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Margaret!

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Because there are so many forms of this name no one can help themselves.

I have always just gone by Catherine without a nickname. When I introduce myself to someone new I often get asked what I prefer to be called, and I just tell people I go by Catherine. Every now and then someone will call me Katie out of the blue, but that rarely happens. I also know Andrews, Jennifers, Elizabeths, Jacobs and Roberts who go by their full names.

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Some names that I feel have inevitable NN's:
Christopher
Benjamin
Samuel
Joshua
Timothy

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Those are a couple I can think of that people always seem to shorten no matter what. I can't think of any girls names like that right now, though.

I have always called my brother Robert, his whole life. Most of the C/Katherines I've known have gone by their full name.

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I think three syllables is enough to go by the full name, but any more than that will probably demand a nickname.

Good question. It's true, for instance, that I've never met a Thomas who doesn't go by Tom. And Jennifer is most often Jen.
But, on the other hand, I've met a couple of Elizabeth who were just Elizabeth.

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I think until your kids are young, you can control what they get called and make it clear that you aren't happy with the nicknames. But, once they're old enough to decide for themselves, then it's up to them, obviously, whether they prefer using the full name or some nickname.

William!

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I don't know a single William who doesn't go by Bill, Billy, Will or Willie, (and also one goes by Too Short lol) at least among his friends and family.
Also Patricia. I hardly ever knew one who didn't go by Pat, Patty, Patsy or Trish.

No! I absolutely understand--my brother's name is Philip, and my mom has made sure he's never become a Phil; it's pretty easy, too. I know a family of Andrew, Eleanor, and Henry, and except for the occasional Ellie, they aren's shortened (to, say, Andy, Ella, and Hank, or Drew, Nora, and Harry.) I've heard many Jacobs-but-not-Jakes (it's a very popular name where I'm from), and etc. I agree that William sounds best just as that, although I do like Will and Liam, and Matilda is pretty long, although I have an obsession with the nn Millie. I don't think you'd have to worry about Elizabeth and Nathaniel, either (I do, however, like Libby/Elsie and Nate.)
It's whatever's up to you--and the kid, of course.

I don't hink ALL names have to get shortened. I know people named Andrew, Danielle, Jacob (this one's my brother), Robert, Michael, and Katherine who don't go by any nicnames or shortened forms. I know an Elizabeth who used to go by Izzy but is now starting to go by Elizabeth. So, having a name that is commonly shortened doesn't mean it has to be.

Alexander to Alex definitely

As long as you tell people they won't, but I find the kids nickname themselves :)

Bottom line: Do NOT give your child a name if there is a nickname for that name that you hate. As others have pointed out, it's entirely possible for a person with a name that is usually shortened to go by the full name. But it's always a possibility that the child him or herself may choose to go by a commonly accepted nickname when he or she is older, and if you hate that nickname, it's better to avoid the name. My husband went by his middle name James, and the nickname chosen by his parents was Jamie. He decided when in his teens that he'd rather be called Jim. His mom endlessly complained about this. But it was a possibility that she should have foreseen.

Some people will always want to make a nickname. I have a son named Stephen, never Steve or Stevie. Just STEPHEN. Some people immediately say Steve and we correct them right away, and usually that is the end of that, although I through a fit when he got a baseball trophy that said "Steve"!

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I also have a son named Joseph, and I WANTED to use the nickname "JoJo" and some people say "Joey" and he totally ignores them! ROFL! It's JoJo or Joseph but never Joey!

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People can be hard headed but they learn!

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Oh I have a dd named Jessie. Just Jessie. She had a teacher that always called her Jessica no matter how much she insisted that her full name is just Jessie! Drove the kid UP A WALL!!!!

I know Andrews, Roberts, Jennifers, Katherines, Nathaniels, Jacobs and Elizabeths who don't have nicknames. Of course most of the Katherines later insisted on going by Kat or Kitty and the Elizabeths became Beth eventually. I think some people enjoy having a nickname among friends. Most of the ones I know went by their full name up until jr. high or high school and then starting going by a nickname of their choice. So yes, I think for a while you could get away with not having a nickname, but over time one kind of evolves.

I think it's just a peculiarity about your acquaintances (or maybe it's peculiar about mine). Cause I know a Robert, a Jennifer, a Kathryn, and 2 Katherines who all go by their full names. I also know plenty of people who don't but I'm just saying it's not inevitable (all of these people are between 17 and 22).

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I don't think that shortening is ineveitable, though it would happen on occasion. i.e. My friend Nathaniel gets called Nathan and Nate by like 5 people and other people randomly call him Nathan but he's mostly Nathaniel. I also know 2 Elizabeths who go by there full names. One gets called Zab occasionally and the other gets called Liz. I've never met an Eleanor or a Matilda so I can't speak for those ones. Every William I've ever met has their name shortened, but I don't think I've ever met a human named Jacob who shortened their name except for in the casual manner I mentioned with my friend Nathaniel being called Nathan. They were all Jacob most of the time.

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Sorry. That was a bit disorganized, but I hope I converyed my point.

Yes, but no. There are some names that everyone would expect to be shortened. Like people would assume if your name is Thomas or Michael that you go by Tom or Mike.

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But it's quite possible to not go by a nickname. I have found that people will call your child in whatever way you introduce them. If I introduce Ben as Benjamin, people will either call him Benjamin or ask if I call him Ben. My husband's little brothers are Joshua and Daniel, not Josh and Dan, and they're introduced by their full names and people call them by their full names.

I don't think they would inevitably be shortened. I know an Elizabeth with no nicknames, as well as a Jacob. I think Matilda could easily avoid a nickname. William is trickier though.

I think most longer names are inevitably shortened unless you make a conscious decision to use their full name and only their full name. Of course, you couldn't stop other people from calling them by a nickname. Plus there is always the chance that the child may prefer a nickname to their full name.

You could always just correct people and leave it up to your hypothetical child to decide later on. Personally I don't think most people would immediately shorten Eleanor or Matilda because they're less common and have a couple of nickname choices.

Want to know something funny? My grandmother called her children by their full names: Ronald, Rebecca, Michael, Denise, and Gregory. You know what people call them now? Ronnie, Becky, Mike, Dede, and Greg. Really, it's all up to the individual; despite my grandmother correcting people, her kids grew up and didn't give a damn if people called them by their nicknames. Whatever your child is comfortable with, that's what they will be called, so you never know.

I know more than one William, an Elizabeth, well I don't know any Eleanors but I think it's easy to do sans nickname, a Nathaniel, umma lso no Matildas, and a Jacob who don't have their names shortened. I know several Katherines and several Jennifers and at least one Andrew, a Joshua, two Philips... long story short, yeah, I think people will call them what you want them to call them.

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I do think the neo anti-nickname attitude is pretty weird, though. But that's just opinion.

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eta: I also know a Joseph, a Benjamin, two Matthews.

This message was edited 6/27/2009, 3:21 PM

I've known Andrews, Jennifers, and Katherines without nicknames. It's names like Joseph, Matthew, Benjamin, and Thomas that people seem to think must have a nickname. Maybe Elizabeth too, at least where I live. It's almost always shortened to Liz.

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EDIT: It's a shame, because I love Joseph as a full name. Matthew is nice too.

This message was edited 6/27/2009, 3:15 PM

I've known an Elizabeth, a Jacob, a few Roberts, and quite a few Andrews, that did not have nicknames. Sometimes close relatives or very close friends would give them one but generally they're called by their full name. I find what a kid is introduced as and what the people around him/her call them is what they're called by other people. I know a Kathryn who just goes by Kathryn, and once someone called her Kate and we all gave her weird looks and she even had a weird look. Elizabeth was the only one I've ever questioned if she had a nickname she went by and she just said no and I was like "Okay." and she's just Elizabeth to me.

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As long as you're persistent in calling your son Jacob, and introduce him as Jacob, most people pick it up. The kid may grow to want to be called Jake though which is up to him I guess, you can't really control what he likes and doesn't like.