I was thinking about names shared by several of my acquaintances (Andrew, Robert, Jennifer, Katherine) and realised that they all go by nicknames. I know two Drews, two Andys, three Robbies, a Rob, a Bert, five Jens, a Jenny, two Kates, a Kitty and a Kathy.
That set me to wondering - do some names always get shortened? Several of my favourite names may fall into that category - William, Elizabeth, Eleanor, Matilda, Nathaniel, Jacob - all names that I would prefer
not shortened. It may even put me off naming my children them. What do you think? Would they inevitably be shortened? Then again, people can gain nicknames for other reasons I suppose.