Are nicknames necessary?

[east93]

I don't work from nicknames either. Sometimes if there's a nickname I really like, I'll explore the full name options to see if there's anything I like, but otherwise, I don't.

My number one girls name is Alessandra, it's 4 syllables, and that can be a bit long at times. I don't have a set nickname for her, but likely will give her one as time goes on for convenience sake. I fully intend to call her Alessandra majority of the time though. It's just a bonus that I like the nicknames of Ali, Alessa, Lessa, and Andie that can come from her name.
My SO and I are very much into nicknames, oddly enough most of our nicknames don't even have anything to do with our own names.

But I don't ever compromise on a name because I just like the nickname, but don't care for the full name. I'd rather just name the kid the nickname in that case! But I can also see the other side to it, sometimes you prefer the nickname, but want them to have a "adult" name to revert too if they ever need it.

Example being the name Lexa. I like it a lot, but I'd never name my daughter just Lexa, I'd do Alexia or Alexandria to give her a more adult name to go with if she ever wanted.

There's a lot of factors behind nicknames, so it's not a cut and dry type of thing for me. I'm open to every scenario but I tend to just pick names I like and not worry about the nicknames.

[wootz]

I dislike nicknames only when they are given/decided by someone other than the parents or child to whom the name belongs. We have a Gabriel, and the only person that called him Gabe was his teacher this past school year who was stubborn and not a very nice person. My son corrected her several times, but she just didn't care. No one else calls him anything but Gabriel because we politely corrected anyone who tried to shorten it, and at about 2 years old, our son took over on the correcting. Another son, Graham, is called Grey probably 75% of the time because it has turned out it just suits him better, for now, at least. I like a few other names that many would see as purely nicknames, but with those it's because I just can't stand the full name they come from, for one reason or another, and I know we'd use only the 'nickname' all the time anyway. So why not just call them that?

Parents can do a lot to determine the preferred nickname or to sway people away from one, with minimal effort, I think. That has been my experience so far. I do think you have to be aware of the possible nicknames for any name you love, because like it or not, once you have a baby and name them, it's going to come up. It's good to be ready with your preferred nn, or other good response for those who practically try to re-name your child!

[samjaymc]

I know what you mean. I intend to call my children what I name them, if I wanted to call them by a short name I'd name them that. But, my favorite names for each gender have nicknames that I do like. I couldn't have a favorite name that had a nickname I didn't like. Like, my favorite girl name is Francesca, and I love the nickname Fran/Franny. Even though I wouldn't call her that most of the time, having the option is best for the child if they decide they don't like their name and there's always going to be those people who insist on giving them a nickname. I kind of rambled here, sorry!

My mother is quite the same. She always says "If I wanted to call you Sam, I would have named you that. But I didn't. I named you Samantha.

The thing is, I have many favourite names that have nicknames. So I'm guessing that any future children will have a nickname with me (sometimes, not always) but with my mum, they'll go by their full name at all times.

[beaut@heart]

I like names with nicknames, but I would not re-consider using a name because it does not have any nicknames. Nicknames are great, but it's always cool to be able to use nicknames, especially if the child grows up not to like their name. I have a son, Elijah who sometimes gets called Eli. Not always, but sometimes

[flick]

I;m a big fan of nicknames personally, and the more nickname options a name has, the more appealing it is to me. I think it makes the name more versatile.

[kathrynsarah]

I love nicknames, however, I don't think they are necessary.

There are tons of names I love that really have no natural nicknames: Gage, Anna, Ivy, Reid, Noah, Hale, Holly, Heidi, Jude, Joy, Isaac, Eve, Leo, Luke, Alice, Jane, Hanna, Piper, Norah, Levi, Nash, Dawn. I could go on and on.

Though, as you can see these are mostly short names. I'm not fond of "forbidding" nicknames as some people try to do. If a name is 3 or 4 syllables or 8 letters long it's inevitable that either the kid or others will shorten it, so it's important to know and like at least some of the nicknames.

I honestly think it's a little ridiculous to go through life scolding every person who doesn't want to call your kid Persephone. I even think it's a little silly to do it yourself. I mean, you obviously have a right to not be called Seph if you don't want to be, but that's why I like longer names that have multiple options.

When they're a squirming red skinbag you really have no clue what kind of person your child will become so I think a longer name with a lot of nicknames is a really kind way to allow your child some freedom and the ability to safely and legitimately experiment with selves as a teen/young adult.

I agree with all of this! I'm a huge fan of nicknames, though, both related and unrelated, so I guess if I were to use a shorter name that is already considered a nn, I would probably end up making up some sort of nn for my child anyway. (My dog's name is Sam, and I call her "nugget" most of the time ).

To add to what you said, I know someone named Alexander (my friend's fiance), who's mother refuses to call him any other name, and gets mad at people if they do in front of her! Of course, my friend, and most of his friends, call him Alex all the time, but I'm not sure if anyone does in front of his mom. I think this is a bit crazy, since there are so many nicknames for it. I get that she wanted to name him that, but you really can't force people not to give him nicknames, especially since he's 25 years old and he prefers the nickname!

[ashthedreamer]

I think it's fine to have no nn! A lot of the time, I'll fall for a nn just as easily as I'll fall for a full name, so often I'll look for a fuller name for something like Posy or Lola. What I wouldn't do is use a nn on its own, that's just inconceivable to me.

But growing up I had a name with really no nicknames (Ashley), and most of my life I wished I would have had one. So I like that the majority of my favorites easily yield a nn. It's just a personal choice, but really, I don't think you need a nn. I do think that the longer the name you pick, though, the more likely it'll get shortened somewhere along the line. I think Anna is much less likely to get shortened than Anastasia or Apollina or Gabriella or Evangeline/Evangelina...

[goodhope]

In general, I'm not into nicknames, and I would only use them occasionally and mostly at home. My son has a "no-nickname name, " and I'm happy with it. If he had been a girl, he would have been Catherine with no nickname planned (although I wouldn't have been opposed to Cate if it had felt right for her).

I always pay attention to possible nicknames when thinking about names, though, because the decision about whether or not my children use them is only up to me for a short time. Once they're old enough to decide for themselves, it's out of my hands. So while I won't pick a name based on its nicknames, I will reject one if there's a common nickname I know I can't stand. Alexandra is a good example. Even though I love it, and it's my mother's mn, I can't risk having a Lexi. No way.

[isirapjl]

I purposely picked no nickname names since my entire life I have fought against Jen. I introduce myself as Jennifer and correct people to no avail. I find it so frustrating to have to do it over and over.

[jeska]

I'm with a previous poster who said the nickname obsession on this site can be a bit over the top.

Starting with a nickname and working backwards? Planning the nickname before the kid's even born? Trying to find a nickname for a 1-2 syllable name? All weird to me.

A nickname is something that evolves organically, in my book.