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Gwen is wonderful. I think people are just so used to the flowery long names in vogue now that anything less than 3 syllables and/or 8 letters feels "incomplete". Even if, like Gwen / Lucy / Rose they're a perfectly legitimate full name. Short and sweet is my favorite type of name.

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That's bizarre about Lily. Lily is a full name, just as Lucy is. Lucasta and Lucinda and the like all evolved as nicknames for Lucy.

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Could you sell him of Guinevere with the nickname Vera?

Gah, how I hate when I page off a message I'm writing to look up a name, and page back and my message is gone.

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Have you thought about Tegwen?
I like Gwenyth a lot, or just plain Gwen. I'd be most inclined to use Gwendolyn just because I'm most comfy with it.

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Not sure what's up with needing full names, but I def have the syndrome, especially with boy names. I guess because short forms beg the question of what's it short for? and I would not like to bear a short form and have no answer to that.

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Names I'd use that I'm not enamored of, and would use short form almost exclusively for address:

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Gwendolyn or Gwenyth (Gwen)
Julia (Julie)
Edith or Eden (Edie)
Marjorie (Jorie)
Melanie (Mellie)
Teresa (Tess)
Angela (Angie)
Caroline (Carrie)
Elizabeth (Beth, Ellie, or Liz)

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And a crapton of boy names I could put on that list too.

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Names I'd use the short form as a full name:

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Margot (it's a nickname form, right? not sure)
Kirsty
Sandra
Shelly
Sherry

This message was edited 8/23/2010, 7:36 PM

I love Gwen- names, but I also love just Gwen. I don't think it needs a longer name. I do have issues with just Kate or just Ben. I guess, for me, it depends on the name and the history it has.

I'm with you. Gwen is a perfectly acceptable short full name, like Anne. I'd rather not see it as a nn, especially for Gwendolyn, a name I don't much care for.

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I'm really amazed your relatives didn't want to use Lily by itself. Don't they know a lily is a flower?

I don't think Gwen needs a full name. I'm not a stickler for full names if the nickname is strong enough to stand on its own, and I think Gwen fits the bill. It's sassy and resilient.

Gwen has been used on its own for centuries in Wales, and I don't like any of the longer versions of it much either. I'm always really surprised when people think Rose, Lucy and Lily should be short for something, too.

And what do you think of Gwendolyn?

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Ms. Gwendolyn Brooks makes the name palatable to me, plus the more I saw it the more I like it. It would be very different wheres our surname is so common. Gwendolyn Helen? Gwendolyn Judith? Judith Gwendolyn?

I think it seems like Gwen should be short for something, but since it has a meaning on its own it could definitely work as a full name based on my own definitions. :)

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I'm really torn on what I think of Gwen. On one hand I think it's elegant but quirky and upbeat, but on the other hand I strongly associate it with one of the most obnoxious people I've ever met (this person's wife was named Gwen, and her behavior played into his obnoxiousness).

I don't see the big deal. Use the name you like. However, if your husband really dislikes "just Gwen" how do you two feel about Gwenda? I saw that name in a novel from the 60s and I've always liked it.