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Names We Love... and the Nicknames We Hate!!
I realized today, while looking through names, that I adore Elinor (that spelling only), probably because of it's association with the brainy Elinor Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility. However-I detest the nickname Ellie. Detest! We're talking Nevaeh, Lily, Seraphina type of loathe. But that nickname is sort of... destined. It's almost a law of nature that someone at some point would refer to her as that.
What names do you love but are hesitant to use because of their nicknames? Or vice versa, even? I for one think Edie is beautiful- even though I'm not terribly fond of Edith.
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Elizabeth | Lizzy ........or any of the "L" nicknames. I actually like Buffy, in a fun kind of way. I like the idea of the Queen being call Lilibet, though.On the flip side, I love the name Lola but hate Dolores. I have an issue with using nicknames as names, though, so I could never use (either of them). =(I also like Jack but not John.My friend prefers to be called Mandy over Amanda; she hates the name.I'm actually not a NN person overall. I call people by their full names (except Mandy), no matter how long they are (like my friend Anastasia, whom everyone else calls Ana). If I name my kid Ignatius, it's because I want him to be called Ignatius. I didn't name him Iggy, because I don't want him to be called Iggy. =D
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I love Lizzie
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Geoffrey!I adore Geoffey, but I absolutley loathe Geoff/Jeff, and I think it's pretty much unavoidable with that one :( My mum's ex-boyfriend is Jeff, and it's a terrible association for me- we hated him from the start, for some very good reasons.I do worry that potential future dd Elodia, who would most of the time be called Elodie, will get the nn Ellie. Ellie's fine, just not for my child thankyou. And ditto everyone else ont eh Lillian nn Lily. Lillian is so lovely. Oh, and Catherine nn Cathy, althoguh I don't mind Kate. Love Nathaniel, can't stand Nate. Love Patrick, hate Pat. On the flip side, I adore Emmy, but not any of the names it coudl be a nn for. I love Aerie, but I can't find a full anme for it and it's too nicknamey for me. I like Charlie, but not Charles.
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I like:Daniel/ Daniella but not Dan/ Danny
Christian but not Chris
Alexander/Alexandra but not Alex
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I AgreeI'm so tired of Alex.I much prefer Sasha, or even Xander. For a girl, I like Zandra, but that's more to do with a character from TV than the name itself. ;)Really, though, I'd just call Alexander by his full name. It's preferable over all of the nicknames.Daniel is definitely better than Dan. They seem like two different people.
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I dislike all the nicknames for:
Beatrice/Beatrix
Caroline/Carolina
Charlotte
Frances & Francis
Patrick
Victoria
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Benjamin and NatalieSo Nat reminds me of rodent snouts. "N" is kind of a vain letter and having a short name just emphasizes the N. That`s why I prefer Allie as a nickname, as well as the fact that I hate Allison, Alyssa etc
And Benjamin is very dignified and reminds me of the Biblical character, who for some reason I always onneted with. But Ben is one of those names that just pops up everywhere, and it`s become blase, and sometimes you don`t know what it`s short for, if anyhtthing, and it just drives me crazy.
Joshua. It`s so Old Testament, and belongs to such sweet, moral people. And then they ome along with Josh. Josh has such an awkward sound, wht with the J and the SH. And it`s "too short" in a way. Feels incomplete. Completely looses its effect when I see a billion cookie-cutter, jocky "Josh Smith"s.
Robbie is sweet and comforting, but Robert has that ugly "Bert" sound, it becomes an average "lumbering" name. And Dannys are all so charming, while Daniel has kind of a brattish sound in its last syllable. Also, my own name (Bethany) drives me insane when people say Beth instead. Bethany is a really cool, historic New Testament name that`s not too usual. Beth, however, is the name of every other fat middle-aged woman working in her garden in a tight floral pattern shirt and sun-hat, who goes to her "Mothers agianst Teenagers" meetings regularly.
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Agree about Nat and Ben! [m]I disagree about Daniel / Danny, though. To me, Danny sounds like a boy who is sweet to adults' faces but disrespects them behind their backs. Danny sounds incredibly brattish to me, while Daniel at least feels like a more "open" name.
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Penelope such a beautiful, regal name reduced to a Penny:-(Josephine -royal, feminine, graceful, and then you get Joey:-(Agree, with previous posters Gabriel -Gabe, Rafael -Rafe and Nathaniel -Nate, yuck! They're all on my boy's list and I thank God that I live in a country where children are called by their full names.
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AwwI love Penny! I agree, though, about it being reduced from Penelope; I like the name on it's own (I wouldn't use it, but it's pretty). =)Penelope should be called Penelope. It's a good name; no nickname necessary.

This message was edited 3/3/2009, 4:14 AM

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I love Alex for a girl, but I *hate* Alexandra, Alexis, Alexia, etc. The first sounds too regal for my taste, and the others are too common.I also like Donovan for a boy, but hate the fact that he'd probably be called Don. I never liked Don; horrible name.
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I love Bartholomew, but hate Bart. Not only does it make me think of the Simpsons, it sounds ugly
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For me, it's:
Christabel and Chrysanthe (despise Chris and Chrissy)
Séraphine (a family name I adore, but would be quickly shortened to Sara, gag)
James (Jamie, Jim and Jimmy, barf)
Cassandra (Cassie, ick)
August (for either boy or girl - Gus is cute but has terrible associations for me)...and that's all that come to mind at the moment.
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Most of these names aren't ones that I necessarily love, but I at least like them.Boys:
Alaric - I hate Ricky. I'm not too crazy about Al either, but at least I like it a bit better than Ricky.
Alexander - I don't like Alex.
William - I don't care for Bill, Billy, and Willy. Will is okay.
Jonathan - I don't care for the NN Johnny/Jonny.
Nathaniel - I don't care for Nathan and Nate.
Frederick - I really don't like Fred and Freddie.
Nicholas - I don't like Nick.
Daniel - I'm not a big of Dan and Danny.
James - I don't care for Jamie.Charlie - I don't care for Charles.
Jack - I don't care for John.Girls:
Elizabeth - I really dislike Liz and Lizzy. Elizabeth is way too common for me to even consider plus it's just not one of my absolute favorite names, but if it were, at least there are plenty of other NN options.
Victoria - I don't care for Vicky. Tori is fine though.
Susannah - I think Susannah is pretty, but I can't stand Susie.
Gabrielle - I don't care for Gabby.

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This message was edited 3/2/2009, 5:54 PM

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Vincent and James.Vincent and James are two of my all time favorite names but I don't like any of their nn's at all. I can do without Vince, Vinnie, Jim, Jimmy, etc.
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You don't like Jamie? Awww... :)Ditto about Vincent, though.
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There's always Ella
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Posting another response because I think editing this into my other one would get too muddled.The vice versa situation: I adore Edie. I really like Edith, too, so that wouldn't be a problem to me, but Edie as a full name would be absolutely Fine with a capital "F". I do not understand the hate people get on over nicknames as full names. Why saddle the child with a whole long ugly name if you're never going to call them that? If the intent is to call her Edie the whole time, why deal with Edith at all? Just shove Edith out of the picture. She doesn't exist. Poof! Gone!The fierce hate of nns-as-fns does actually surprise me. How is it in any way a big deal? I fail to understand this./tangent
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I guess it's because they sound unprofessional. A name does matter, especially on a job application. It has been proven that people with certain names get more interviews than people with other names, even if they have the same skills. In the study it was done with classic English names vs African American names and the one with the English name (I think it was Emily) got invited way more often than the one with the African American name (I think it was Shaniqua but I'd have to look it up). Which is really terrible. I think it doesn't only apply to names of different origin but also to nickname names. I do think that an Emily Jones might get invited more often than an Emmy Jones, simply because her name sounds more professional. There are pretty interesting studies about that, I think you would find some on the internet.Personally, I'd be really embarrassed just having t introduce myself as Fifi or even Katie at the age of 22 or so. They sound so immature. This is of course just my opinion.
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I agree with Edie! I adore Edie, and would even consider using Edith which I don't love (but don't mind) just so I could have an Edie.Some of mine:
Alexandra - I could possibly deal with Sasha or maybe Alex but I would be scared she would get Allie or Lexie and I hate both
Emmeline - I love this as a full name and if I could get my way, would nn her Millie, but I think the nn Em or Emmy is unavoidable and I despise both
Lillian - I adore Lillian but cannot stand Lilly
Evie / Evey- I am not a lover of any of the full names for Evie. I don't mind them on other people's kids but I am just not sold on them for my own. But I really love Evie
Charlie - I adore this on a boy but while Charlie is fun, sweet and charming, I find Charles snotty and pretentious
Jacob - I hate Jake with a fiery passion
Matteo and Matthias - I really loathe the nn Matt and I feel it is impossible to avoid completelyETA: Josie as a nn- I find it so spunky but Josephine and Josepha make me think of domineering Catholic nuns...

This message was edited 3/2/2009, 3:24 PM

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I know a few Jacobs that just go by Jacob. It's actually really weird to think of calling them Jake x_x doesn't fit them at all. Jacob isn't even that long so I don't think people will go out of their way to make it Jake.
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Every Jacob I know gets shortened to Jake. I know there are exceptions out there but to be honest, you wanting them to be that exception can only go so far. I don't think I could deal with it if my Jacob *chose* to go by Jake. I would rather to avoid that possibility and not call him Jacob at all which is sad :-(
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How about Eden nn Edie? I hate Allie and Lexie as well. I love Emmeline as well. I wouldn't mind Emme at all (pronounced like Em) and doubt that people would call her Millie (I don't even see how you could get Millie out of Emmeline) but fear people would call her Emma which I hate.I kind of like Evolet nn Evie. I also love Eve.I hate Matt as well. As with Jacob it's the opposite for me. I can stand Jake but hate Jacob. I dislike Josie but Josephine is fine. Do you happen to like Josefina?
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Hahah wow-I am an Eden (who loves Edie but isn't sold on Edith), and my sister's grand uncle used to always call me Edie. I think it's part of the reason I like the nickname. :)But I don't think I'd ever name my child after myself, even as a middle name.
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I don't like anything Josie can be a nn for :-(I quite like Eden but I don't love it...I like it about the same as Edith so it is a much of a muchness!I get Millie from Emmeline quite easily...I don't pronounce the middle e sound like an eh but like an ee...em-mil-een is how it breaks down for me. So Millie is actually a really natural nn for me and people would call her Millie if that is what she was raised to be called- just like my sister gets called Daisy even though she is Marguerite- it is how you raise them. But Em and Emmy would be nearly impossible to avoid once she got to school
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Ah okay, I pronounce it EM-meh-line ;)
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It's funny how different the pronunciations can beBut they are still both legit.It is also funny how nicknames can catch on or not. Like I very much doubt anyone would just call my little sister Daisy unless her parents had actually initiated it from the time she was born. Same with my niece Norah- Norah is a less natural nn from Eleanor than Ellie for example. It is generally a conscious decision to call an Eleanor Norah. Millie for Emmeline would have to be the same.
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Agree with you about LillianI love Lillian, I think it's such a sweet, goodnatured name but I can't stand Lily either! Lilly I might stomach, but I much, much prefer Lillian.

This message was edited 3/2/2009, 3:24 PM

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Gabriel and Judith [eta Gregory, Juliet, Lorelei, Raphael]Gabe and Judy = icky.Greg, Julie, Lorie and Rafe/Raphie all make me want to vomit. Why mess with such beautiful names to begin with? How can you possibly want to say Lorie over Lorelei? How can you not revel over saying it all out the long way? Lorelei. Loreleeeeiiiii. Lorrrrrelei. Come on. Lorie? No!
I don't tend to think in nickname mode, because I know the names and combos I come up with will never be used on real people, so I can be as rigid/fanciful/strict as I like. All names I like are full names, never nicknames (except Lena for Helena (heh-LEH-na) and Pasha for Pavel).Ok, let's see... Aliz could become Al or Liz, which are gross.
Asha could be Ash, ew.
Salvador =/= Sal.
Montserrat =/= Monty.
Tamar =/= Tam.Luckily most of the names I like can be shortened to things I actually like (Wesley to Wes, Isobel to Izzy and so on.)

This message was edited 3/2/2009, 3:24 PM

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When I hear Raphael...... I want to shorten it to Rafa, always. I think it's because of Naadal.
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GregoryI don't really like Greg either, but I think Rory could work as a nn. Which is good because I adore Gregory.
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I'm just replying to this because I know a Judith who has a son named Gabriel! Just thought that was funny. I agree on the names, too.
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Haha, funny!g
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Tamar - Tam breaks my heart :P imagine you name your kid the beautiful interesting Tamar and people call her Tam. To me that's as bad as calling Seraphina "Sera" or Emmeline "Emma".
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*nods*Oh I know. It's for that reason exactly that I hate people calling me "Shay". Not that they ever do. But it just gives me the shivers!
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Love Gabriel and Judith!
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I love Elinor as well and I hate Ellie. It's so ugly. I think Elinor is still safe to use. I doubt that most people would refer to her as Ellie. For some reason I always imagine an Elinor would rather get called Nell, which I'm okay with. I mean there are so many Ellas out there and I've never even met one who got called Ellie.I love Priscilla, but I really really dislike Prissy. I do however like Cilla. I also love Richard, but dislike all nicknames for it. I think I could stand the occasional Rich, but I want to throw up (sorry) when I hear Rick or Ricky. Or Richie. I even like Dick and Dickie better than Rick and Ricky. Yeah, that's how much I hate Ricky :PI like Cecilia but I dislike Celia so I hope people wouldn't call her that or Cece which I also dislike. Oh and I love Victoria. I can stand Vicky for some reason, but would never call her that. I hate Tori and Vic.
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Samantha and GillianI love both those names but I HATE Sam and Gill/Jill (I like Jilly, though). I plan on using them as MN's, but I'd still love to use them as FN's.
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Sam vs SamanthaI really prefer Sam to Samantha on a girl for some reason! Same with Sue vs Susanne or Susannah.
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Edward. I hate Eddie, Ed, all of that. I've liked the name since I was 8 but I've always hated those nicknames. x_x I used to agree about Elizabeth, but Lizzy/Lizzie and Beth have grown on me though I wouldn't use Beth. Elijah. I love the name, can't stand Eli.
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Catherine. I wouldn't say I hate the nicknames, but I don't like any of them. Cate would be my favorite, but it just doesn't excite me that much.Theodore and Edward are others. I'm really not fond of Ed, Ned, Ted, Teddy, Eddie, etc.I have the opposite problem with Effie. I love it, but it needs a full name. I don't hate full names that it could be a nn for, but I don't love Euphemia or Josephine (and those are the only two I can think of that it could be short for).
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Agree with you about Catherine, Theodore and EdwardI love Catherine, and Cate would be my favourite but it still does nothing for me. Thus, if I used Catherine it would have to be in the mn spot. Catie's too cute, Cath's too informal, Cate isn't as preferable to Kate, and Cathy's too dated. I really like Theodore, and though I'm iffy about Edward, all of the Edward nicknamed could apply to my prefered Edgar.
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I know a Kathryn that goes by Kathryn and only Kathryn. I've never seen anyone try to shorten it either. When someone is always refered to as a name, most people tend to just use what they hear.
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I agree about using what you hear. My son's name is Benjamin, which I think would fall under the category of names that people would automatically shorten, and even though we call him Ben and never Benjamin, people still ask what we call him or call him Benjamin until told otherwise.
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I feel you on the Elinor "Ellie" thing. I love Eleanor and I want to use it, but I'll probably have to constantly tell people not to call her Ellie. Elle / Ella I don't mind a whole lot, but they seem very trendy. I greatly prefer Nora. Same goes for Matilda, I love it, but I would never use Mattie. It's much to close to the trendy Maddie which is the name of about 10 little girls born in my town. I also hate Katy / Katie as a nickname for Kathleen / Katharine / Katherine and so on, but they seem inevitable.

This message was edited 3/2/2009, 2:20 PM

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I don't think that nicknames are inevitable. I know loads of Carolines, all called Caro but I've only been called it a few times and I didn't even realise they meant me when they said it. If a child is brought up without a nickname I don't think he or she suddenly would listen to a nickname. In general I'm not very fond of nicknames and I don't really see the point besides the occasional shortening of a long name.
There is one nickname I absolutely hate. Alex! Ugh! What annoys me is the fact that it can be a nickname for both Alexander and Alexandra (it's even worse for a girl) and that Alex can be a name on its own. Confusing and I don't like the sound of it. Alexander is gorgeous, strong and masculine. Alex is just blah. I'm yet to meet an Alexander who isn't called Alex.
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Ditto.My brother has always been Cristian, not Cris, and I've always been Shayna, not Shay. To the best of my knowledge, few people ever tried to shorten our names as kids, and a simple "actually, it's Cristian, not Cris" form my mom nipped it right in the bud. The first time I even encountered someone trying to shorten my name was about three years ago, and I just said "don't", and they didn't. Easy peasy.

This message was edited 3/2/2009, 3:11 PM

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I've known quite a few women named Caroline and they've never been called Caro... And I agree with you about Alexander! Love it, but I could never use Alex.
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I think I'm just irked by the idea that anyone, EVER would call her Ellie. I suppose it could be established early on- such as calling her Nora from day one or something- but for the most part, someone would call her that at some point. The terribly thing about Alex is that the combination of being pretty popular for both genders makes it hugely popular over all- my friends say that every year at Jew Camp, there are always at least twenty or thirty kids called Alex.
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I've never heard of Caro as a nn for Caroline (must be a Swedish thing). It's really cool, actually. Except that it wouldn't be too great to use in the US because of Caro syrup.I know a lot of people here hate Alex on a girl, but I personally like it a lot and have since I was little. I'd name my daughter Alexandra and call her Alex. Sorry. :PI don't hate Alex on a boy, but I think it's boring because there are SO many of them. I like it better than Xander though.

This message was edited 3/2/2009, 2:24 PM

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Alexandra..adore the name, hate all the nicknames!
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Elizabeth. I love the name itself and I've come up with a combo (Elizabeth Mary, or Elizabeth Rosemary) but I don't think I would ever use a nickname for it. The only one that makes sense to me is Lizzie even though the ones that I like such as Elise, Lisa, Beth, Elspeth, etc. just don't make sense as a nickname for Elizabeth. So I'd probably just use Elizabeth if I ever came around to it. ETA: Alexander! I love how romantic it sounds in full, but I couldn't bear to call my son Alex, or Xander or anything! I could consider calling him "Sandy" as a pet name, but I all the Alexanders/Alexandras I have ever known have been called Alex or Alexa or some other nickname. That's why I love it in the middle name spot (Noam Alexander).

This message was edited 3/2/2009, 2:09 PM

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I agree about Elizabeth. I love it and would use it. There are a lot of nicknames I really dislike (Betty, Betsy, Bessie, Lisa, Elise, Liza, Liz, Bette...), a few nicknames that do nothing for me but aren't bad (Beth, Lizzie, Eliza), and then that leaves the three that I do like (Ellie, Libby, Lily), but none that I love and could really see myself using. Elizabeth's like my #3 name anyway, so I don't think I have to worry about it.
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Same, Elizabeth's my number 3 as well. It bumped Rilla and I'm hoping I don't have three girls because the most children I would want is three and I think I would go crazy with all girls.I've toyed with using Leslie, but it still doesn't feel right.

This message was edited 3/2/2009, 2:30 PM

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I agree about Elizabeth. Beautiful name, ruined by nicknames!
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Constance!!Constance! I really don't like Connie, but I love Constance. If I ever have a daughter I don't know if I would use Constance because people might call her Connie. wdyt?

This message was edited 3/2/2009, 2:03 PM

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The first nn I think of for Constance is Nancy. I've never ever thought of Connie before, and I don't like it.
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I plan on using Cote as a NN for Constance. I don't like Connie either.
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They wouldn't call her Connie if you didn't call her Connie.I have a friend named Constance who goes by Connie.
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Hahah, it's crazy that you'd post that- my own aunt is named Constance, and is called Connie by everyone, even though she abbhors it and insists everyone call her Constance. It's certainly an inevitable nickname at some point, though I do know a teenage Constance who has managed to make it very clear that she is NOT "Connie." Maybe you could use it as a middle name?
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I don't know hahah. I think if I did have a daughter she could deal with it like the teenage Constance you know. My name's Kate and I tell anyone off for calling me Katie hahah so whatever =)
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CrispinI really like this name, but can't use it because of the horrible, inevitable nn of Crispy.
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For some reason I highly doubt he'd be called Crispy. Don't know why, just a strong feeling.
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