The Name Game: Plain and Fancy

Joy Harmon Prouty/NestingShoppe.com

While nicknames are considered common, the given names celebrity parents select are often anything but. When Victoria Recaño named her 3-month-old baby girl Maximilienne – Emme, for short — she gave her daughter a special gift, however: The gift of choice! Providing a child with the ability to decide between a more dramatic or quirky given name and a shorter, low-key nickname is “definitely a trend we’re seeing,” nameberry.com developer and author Pamela Redmond Satran told us.

Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams Paisley did just that with their 2-year-old son William Huckleberry, whom the couple call Huck. The same can be said for Amy Poehler and Will Arnett‘s 7-month-old son Archibald, called Archie, and Amanda Peet and David Benioff‘s 2-year-old daughter Frances, who goes by Frankie. For those who aren’t quite as adventurous, Pamela notes that Alexander and Alexandra have become “very popular” as of late due in no small part to the litany of nicknames they provide, like Alex, Lex, Ali, Lexi, Xan or Zan. Meanwhile Isabella — currently the second most popular name for girls — can be shortened to Izzy or Bella; Madison or Madeline can become Maddy; and “grey-bearded Old Testament names such as Nathaniel and Zachariah are simplified to Nat and Zac,” says Pamela, adding,

“As parents become more thoughtful about choosing a name that will serve their child well throughout life, they’re looking to names with flexibility: These can be used in their full impressive forms on college or job applications, and shortened to something friendly and easy to understand on the playground or at a party.”

Thinking long-term is key, and Pamela advises that you keep in mind there are no guarantees about who your children will ultimately grow up to be. “Image and gender enter into it,” she explains. “You can give your daughter the option of being ultra-feminine Aurora or tomboyish Rory; Your son might choose to be down-to-earth Jeff in high school but be Jefferson in college.”

– Missy

Did you choose a given name for your child with a nickname already in mind?

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Comments

Lorelei on May 25th, 2009

Our daughter is named Maria Stephanie(named for her great grandma Marija – pronounced Mar ee a)her nickname is Mari and it really seems to suit her.

babyboopie on May 25th, 2009

When I was pregnant, I thought I was having a girl and so I chose the name Madeline Rose but call her Maddie! (Which I’m still going to have if my next baby is a girl)

Kristen on May 25th, 2009

Our son’s name is Jaxon. We knew we wanted to name him Jaxon but was unsure of how to spell it. We really didn’t want people to shorten his name to Jack but we liked Jax for a nickname so we opted to spell it Jaxon. We are expecting another baby this fall and are thinking of the name Bradyn if it is a boy. We will spell it that way so that we have the option of calling him Brady.

Lorena on May 25th, 2009

I’ve ALWAYS loved nicknames but for the longest it was as if nicknames were taboo. I’d hear women say they wanted to give their child a name that couldn’t be cut short or a name that didn’t have a nickname attached to it. Stupid trend if you ask me. I think nicknames are cute and glad to see them making a comeback.

LucyMarie on May 25th, 2009

I went a slightly different route. My son’s first name is Chance and his middle is Michael. I thought if he hit middle school and his first name was too “nicknamey” he would have the option of using his middle name (which was also super common and he would not stick out). Well, Chance is off to high school in a couple of months and is still Chance. Funny thing to me is that there are *three* Chances in his class–but both the other boys are using their middle names!
Also, I remember growing up (DUH) and how people my age did not do nickanames. If you were a Christine–you were Christine and not Chris or Chrissy or so on. I like the change especially for younger people and family.

vicky24c on May 25th, 2009

Well my name is Victoria Helen. Separate names but both very formal. Ever since I can remember, people either call me Toria Toe, or Vicky. The only person who calls me Victoria is my mother.

I am glad I had a choice really. Plus I think that I will be doing the same for my children when I have them. I already like the names Abigail (Abby for short) Olivia (Ollie or Liv or short) and Alexis (Lexi) for girls. I also like Benjamin (Ben) for a boy. But I guess only time will tell.

Allison on May 25th, 2009

My daughter’s name is Catherine and when she was adopted,we thought we’d call her Cate. But…she didn’t look or act like a Cate! So, we went with Katie, which suits her well. We thought of spelling it “Catie”, since her first name starts with a “C,” but we figured that would be too confusing for people to spell. So, Katie it is! When she is older, she can go by Kate/Cate or Catherine if she wants.

Beth on May 25th, 2009

My mom always tells me and my twin brother she named us specifically for the purpose of calling us by nicknames. My name is Elizabeth Megan and I go by Beth and my brother’s name is William Davidson and he goes by David. My father and both grandfather’s and NUMEROUS uncles (by blood and by marriage) are named Bill and my mom did not want to add to the confusion so we call my brother Dave or David from his middle name Davidson which is a great-grandmother’s maiden name.

I myself love names that can be shortened to nicknames and my brother has it in his head that if he has a son he will name him William and call him Liam.

eva on May 25th, 2009

My husband named our daughter Kingston Alexis after the capital of Jamaica, his country of birth, and Alexander, a good friend of ours. Her name is unique and she loves her school nickname King. I think its very boyish but she likes it and I use it sometimes.Her father and I called her Toni when she was a baby.However,I now use her full name and leave King for her friends and classmates.

Tiffany on May 25th, 2009

If my husband and I have an as yet unconcieved girl, her nickname will be Millie. His grandmother’s name was Amelia Mildred and we will be using one of the two names (hopefully Amelia) as her given name. As for a son, we’ve been playing around with initials that spell a nickname – Like T.R.I.P. I’m not sold on it.
A second daughter would likely recieve the name Svetlana, and be shortened to Svetta, Lana, or Laney.

anonymous on May 25th, 2009

There’s a baby name messageboard that I frequently read (I’d highly recommend it if anyone needs ideas- http://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/4852107/ShowForum.aspx), and I’ve definitely noticed the nickname trend on there. It seems that a lot of parents are wanting to give their kids more classic, formal sounding first names that will look good on a future resume and sound professional but that also have cute nickname possibilities so their kids have a choice. I think it’s a great idea.

anonymous on May 25th, 2009

Sorry, the link messed up. Here it is again: http://tinyurl.com/pnult4

Daisy on May 25th, 2009

I know I am going to get all sorts of criticsm here but I’m sorry, I do not like nicknames in this way. If you want your child to be known as Beth, why bother with Elizabeth? I am only 21 and it is something I just do not like and never have. A lot of people make assumptions and call me Dee when they first meet me and I find it really rude. My name is my name, so please use it in full.
My uncle has a nickname for his son, which is a reference to the childs favourite cartoon. To me thats ok, but choosing a name just so they child can have a particular nickname seems so silly.

ElenaS on May 25th, 2009

My name is Elena but my relatives and some friends call me Elie and my brother’s name is Stefan. He doesn’t have nickname that comes from his name just some nicknames that his friends gave to him but they are changing every time they play together.
And here in Macedonia nicknames are usual for example
Aleksandar – Sasho ( like Alexander – Sasha in some countries)
Antonio – Toni / same reading like Tony
Hristijan – Kiko
Valentina – Vale
Natasha – Natty etc

trevv on May 25th, 2009

i love this trend…i like the versatility longer names provide. it may be cute to be a katie or jessie or jenn when you’re younger, but in the professional world, katharine, jessica, and jennifer will play so much better, in my opinion…i know a family of five boys, and their names are jonny, tommy, bobby, billy, and tony. not only do they sound like little boys, they are ALWAYS asked if their names are jonathan, thomas, robert, william, or anthony. it is just as annoying for them as it is for people with uniquely spelled names…

Jill on May 25th, 2009

My Mom named me Jill because her name is Janis and she wanted to be called Jan and not Janis and it drove her nuts, so she gave me a short name. But its funny people always assume Jill is short for Jillian, go figure. You can’t win:)

Taylor on May 25th, 2009

I love nicknames!

Mischa will be Mishy.

Lucia will be Lucy or Lulu.

Amanda on May 25th, 2009

We have a daughter Alexandra and one of the reasons we chose the name was for its versatility. I liked that there were so many things we could call her depending on what her personality turned out to be. She is such a rough and tumble little toddler that we think of her as an Alex, but to mommy and daddy she’s also usually Allie. Allie has also turned into Allie Bear, and now we’ve even nicknamed her Albert (pronounced “Al-bahr” like the French would say Albert) and Albert has morphed into Albertina. Which is just as long as her given name, so there’s no logic there… We’ve gone nickname-crazy.

christina on May 25th, 2009

I’m glad my parents gave me the choice of having a nickname or using a full name. Being able to use the unisex nickname Chris has been a real benefit for me, professionally. I work in a traditionally male-dominated field, and the culture of some of our foreign clients is not accepting of women in these positions. It’s been great that some of my clients don’t know I’m a woman until they’re already pleased with my work.

Daisy, some parents want to give their child options should they not care for the name chosen for them. Giving a child the full name “Elizabeth” provides more options than just using “Beth” as a given name. Plus, some parents feel obligated to use a relative’s name, and it’s a decent compromise.

Rachael on May 26th, 2009

With my oldest I had always loved the nickname Ally, and I wanted to use it, so my husband and I picked the name Allysyn for her so we could use the nickname…ironically…she gets called Allysyn much more frequently than she gets called Ally. My son’s name is Eric and he doesn’t have a nickname. My youngest, Desiree…gets called Daisy, we didn’t intend it, but I started calling her that when she was a week or so old and it stuck…everyone calls her Daisy now….except when she’s in trouble.

Colleen on May 26th, 2009

As someone without a nickname, I often wished I had one. My husband comes from a long line of family names, although everyone then has a nickname. We will be sticking with naming our son as the third, however we will be called by the nickname which was used for my DH as a child.

Maryellen McManus on May 26th, 2009

It was important to me that both of my daughters have choices about their names. My older daughter’s name is Kathryn (a family name), but I always knew I’d call her Kate. When her younger sister came along we wanted something different, but also wanted to pay homage to some important people in our lives – Kelly and Annie – so when I found Kellan in a Celtic name book, I thought it was perfect. Of course, now that she’s 5, Kellan will only answer to Kelly, and Kate is using Kathryn more and more (especially at school). Like I said, it’s all about choices.

Solène on May 26th, 2009

I’m french, and here, I often get called Soso, I like it, it’s a nice way for friends to show me affection. My dad calls me Soso as well, only my mom never uses that nickname. She says she gave my siblings and I beautiful names so we can use it, but I love nicknames, I can’t help it. It’s nice to have a choice.
Next fall, I will probably be an au pair in the US, and since it will probably not be easy for americans to pronunce my firstname well, I intend to use the nickname Leni, it will be my little american name, I love the sound of it!

Emme on May 26th, 2009

I love nicknames! My given name is Mary Elizabeth, but my mother started calling me Emme at birth. I think she got it from my initials, but says she doesn’t really have a reason. And our son is John Edward III and goes by Tripp. My DH goes by Jack.

t. eliz on May 26th, 2009

As a female Timothy (they just liked the name for a girl), my parents gave me the middle name Elizabeth so that I would have nickname options (Lisa, Ellie, Beth, Liz, Betsy, Bess, etc.) if I didn’t wish to go by Timothy. Of course by the time you figure that it isn’t “normal” it has already stuck! Family mostly calls me Tim or Timmy, but I use my full first and middle names for work to at least make people pause and think before automatically assuming I am male.

As for my own kids, I chose very [proper] gender specific names!

Our daughter is Eleanor and we intended on calling her Ella. It is nice that she has the option of using her given name if she wants to be different since Ella has become so popular.

Alex on May 26th, 2009

I love names with no nicknames. That’s why I named my boys Adam, Jack, Levi & Harry.

Christina on May 26th, 2009

This might be a stupid question, but what is “DH”? As in “however we will be called by the nickname which was used for my DH as a child” and “My DH goes by Jack” What does it stand for?

Solène on May 26th, 2009

Christina, I think it stands for Dear Husband.

Amanda on May 26th, 2009

I am an Amanda. The only variation of that name that I will accept are Manda or Man, and those are reserved for my parents, siblings and my husband. With my daughter, I was determined to give her a name with minimal nickname possibilities-Kelsey. Yeah, she gets Kel, but most of the nicknames she has are from family members based on HER, shows, attitude, whatever. My oldest son is Aidan, and his name NEVER gets shortened. He is always called by his proper name, with the exception of family nicknames (Goober). My baby is Andrew. I threatened to hurt people if they called him Andy or Drew (LOL). Instead he got stuck with the nickname of Dewey or Dew Drop, both very suiting of who he is.

Christina on May 26th, 2009

Dear Husband? Really? I have never heard people using “DH” to mean husband. Is that a known abbreviation? lol Seems like it would be much simpler to just say “my husband goes by Jack”.

Beth on May 26th, 2009

I will not criticize you for not liking when people name children things to specifically call them by a nickname, i know plenty of people who have asked me ‘then why didn’t she just name you Beth?’ In this case, Elizabeth is a family name which she really liked but my nickname specifically comes from Beth in Little Women which is my mom’s favorite book and where she first found a love for the name Beth. I have always had the choice to go by something other than Beth but I have always felt it is a more feminine nickname than Liz and I don’t like any of the other nicknames for Elizabeth. Besides that I find people think it’s really neat when I explain to them that I was named for family and for my mom’s favorite story.lol.

I do however have about a thousand and one silly nicknames from my family which range from my little cousins who call me Bethy to my brother who often calls me “Bethany” or “Bethlahem” just to be funny and my dad who sometimes calls me “Bepper”.

I think what my family (and I’m sure others as well) likes about nicknames is that they ensinuate a certain amount of familiarity and closeness to a person when you aren’t calling them by their formal name.
In my brother’s case, I think he has a very cool name. We always tease him that it sounds very blue-blood. Also, he actually changed it himself as to how he signs his name to official documents and writes “W. Davidson Jones”

CelebBabyLover on May 27th, 2009

Christina- Yes, and DH actually IS easier to use when you type a lot.

Anyway, the only person in my family who has an actual nickname (outside of family nicknames, I mean), is my father. In fact, everyone knows him by his nickname and never uses his given name except for formal occasions (such as when filling out government forms or when he’s interviewed for a job or something).

That said, what Lorena mentioned is exactly what my grandmother did. She gave my mom a short name so that she couldn’t be nicknamed and teased by kids. Well, guess what? It didn’t work! The kids nicknamed my mom anyway (and trust me, none of the nicknames were very flattering!). Today she has two nicknames….But both of them are very endearing ones. One is what her friends call her, the other is what my dad calls her.

Sam & Freya's Mum on May 27th, 2009

Alex, I’m same as you, liked shorter names that can’t be shortened, son isn’t short for Samuel just Sam as hubby didn’t like the full version for some reason, but it’s stuck and he’s a Sam to us, can’t imagine the full version now, but I didn’t mind longer version or shorter but figured we’d call him Sam anyhow, less ‘pretentious’ for us, so just the way it worked whereas Freya is her name, not shortened at all. My sis did the same called her son Jake as figured Jacob,which they considered, would be shortened to Jake anyhow…

Sam & Freya's Mum on May 27th, 2009

Alex, I’m same as you, liked shorter names that can’t be shortened, son isn’t short for Samuel just Sam as hubby didn’t like the full version for some reason, but it’s stuck and he’s a Sam to us, can’t imagine the full version now, but I didn’t mind longer version or shorter but figured we’d call him Sam anyhow, less ‘pretentious’ for us, so just the way it worked whereas Freya is her name, not shortened at all. My sis did the same called her son Jake as figured Jacob,which they considered, would be shortened to Jake anyhow…

Sam & Freya's Mum on May 27th, 2009

Alex, I’m same as you, liked shorter names that can’t be shortened, son isn’t short for Samuel just Sam as hubby didn’t like the full version for some reason, but it’s stuck and he’s a Sam to us, can’t imagine the full version now, but I didn’t mind longer version or shorter but figured we’d call him Sam anyhow, less ‘pretentious’ for us, so just the way it worked whereas Freya is her name, not shortened at all. My sis did the same called her son Jake as figured Jacob,which they considered, would be shortened to Jake anyhow…

Monie on May 27th, 2009

My daughter’s name is Marissa Eva and we have always called her Mimi since before she was born. When she started pre-school she decided she wanted to be called Marissa, but of course her friends called her Mimi too! Now she is mostly Marissa. Our family makes up all kinds of nicknames so our kids answer to everything. Alexander Jonathon is Alex but was also Lexie since his bff called him that since he learned to talk. And Al. Francesca Eva is Cesca, usually Francesca at school. My husband’s name is Jon and most people think it’s short for Jonathon. His parents didn’t want him to have a nickname but I and our friends call him Jonnie. My name is Monica but I prefer to be called Monie. I feel nicknames show love and caring.

JB on May 27th, 2009

One name may not suit a person during all phases/stages/moods of life and my husband felt it was nice to have a name that lends itself to several variations. We are Jennifer/Jenny/Jen and Michael/Mikey/Mike depending on who we’re with or what we’re doing. Our girls are Sofia/Sofi/Sof, Jillian/Jilly/Jill, and Olivia/Livvie/Liv… shortenend versions of names and nicknames are often terms of endearment and familiarity.

Reggie on May 28th, 2009

My name is Regina Eleni and I really hate both names. At school people call me Leni and at home I am Reggie. I like both those names better.

Olivia on May 29th, 2009

My parents named me Olivia. I always went by Olivia in school and with friends. Just my parents and my siblings call me Liv/Livie sometimes.
All my siblings went mostly by their given names (Julia, Patrick and Caitlin). Rarely by Jules, Pat and Cait.
My dad always goes by Chris instead of Christopher. My mom is Anne and she goes by Anne.