifetime!

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2005
Thu, 01-25-2007 - 3:53pm

<<>>

ITA! It was actually rather funny ... I was at my mother's last night and my SIL took a call from work, beginning with "Yes, this is Rebekah." She and my brother dated through high school, and she was always simply Bekah, so I couldn't help but grin to hear her now using her "grown-up" name. ;)

I'm in eastern Pennsylvania, btw.


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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-24-2005
Thu, 01-25-2007 - 4:23pm
I am in south Texas.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-29-2001
Thu, 01-25-2007 - 5:36pm

I think nicknames are fine in calling Charles "Charlie" or Alexander "Alex" or Madeline "Maddie" but I don't feel that everyone needs a nickname.

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Avatar for prifti
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Thu, 01-25-2007 - 8:40pm

Yes I wasn't sure which to pick because I am not crazy about everyone's nick name.

DD is Zoe Katherine NN at home is Zoe-Kate, she is also called this by her two best friends they Hay-Hay and KiKi-Dee also home nick names from their families and aparently it is very cool that they all have hyphenated nns(hehe girls!). I call her Katie-Did sometimes she is Zoe to the outside world.

DS1 Is Nicholas Ilia he is Nicholas at home and with family and family friends. However at school with his friends he is Nic which I am not crazy about!

DS2 Is Owen Lee he is Owen most of the time. At home he is O or Oboe sometimes and tatoo once in a while though that is rarely getting used the older he gets(I use to sing Lydia the Tatooed Lady to him and change it to Owen the Tatooed Baby)

I am Mandie which I HATE but Amanda never really stuck because I am still mostly around people I have known since childhood. DH is Nick he just doesn't even slightly seem like a Nicholas(possibly the same thing I have just known him for ever and can't think of him as a Nicholas)

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-26-2006
Thu, 01-25-2007 - 9:39pm
I love nicknames! My name is Brooke and has few options other than the juvenile Brookie. My close friends call me Brooklyn, B._________(my last name), or just my last name. I like uncommon nicknames like Libby for Elizabeth and Sadie for Sarah - but I worry that these would become their names 100% of the time and they would feel no connection to their given name.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-09-2004
Fri, 01-26-2007 - 12:56am
Christopher has no nickname, Nicholas is 50% Nick 50% Nicholas, and Annelise is about 95% Annie.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-21-2007
Fri, 01-26-2007 - 1:26am

My name is Nicole also and I was always called Nikki growing up but when I started working I referred to myself as Nicole and now I don't get Nikki much at all. Even my family stopped calling me Nikki.

My kids got their nicknames after they were born and developed their personalities. Jordan is called JuJu b/c my nephew couldn't say Jordan and I call her George or LouLou. Kyle is called KyKy by most people but I call him Ky Josh. Luke has lots of nicknames - Luka, Snook, Lukey the list is endless.