It's been tricky this time around. About 1/2 way through we settled on a girls name. We are still working on a boys name. And since Givinya had a boy, I am feeling pretty certain that this baby will also be a boy :) Afterall, our last two children turned out to be the same sex, and we both "felt" like our current babies would be boys also. So I am conivinced. I dont however know for sure, so it may be a girl... but I think it's a boy....
Anyhow. We are still working on a name if it is infact a boy.
What are your thoughts on our dilema... Do you go ahead with a name that you both like in its full form even if you dislike most of the shortened forms that, lets face it, he would most likely recieve at some stage of his life. Particulary in his school years. And its those shortened names that often stick throughout their life.
We are not sure.... I dont want to say the actual name we are thinking about, but I will use Richard as an example. Lets say we really like Richard, but really dislike like; Ritchie, Dick, Rick, Rich.... Do we still call the child Richard anyway, even though it may at one point in it's life get called one of those other short forms by his peers?
*sigh* If only Swift Jim liked Henry..... ;)
ETA: In Australia it is not uncommon for people to add an "O" onto the end of a name. For example... Damo (Damien), Thommo (Thomas), Jonno (Jonathan)... I find it incredibly bogan and fear the name we like is susceptable to such a shortening... ICK
6 comments:
Hmmm. That's a tricky one. You can insist on people just using the full version of the name but there's no guarantee they will listen to you. Sometimes they do - one of my nephews is named Benjamin and because his parents only EVER called him Benjamin the rest of us tended to follow suit without them having to insist. He's now 18 and has stated he prefers to be called Ben... we're all finding it very hard to change!
I can sympathise though - you know my name in real life and I much prefer the full version of it but people constantly shorten it to just the first bit even when I tell them I really prefer the whole thing. Sometimes people even ask "Should I call you 'XX' or 'XXXX'?" and I say, "Well, I really prefer 'XXXX'," and they STILL call me 'XX'.
I have found that most people who name their child Bradley- call them Bradley- never the shortened version. However, the kids will always shorten! Good luck! I liked Henry when I was pregnant with one of my kids- but didn't like Hank- so crossed it off.
Ooh, tricky. Femina was right, you cna insiste on the long form, but people will still make you mad by shortening it.
A friend of ours is actually "Richard" but in Year 6 he became Rocco, after hating "Dick" and "Dickie". This paragraph has nothing to do with the discussion at all. It's just that you mentioned the name Richard.
Let's face it my dear, you'll blow your mind over this question then have a girl.
I suggest:
1. get a book of weird baby names
2. put on a blindfold
3. randomly select a page
4. point to a name with a pin
5. Tell Swift Jim that that's the one you're going to insist on if he doesn't like Henry
6. Rest assured, no Aussie will ever shorten it to Hank, so unless he moves to the USA he's safe.
Basically, in Australia it will get shortened if it is in any way possible to do it - so if there is no acceptable shortening you like, don't do it. My Mum has always hated every short version of her name, answers to nothing except the full version and people still call her by a short version (she usually ignores them).
The other option is to give them another nickname entirely, but really, what's the point?
I have no idea.
I'm awful with names. I do like the name Henry though.
Shortening long names is one thing, but most Aussies I know will also LENGTHEN short names. There's nothing you can do.
All kids grow into their names, so whatever you pick will be "right" within weeks! And if you do have a boy, you'll have to call him by his superhero name anyway.
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