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Nicknames - The Debate


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#1 Rosie&Scott

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Posted 28 July 2009 - 12:55 PM

I was just wondering people's thoughts on nicknames, as I know that there are differences of opinion on this!
I don't want to start a debate or anything, I'm just naturally curious.

Do you have any nicknames?
- Do you have nicknames that others have forced upon you?
- Do you prefer your nickname to your full name?

Do your kids have nicknames?/Do you plan on using nicknames for future children?

Do you prefer nicknames that derive from a person's given name, or something personal that comes from your character/a funny event etc?

Sorry for all the questions, just something to spark your enthusiasm, I'm fascinated, names have this effect on me!

R x

#2 Cadence & Nathan

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Posted 28 July 2009 - 01:05 PM

Do you have any nicknames? Yes!
- Do you have nicknames that others have forced upon you? I have many nn's from childhood that just stuck to me. ie: Cady, Pumpkin, Shorty, Cade, etc.
- Do you prefer your nickname to your full name? I have always liked nn's better than my full name. They are more fun!

Do your kids have nicknames?/Do you plan on using nicknames for future children? Anya has a couple nn's : Minnie, Princess, Annie, Angel Crabcakes (lol due to her sudden mood changes <_< )

Do you prefer nicknames that derive from a person's given name, or something personal that comes from your character/a funny event etc? I think either one is great, but the nn's that come from a person's personality/funny event are always my favorite!

#3 Permanent Rose

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Posted 28 July 2009 - 01:23 PM

I have mixed feelings toward nicknames. It bothers me when people feel like they have to find a nickname for every name because there are a lot of names that don't need one.

Another thing that I'm not too keen on is naming a child a full name with the intent of giving them a nickname, especially ones that are a lot different from the name. The one that bothers me most is Aurora nn Rory. I can see how Rory is derived from Aurora, but its a name with such a different feel! If you really love the name Rory, why not just name your child that?

I can't say I am completely against nicknames, seeing as I go by one everyday. I think its fine if nicknames evolve as you begin using the child's name more and more. My full name is Roseanne, and my parents named me that with every intent to call me that, but over the years, its been shortened to Rose, which I have grown to like so much more and now almost everyone I know calls me this.

As for cutesy nicknames, my brothers have given me the nickname Rosie Pose/Rosie Posie :/

My little brother, Christopher, goes by Chip most of the time because he chipped his front tooth when he was little and we jokingly began to call him Chip and it stuck (:

I'm more of a fan of nicknames that come from something personal.

I plan to give my children names I love. Nicknames may evolve from their given name, as in my case. Or we might end up calling the child a cute nickname like Chip, and I am fine with both of those things. But one thing I don't plan on doing is naming my child a full name I don't plan to call them. If I love a nickname, like Maggie and wish to call my child that, that will be my child's full name

So basically, I think there are a time and place for nicknames, but not every name necessarily needs one.


#4 Rosie&Scott

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Posted 28 July 2009 - 01:42 PM

I see your point Rose and it makes a LOT of sense, but if I said I agreed I'd be a hypocrite, after all I have a daughter named Alexia who we all call Lexy. I adore the name Alexia but in everyday use it's just a little too long with 4 syllables. Lexy just fits her, we could have called her Lexy to begin with but I think that people would always ask, 'what's your real name?' also I like the fact that when Lex is older if she's in a professional climate she can revert to Alexia if she feels the need. I like to think of it like a security blanket for her, although if she ends up hating the name, I'm sure she'll disagree!

But like I said, I'm not trying to start a big argument, I just wanted to offer my thoughts too. Basically no offense meant, Rose, stick to your guns!

I love nicknames that come with a story behind them like Chip and Angel Crabcakes etc

In response to my own questions(!):
Do you have any nicknames? Yes, mainly Rosie that I go by daily
- Do you have nicknames that others have forced upon you? Many! Smiler, Slash (I have big hair that's dark brown), Frizz, AfRose
- Do you prefer your nickname to your full name? I much prefer Rosie to Rose

Do your kids have nicknames?/Do you plan on using nicknames for future children?
Yes. Anaya - Ana/Anais, PaigeyCakes briefly, Princess, Smartie.
Alexia - Lexy, Lexy-Lou..., Screech, Baby Girl, Malteaser.
Amelia - Milly, Milly-Moo, Mils. She already has a few and she's not even here yet!

It's interesting to hear people's perspectives!

#5 Permanent Rose

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Posted 28 July 2009 - 01:48 PM

Rosie, you do make a good point about having a full name to use in a professional situation.

However, it does annoy me when people assume that every shorter name, like Lexy or Maggie, has to come from something longer. I think it is perfectly fine to name a child those names as a full name


#6 Rosie&Scott

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Posted 28 July 2009 - 01:55 PM

I completely agree, people always ask me what Rose is short for and Rose is my full name, so I sympathise!

It makes for nice variation amongst children to have all sorts of names in use, both common full names, and more uniquely seen nicknames. I'm glad that there's a difference of opinion, if we all agreed the world would be a dull place indeed!

R x

#7 Permanent Rose

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Posted 28 July 2009 - 01:58 PM

Indeed! The world would be very dull if everyone had the same opinions on names. Names give a large part of our identity so I'm glad that everyone has such diverse opinions.

#8 ~Nadezhda

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Posted 28 July 2009 - 03:14 PM

I have mixed feelings about nicknames, too.

In regards to Italian names- used in Italy (I mean, correct pronunciation and all)-I've never been a huge fan of nicknames.
Now, it's rare to see a name being drastically changed here. Shortened versions of the full name are more popular, but again, it's not how people go by.
For example, it happens that I (and a lot of other people) address my friend Arianna as "Ary" from time to time, but she's never gonna introduce herself saying "Hi, I'm Ary". These kind of nicknames are not how people go by, just "shorties" used when dealing with relatively long names.
That's why nicknames generally bother me. I mean, I can see why you'd want to shorten a long name for everyday use (a friend of mine is named Giandomenico Vito, and of course we call him Vito), but I honestly can't (under)stand the need to force a nickname on everyone, especially if they have a short name.

One the other hand, I can see that someone named Alexandra could be called Lexie in everyday life, thus introducing herself as such-- She'll probably say "Hi, I'm Lexie" rather than "Hi, I'm Alexandra".
In this case, I think there's nothing bad with a nickname that doesn't "destroy" the full name and keeps the opportunity to use it in a more formal situation.

That's basically the difference- names in Italy are usually very simple, both to spell and say out loud. So nicknames generally look "forced" as they are not required,unless the name is very long and impractical, or simply disliked.
But with English names (and by English I mean used in English-speaking countries), the situation changes. I think it's because nicknames apply more naturally to the names.

Did any of these make any sense? LOL
I realized that it sounds a little confusing!

So to sum it up, I'm not completely against nicknames (some of them are even growing on me).
But I don't like for a name to be changed drastically- that's why I usually like shorter names.
Of course, there are inevitable exceptions!


#9 PaperHeart

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Posted 28 July 2009 - 03:35 PM

Haha. Don't worry Nadia, it made perfect sense. <_<

I'm a sucker for nicknames! (And i have too many.. :) )

-Yas
-Yazzie
-Minnie
-Bubbah
-Boobie
-Bebs
-Chubby Cakes
-Cohen
-Yazzie Coco
-Midget
-Midge
-Tiny
-Tiny Cohen/Co
-Teensy
-Blubber
-Flubber
-Yasmina
And our very own -Cookie. ;P - Thanks to Zayda the genius.

Hmm..

But I ADORE nn's.. They just sound sooo cute!! I deffinitley agree with you Rose though.. i think that having a more 'sophisticated' name to use if you want to when your older is deffinitley a good idea.. which is why i'd give my child a name that's proffessional (Noah, Thomas, Audriana, Amelie, Alyssa, Lucas, Tyler, Ariella) -> Gosh, I'll end up with 8 kids!! (; But that don't necessarily need shortening..


-Yas <3

#10 Permanent Rose

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Posted 28 July 2009 - 03:46 PM

Nadia, it made perfect sense.

I know exactly what you mean. I have a friend named Megan and from time to time we call her Meg, in situations like directly addressing her: "Hurry up, Meg!" or "Meg! I have so much to tell you!" But she would never introduce or refer to herself as Meg. She is only Meg in passing, if that makes sense (:


#11 ~Nadezhda

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Posted 28 July 2009 - 03:49 PM

Nadia, it made perfect sense.

I know exactly what you mean. I have a friend named Megan and from time to time we call her Meg, in situations like directly addressing her: "Hurry up, Meg!" or "Meg! I have so much to tell you!" But she would never introduce or refer to herself as Meg. She is only Meg in passing, if that makes sense (:


Exactly <_<


#12 Evy

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Posted 28 July 2009 - 04:12 PM

- Do you have any nicknames? yep
- Do you have nicknames that others have forced upon you? well, I guess Mouse was forced upon me but I love it
- Do you prefer your nickname to your full name? Mouse is strictly for my Mom, Dad and (on very rare occasions) Noah

i'm sick of people assuming that Evy is my nickname and not my name. i suppose it's only my parents fault (<_<) for not naming a 'full name' but i much prefer Evy to Evelyn or Everlee. however I hate when people try to make a nickname out of Evy. For example, "Hey Vy!" or "Ev guess what?" my name is short enough that it doesn't need a nickname!

i understand your views on a security blanket as her name, Rosie. i plan to use Evy Marie Rivera on my resumes, business cards etc instead of Evy Rivera.


#13 soccerisluv(:

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Posted 28 July 2009 - 08:52 PM

Do you have any nicknames?
Yes: Mag, Mags, Magriella, Merna
- Do you have nicknames that others have forced upon you?
Unfortuantely. My friends have taken to calling me Merna bc my first and middle initials MRN are in it. Ew!
- Do you prefer your nickname to your full name?
I like Maggie and Mags

Do your kids have nicknames?/Do you plan on using nicknames for future children?
Cayla=Cay;Anna=no;Jasper=Jas, Jazz;Bennett=Ben

Do you prefer nicknames that derive from a person's given name, or something personal that comes from your character/a funny event etc?
I like name nicknames and 'spur of the moment names'. Like my friends call me Magriella just because they feel like it. We were bored one day and they just started calling me that.

#14 soccerisluv(:

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Posted 28 July 2009 - 08:57 PM

Rosie, you do make a good point about having a full name to use in a professional situation.

However, it does annoy me when people assume that every shorter name, like Lexy or Maggie, has to come from something longer. I think it is perfectly fine to name a child those names as a full name


this teacher at my school always calls me Margaret. I'm like...it's Maggie! And she says that nicknames are not used by teachers. And I'm like whatever! <_<

#15 Guest_Tora_*

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Posted 02 August 2009 - 05:05 PM

Do you have any nicknames? Yes!
- Do you have nicknames that others have forced upon you? Not really most of my nns are either from my name or from an inside joke
- Do you prefer your nickname to your full name? Yes, Victoria is very formal in my opinon and I don't think that it fits me as well as Tor/Tori/Tora

Do your kids have nicknames?/Do you plan on using nicknames for future children?
I love nns. Most of the names that I like are long or formal and I love the familiarity of a nn.

Do you prefer nicknames that derive from a person's given name, or something personal that comes from your character/a funny event etc?
If you look on my profile you'll notice that I have a lot of both! I like both because both make the name more personal.

-Tor

#16 Anna.

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Posted 02 August 2009 - 06:25 PM

Do you have any nicknames?
I have never really had a nickname other than the occasional "Anna Banana" or "Nana" from my Dad and close family when I was younger. But my husband's name is Thomas and I think EVERYONE calls him Tom.

Do your kids have nicknames?
As for my kids, I call them by their full name. They have pet names though....Lilah: Sunshine or Princess and Caleb: Buddy but I rarely call them that in public. When I had Lilah, I considered naming her Delilah, but we decided we would never call her that anyway.

Overall, it depends on the name. I would never name my child Gracie, Lexi, Jenny, or any other cutsie nickname because I don't think they age well. I think if the name sounds sophisticated/complete on it's own it doesn't matter if it is considered a nickname or not.

#17 Cadence & Nathan

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Posted 02 August 2009 - 07:51 PM

Do you have any nicknames?
Yes: Nate,BD, Bruiser

- Do you have nicknames that others have forced upon you?
Yes: BD (stands for baby daddy...my friends gave me that one :D ), Bruiser (I used to play football...I caused a couple bruises :P )

- Do you prefer your nickname to your full name?
I prefer Nathan...I don't look like a Nate...if that makes sense.

Do your kids have nicknames?/Do you plan on using nicknames for future children?
Anya: Princess, Angel Crabcakes (she has got some crazy mood swings!! :lol: ), Mitchie (due to her extreme vocals), Annie (not very often), Minnie, Shotstop
Quads: Peanuts (as of now :D ) Everly- Evy Nathalia- Thalia Daryn-none Chad- none


Do you prefer nicknames that derive from a person's given name, or something personal that comes from your character/a funny event etc?
I like nicknames that emerge from a funny event or their character. I think those mean more and are generally more fun :P


#18 Katie-Nana

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Posted 02 August 2009 - 08:34 PM

My name is Katherine but Ive always gone by Katie, no one has ever called me Katherine and I dont see myself as a Katherine, I much prefer Katie. I have thought that it might be a bit juvenile but I'd go by Kate (which I see as more mature) before I'd ever go by Katherine or Kathy (yuck!).
My two younger sister both have nns as well Sara nn Sally and Madeline nn Maddie.

I think that because me and my sisters all have nn that I would maybe like my kids to have nns or have short first names...I'm not a fan of longer names unless I really love a certain nn. Like I like Sebastian okay but I'd never use it because I feel it is too long and I dont like any of the nns for it...I would maybe use it as a mn though.

#19 alyssa897

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Posted 02 August 2009 - 08:53 PM


Do you have any nicknames? Yeah, my whole family calls me Pookie. Has since I was little. :/ Also, one of my friends calls me Aly, and then my best friends call me Eliza, funny story about that. :lol:
- Do you have nicknames that others have forced upon you? Yeah, Pookie :D
- Do you prefer your nickname to your full name? Not really. I kind of like Pookie, but definitely not in public and only by my CLOSE family behind closed doors! :P

Do your kids have nicknames?/Do you plan on using nicknames for future children? Well, I don't have any kids yet, but I plan on using nicknames for some names and not for others. Brooklyn won't have a nickname unless it's something that's personal and comes from her character or a funny event. I don't like Brooke, so she won't go by that. If I use Arianna, she will go by Ari, Aria, and Arianna. If I use Tallulah, she'll go by Lulu most likely, but also by her full name at times. If I use Hadley, she'll go by Haddy/Haddie usually, but also by Hadley. Lavender will by Lavy usually, but also Lavender. I also love Evangeline, but I would probably never get the chance to use it. She would go by Evan almost all the time. I also like using nicknames from middle names, which I know most of you aren't fond of. :D Like, Lavender Belle would go by Lavy or Bella.

Do you prefer nicknames that derive from a person's given name, or something personal that comes from your character/a funny event etc? I like both actually.

Also, I know what you mean Rose, about shorting a name, in passing or whatever. I have a friend named Rosemary, and I find that I have to stop myself from shortening her name to Rose, even in passing, because she doesn't like it. Also, like my cousin Cassie, I say "Hey, Cass." Or something like that. It's kind of subconscious. I shorten names in passing without really thinking about it!

Anyways, I've rambled on long enough. Sorry if I have bored you to death. :P


#20 Fez

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Posted 03 August 2009 - 12:43 AM

I have a lot of nns, all of them associated with my name.
When I was in High School, many people called me by a nn that derived from my ln; at first I didn't like it, but then I got used to it, to the point that I sometimes miss being called that way. In a sense, I guess you could say it was "forced upon me", but with time it felt natural.

My family and close friends all call me by nn, and it feels strange when one of them uses my full name; I feel like I did something wrong or like they are mad at me (pretty much the way parents use their children's full names when they are angry...) However, when I introduce myself I use my full name, and then leave it to the person to decide if they want to shorten it or not. Also, when I think about myself, I think about me as (insert full name) and not (insert nn). So, probably the answer is that I prefer my full name over my nns, although I don't mind being refered to by nn. If I had to choose one for the rest of my life, I'd choose to go by my full name. I know this probably doesn't make any sense!

I don't have any children, but almost all the names I'd like to use have a variety of nn options. I prefer some nns over others, but I wouldn't impose any of them. I think nns are something that should come naturally; so if, for example, I called my daughter Isabella nn Bella (after my aunt Isabel) but then she decided to go by Izzy or something else, I wouldn't oppose, even though I prefer Bella because of it's meaning.
I like both nns that come from the names and people's personalities or events. Pretty much anything goes as long as it feels natural to the person.




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