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Virginia is in my top 10. I love it. I worry about "virgin" teasing some, and about what it would be like to be a 13-year-old Virginia, but I love it. I think it sounds intelligent, strong, and gorgeously feminine, so I imagine the parents of a Virginia as people who would appreciate those qualities. I've never met a Virginia who was less than 50 years older than me. Considering that it has spent most of the past 120 years in the top 500, I'm always surprised by how few Virginias I've met.

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I always say there's no such thing as unavoidable nicknames as long as both the parents and the child are committed to correcting anyone who tries to shorten the name. Unless you're dealing with jerks, most people will respect your wishes and call you what you want to be called. The problem with Virginia, though, is that I suspect a sensitive tween or teen Virginia might actually want a nn, at least for a few years, so she could adopt one you hate.

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Out of curiosity, what is it about Ginny that you think cheapens Virginia? I often describe myself as not much of a nickname person, but I embrace Virginia's nicknames because I want to give my daughter an "out" if she has a hard time with her name at some point. Ginny is the nn I'd most likely use; I think it's as sunny and friendly as Jenny but with more pluck.