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Help[Opinions] nicknames as given names?
So don't get me wrong I like long names but in general I find them to formal for daily use. for example my given name is Alexandra bu I have gone by Alex as soon as I was old enough to voice my opinion. that being said a lot of the names I like are shorter versions of longer names such as Eliza, Brielle, and Benji. so what are your thoughts on given a would be nickname as a given name?
This message was edited 5/22/2014, 5:46 PM
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In general, I prefer full names but it does depend on the name. For example, I think Eliza is fine as a stand alone name. I'd think Elizabeth nn Eliza was a little bit forced. Alex needs a full name IMO. Brielle seems tacky as a full name but fine as a nickname. Benji is baby-ish and needs a full name. I'd hate to be a Benji with nothing to fall back on! Can you imagine President Benji Smith? Or Judge Benji Smith. Ew.
I have a traditional nickname as a full name, I guess? Elise. I've never met an Elise nn Elisabeth and no one has ever assumed that would be the case. Ever. I think it stands alone just fine. As does Jack and a few others.
But yes, in general, full names and options are always better.
I have a traditional nickname as a full name, I guess? Elise. I've never met an Elise nn Elisabeth and no one has ever assumed that would be the case. Ever. I think it stands alone just fine. As does Jack and a few others.
But yes, in general, full names and options are always better.
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yup
I think many of them are great! Particularly the ones that don't end in an "ee" sound, as I think those (the "ee"s) sound too nicknamey. I say, if you're going to call them that all the time and you really prefer it to a "full" name, don't just give the longer one just because you feel like you should.
Ones I like:
BOYS:
Jack
Max
Alec
Alex
Misha
Sasha
Sander
Skandar
Dan
Ben
Ash
Val
Ari
Rick
Rob
Luca
Nate
Shea (nickname of one name that's also a separate "full" name)
GIRLS:
Val
Maggie
Kate
Nora
Elle(a)
Deryn
Mina
Maisie
Lia
Mia
Talia (another nickname/name in its own right)
Bryn (ditto, although i like this name on a boy as its "full" form best)
Beth
Gwen/Gwyn
Merry
Rae
Sofie
Liv
I think many of them are great! Particularly the ones that don't end in an "ee" sound, as I think those (the "ee"s) sound too nicknamey. I say, if you're going to call them that all the time and you really prefer it to a "full" name, don't just give the longer one just because you feel like you should.
Ones I like:
BOYS:
Jack
Max
Alec
Alex
Misha
Sasha
Sander
Skandar
Dan
Ben
Ash
Val
Ari
Rick
Rob
Luca
Nate
Shea (nickname of one name that's also a separate "full" name)
GIRLS:
Val
Maggie
Kate
Nora
Elle(a)
Deryn
Mina
Maisie
Lia
Mia
Talia (another nickname/name in its own right)
Bryn (ditto, although i like this name on a boy as its "full" form best)
Beth
Gwen/Gwyn
Merry
Rae
Sofie
Liv
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Well, of the names you mention:
Alex: I think Alex is fine as the full name for a boy, but a girl should have a full name because frankly, Alex on a girl is a bit childish and also kind of self-consciously tomboyish.
Eliza: I don't like this name but I think if you have to use it, just plain Eliza is better. Elizabeth nn Eliza is just that much more 1850 than just plain Eliza.
Brielle: I never think of this as a nn; I suppose you mean for Gabrielle? All the Gabrielles/Gabriellas I have known of were called Gabby, which is gross. Briele, I suppose, makes a nice change from Gabby, but again, I think it's better just on its own.
Benjy: Definitely needs to be Benjamin. Benjy is babyish and it even sounds ridiculous on a little boy. After age four, Benjy just grates.
Alex: I think Alex is fine as the full name for a boy, but a girl should have a full name because frankly, Alex on a girl is a bit childish and also kind of self-consciously tomboyish.
Eliza: I don't like this name but I think if you have to use it, just plain Eliza is better. Elizabeth nn Eliza is just that much more 1850 than just plain Eliza.
Brielle: I never think of this as a nn; I suppose you mean for Gabrielle? All the Gabrielles/Gabriellas I have known of were called Gabby, which is gross. Briele, I suppose, makes a nice change from Gabby, but again, I think it's better just on its own.
Benjy: Definitely needs to be Benjamin. Benjy is babyish and it even sounds ridiculous on a little boy. After age four, Benjy just grates.
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I used to loathe it. I still would prefer to have formal full names. But at least hypothetically I've been into nicknames as names. I like the fresh, zippy feel of it.
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I'm a great believer in choice. Name a kid Chris, and a serial killer known as Chris - especially if the lns are the same or close - in the vicinity would leave him stranded, but if he were Christopher he could become Christo or Tiff or just use the full form. And fashions in nns change. How old is the youngest Cathy you know? The youngest Betty? And yet there are so many Kate and Lisa people - many of them Catherines and Elizabeths who've rejected botox in favour of a name tweak.
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This
It's always good to have options. Plus, as Millie said, people will often assume you've got the full name even if you haven't, which probably gets very annoying after a while.
It's always good to have options. Plus, as Millie said, people will often assume you've got the full name even if you haven't, which probably gets very annoying after a while.
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Ask my niece Laine and my friend Vickie! They both report that when there's trouble of any kind, people call them Elaine and Victoria respectively, and when it's called out, eg across an open-plan office, they naturally ignore it with messy consequences.
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As someone with a "nickname-y" name as her full name - Millie - I... Don't really like it that much.
I love my name, I really do, but there have been times throughout my life where I just wish that I had a longer form for it. Most people presume Millie is short for Amelia anyway, and there are a few who think it's short for Millicent, nobody presumed straight away that it isn't short for anything, that I'm "Just Millie".
My sister calls me Millicent as a joke, and in return I call her Eleanor - even though her full name is actually just Ellie.
When I have children I'd like to give them "full names" but only if I love it. I don't see the point of calling a child William, for example, if you loath William but want a little Billy - just call the kid Billy - or else have him stuck with a formal name you hate for the rest of his life.
Nicknames I would gladly use as full names:
Finn
Bella
Elsa
Kate
Kim
Leigh
I love my name, I really do, but there have been times throughout my life where I just wish that I had a longer form for it. Most people presume Millie is short for Amelia anyway, and there are a few who think it's short for Millicent, nobody presumed straight away that it isn't short for anything, that I'm "Just Millie".
My sister calls me Millicent as a joke, and in return I call her Eleanor - even though her full name is actually just Ellie.
When I have children I'd like to give them "full names" but only if I love it. I don't see the point of calling a child William, for example, if you loath William but want a little Billy - just call the kid Billy - or else have him stuck with a formal name you hate for the rest of his life.
Nicknames I would gladly use as full names:
Finn
Bella
Elsa
Kate
Kim
Leigh
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What bothers me is when they sound like very familiar forms to me, that refer to the full name but sound diminutive. Then they sound childish.
Eliza isn't really a familiar form. It doesn't sound like Elizabeth. It has a separate personality; it's a form, not a nickname. So that's ok.
Brielle isn't really that familiar seeming either. It's an abbreviation, but it seems kind of artificial because the natural shortening would be Gabi... so to me this is flimsy, but it's alright as a full name. Gabi wouldn't be.
Benji is a childish familiar form IMO. But, he can go by Ben, so meh. I just don't see what's the reason for not naming him Benjamin and calling him Benji... it's just sort of yucky to me. Benji's that sloppy looking little dog from the 1970s movie, to me. Kenji is much cooler.
Nicks that I think are okay as full names
Sally, Eliza, Tessa, Robin, Drew, Max, Jill, Jay, Sherry, Shelly, Terry, Kirsty, Christa, Jack, Bella, Nora, Molly, Elise, Mark, Margot, Gretchen, Nina, Gina, Carly, Leo, Luke, Alexa, Mila, Dee, Lena, Lana, Ada, Heidi, Klaus
Eliza isn't really a familiar form. It doesn't sound like Elizabeth. It has a separate personality; it's a form, not a nickname. So that's ok.
Brielle isn't really that familiar seeming either. It's an abbreviation, but it seems kind of artificial because the natural shortening would be Gabi... so to me this is flimsy, but it's alright as a full name. Gabi wouldn't be.
Benji is a childish familiar form IMO. But, he can go by Ben, so meh. I just don't see what's the reason for not naming him Benjamin and calling him Benji... it's just sort of yucky to me. Benji's that sloppy looking little dog from the 1970s movie, to me. Kenji is much cooler.
Nicks that I think are okay as full names
Sally, Eliza, Tessa, Robin, Drew, Max, Jill, Jay, Sherry, Shelly, Terry, Kirsty, Christa, Jack, Bella, Nora, Molly, Elise, Mark, Margot, Gretchen, Nina, Gina, Carly, Leo, Luke, Alexa, Mila, Dee, Lena, Lana, Ada, Heidi, Klaus
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I prefer full names with nicknames, but having nicknames as first names has become SO popular here in the UK, I don't really notice any more.
If I meet an Ellie, I don't think "I wonder what that is short for", I assume she's just Ellie.
If I meet an Ellie, I don't think "I wonder what that is short for", I assume she's just Ellie.
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For some names, it works. For others, not so much:
I don't mind Tony, Ben, Nicki, Gabe, Eli, Luke, etc.
However, I'm not a fan of Lexi, Timmy, Sammy, and Becky as given names, for one reason or another.
It's purely subjective for the most part. Does having nickname options factor into the decision? How about suitability for a high professional position?
I don't mind Tony, Ben, Nicki, Gabe, Eli, Luke, etc.
However, I'm not a fan of Lexi, Timmy, Sammy, and Becky as given names, for one reason or another.
It's purely subjective for the most part. Does having nickname options factor into the decision? How about suitability for a high professional position?
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I would take into count professional consequences. for instances I love Eliza and would use it on my first born Daughter and if she so desired she could shorten it still to Liz, Ely or Izy. but I wouldn't use Benji on a child maybe in book but not a child because Dr. or professor Benji _____ doesn't look good.
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I was ready to say that I don't like nicknames as full names but actually I agree with this, there are plenty of names that work perfectly well as full names:
Alec
Eli
Jack
Liam
Eliza
Elsa
Megan
Molly
Sadie
etc.
I tend to prefer names that have a long history of use as names on their own, and are also non-ambiguous as to gender, Alex doesn't fit that for me because it's masculine unless it's a nickname for Alexandra.
Alec
Eli
Jack
Liam
Eliza
Elsa
Megan
Molly
Sadie
etc.
I tend to prefer names that have a long history of use as names on their own, and are also non-ambiguous as to gender, Alex doesn't fit that for me because it's masculine unless it's a nickname for Alexandra.
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Wait, what is Megan a nn for again?
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Yep, exactly what I was going for. :)
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I really hate them. I really, really, really hate nicknames as given names. And I really hate the way that some public figures, such as Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden, essentially abandon their true names and use their nicknames professionally. Hate. Nicknames came about to differentiate between individuals, back when there was a much smaller pool of names. And later, are often used because the full name is too cumbersome to say frequently. They are not true names. They don't have a full etymology. They shouldn't be on a birth certificate. Every child deserves a full name.
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