Naming a baby

seven-day-weekend

My son has a very short name, deliberately chosen so that no-one will shorten it.  Guess what?  They lengthen it  (head-bashing smiley required).

This is not his name but think of Jon and Jonathan.

I know a little girl with a very nice full name, but she has always been  called this (IMO) American-style  'girlie' diminutive instead.  I have no idea why.  Her full name is much prettier and also easier to spell!  

I can't think of  an exact example but think of Elizabeth and Libby.

seven-day-weekend

My own name is an unusual three-syllable name which I love.  I have never allowed anyone to shorten it, although there are several things it can be shortened to.  The only thing is, for some reason, people sometimes call me something completely different! (I always correct them).

For example, if my name was Madeleine, people calling me Marilyn.

Brie

I remember starting a new role at work and was introduced to the team members one of whom was introduced as Patricia.  I, in all innocence, asked what she liked to be called, Trish, Pat?  Got a very firm response: NO! Patricia.  A Pat is what a cow leaves in a field!!

pollypenny

I can't understand the fashion for hyphenated names, either. They make the child, usually a girl sound cheap somehow.  

Make your mind up, parents. 

Don't give your children names which will mean every introduction is met with 'Pardon?'

MaryNB

sheramber said:

onomatopoeia99 said:

Our parents deliberately chose monosyllabic first names for both my brother and me and I'm glad of it as my name can't be foreshortened and usually I don't have to spell it, though occasionally people will ask if I use the French spelling (I don't, and there is absolutely no way my parents would have chosen a non-English spelling) .

I'm not particularly attached to the name, it just is and I'm not motivated to change it.

My brother and his wife chose first names for their children that are alliterative when combined with the surname.  Both children have polysyllabic first names, which are routinely shortened, indeed use of the full first name usually indicates a telling off is about to happen .  

My sister in law gave her kids one syllable names on purpose so thye could not be shortened but people then lengthened them- Jane-Janey,  Lynn-Lyndy.

Look at the Duchess of Cambridge- her name is Catherine which is used by her family but the press immediately started to call her Kate.

My first name is a single syllable irish language name with no variant. A former manager would add a "y" at the end. It's hard enough to get people in England to pronounce it correctly, I didn't need her confusing people even more so. Also I don't know why some people take it upon themselves to vary someone else's name.

TripleH

My father went by the shortened version of his name (he hated the full length version).

It was also not the name his parents wanted him to have ( registrar couldn't spell that name) but the anglicised version. Fortunately regardless of which version, it would have still become shortened to what he went by.

MovingForwards

@seven-day-weekend people always call me another name, they see the first few letters and think it's one name.

In the doctors / chemist etc it's wrong first name, right surname and I'll say "it's ......... not ........., as in........" 

On the phone it's hilarious as people always think I'm saying Rachel, goodness knows where they get that from!

Absolutely hated my name as a kid, just wanted a normal name like Sarah, Jane, Rebecca etc. So much bullying just from that, let alone everything else too.

Don't even get me started on my middle name too!

As an adult I've worked it to my advantage with job interviews. My name stands out and I am remembered due to that.

seven-day-weekend

Brie said:

I remember starting a new role at work and was introduced to the team members one of whom was introduced as Patricia.  I, in all innocence, asked what she liked to be called, Trish, Pat?  Got a very firm response: NO! Patricia.  A Pat is what a cow leaves in a field!!

I always say that about my name too, if people ask what I want to be called (the bit about using my full name, not the cow pat - my name is not Patricia!).  

MalMonroe

Mine is a three syllable name that I never liked and always wanted to shorten. But to what, that was the problem. My parents never shortened anyone's name, not mine and not even my cousin Susan's. She said she wanted to be Sue but nobody in the family could ever bring themselves to say that. She married Michael and he and all his friends call him Mick but nobody in the family has shortened his name. As yet. 

I've grown into my name now, it's about time 'cos I'm 72. Nobody can ever spell it and I have usually had to spell it out. If people don't ask me how it's spelled I keep an eye on how they think it should be spelled and then have to tell them sorry, it's not right. Why don't they just ask in the first place?!  Some people can't even say it properly. Other people have decided to shorten it on my behalf but I only ever really want to be called my proper name. I have wanted to change it in the past but felt disloyal to my parents. And it wouldn't feel like I was me anymore! (Daft but true.)

I gave my daughter the name I'd loved since I was a girl and wished it was mine. Also gave her a middle name which I loved and she's never really used it. Only for signing things. Her dad didn't really have a look-in when it came to name choices - thank goodness he was happy to go along to get along. She is very happy with her name, thank goodness.

Her name is only short - five letters but still other people sometimes think they have to shorten it for her. She asks them not to. People can't spell it either and it's not even complex. It's funny when people decide to add an extra letter here or there. Not sure why they can't just accept that it isn't as complicated as they think it is.

But what, really, is in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. I'm just glad (and I apologise profusely in advance if it's rude to say so) that I wasn't called Agnes. If I had been I'd have really had to do something about it pretty quick smart. 

A very interesting question, though. Thank you for posting it, it's certainly given me food for thought. 

Spendless

My daughter dislikes her middle name. I struggled to find one that fitted in with both her first name and our short one syllable surname. The name is just ordinary, commonly used in her age group and older and traditional. She prefers a name I sat in the classroom with in the 70s/80s, which I'd never have used and says she's changing it at some point in her life. It's already caused a problem because  her  email address uses this untrue middle name. Busy with her last few days of drama school earlier this year, she asked Mr S to help her out with an application form for a job she wanted nearer to our home. He did and in the email section entered an email that gives her real full name. An email that didn't exist! The company (that she now  works for) spent 2 weeks trying to contact her on this imaginary email. It only came to light when they rang her.  Meanwhile DH thought he'd probably better make the imaginary email into a real one, so he did, but failed to tell anyone he'd done so or monitor this account, so when the company still using this email to ask DD for  bank details to pay her wages, she never saw it and missed her first payday!