View Message

I think they can be troublesome because depending on what they are and how counter-intuitive they are, they can be more work than they are worth. I'm reminded of a girl I went to school with who tried to insist people call her "Ten" (her name was Kristen. Get it? Yeah).

---

I think the main problem with the examples you give is that the nicknames are first and most strongly associated with totally separate names. A Ron will automatically be thought of as a Ronald. A Poppy with be thought of as a Poppy before Penelope. It might make people wonder, if you liked Ron so much, why not call him Ronald in the first place?

---

All that being said I don't really have a problem with such names. I do think that if one wants to use such a name though, one should not get huffy when people don't call Cameron "Ron" automatically or even put up some resistance with that choice.

---

I have a few more-obscure nicknames on my lists, let me see:

---

Babs for Barbara, but I also like it as an option for Blanche
Solly for Solomon
Tolly for Bartholomew
Kathe for Katherine
Nils, Nels and Cole for Nicholas
Hob and Hopkin for Robert
Sasha for Alexander
Diot and Dye for Dionisia
Ibb and Ibby for Isabel
Joyce for Jocosa or Jocasta
Mack for Magnus
Mattie or Matty for Martha
Tenney for Dennis
Wilky for William

Triple post, ignore

---

I agree with mirfak for the most part, but I actually like not so obvious nicknames. Liam for William (well, I suppose it could be obvious), Ona (OH-nuh) for Winona, Etta for Andromeda, etc.

This message was edited 2/16/2011, 5:02 PM

Double post, ignore

---

I agree with mirfak on the most part, but I do like some not-so-obvious nn's. I really like Poppy for Persephone, Liam for William (it's probably obvious for some people though), Elsie for Elisabeth, etc. I have more, but those are from the top of my head

This message was edited 2/16/2011, 5:01 PM

I agree with mirfak on the most part, but I do like some not-so-obvious nn's. I really like Poppy for Persephone, Liam for William (it's probably obvious for some people though), Elsie for Elisabeth, etc. I have more, but those are from the top of my head

---

ETA: just remembered Etta for Andromeda :)

This message was edited 2/16/2011, 5:02 PM

I love nn but I'm picky about it. It should sound natural. Be included in the sound. I hate the switching letters or nn that don't seem to make sense. I'll try to use examples because I'm really picky. Most I like are obvious but some are not.

---

Cameron - Ron (No because it isn't pronounced with the ron sound. It sounds like ren. But I also wouldn't use ren because it isn't part of the written name. The only option for me would be Cam for a boy and Cam or Cammie for a girl.

---

Penelope - Penny is fine. Poppy is not because it doesn't sound like it is actually a nickname for Penelope. No where in the name is a P followed by an o.

---

In response to other responses:
Gretchen doesn't seem like a nn for Margaret. Gretchen seems like a name on it's own.

---

Ginny is fine for Virginia

---

Nan doesn't make sense for Ann to me because why would you switch the n and a?

---

Nell doesn't makes sense for Elizabeth. I mean half of the nn letters aren't in the actual name and the Nell sound isn't in Elizabeth at all. Liz, Lizzie, Lizzy, Eliza, Liza, and Beth are all fine.

---

Jem doesn't seem right for James because of the switching of the e and m and that Jem isn't a sound in James. Jamie is fine though. Even some very common ones don't make sense to me like Jim for James or Jack for John. Or like someone else said Nell for Eleanor or Bob for Robert.

---

My own list and the nn I'd find okay for that name.
Abigail : Ab, Abby, Abbie, Abi, or Gail
Addison: Addie, Add, Ad
Alaina: Laine, Laina
Alana: Lana
Alexander: Alex, Lex, Xander, Andy
Alexandra: Alex, Alexa, Lexi, Lexie, Lexa, Xandra, Andy
Alexandrea: Alex, Alexa, Lexi, Lexie, Lexa, Andrea, Andy
Anastasia: Ana, Stasia
Annabella: Anna, Bella, Bell
Anneliese: Anne
Aurora: Rory
Benjamin: Ben
Camilla: Cammie, Milly
Cassandra: Cass, Cassie, Cassy, Sandra, Ann
Charles: Charlie
Christopher: Chris
Gabrielle: Gabby, Gabbie, Gaby, Gabie, Bri, Brielle, Elle

---

That's just a few but then I have some exceptions too. I guess I don't have a standard.

---

I think it's fine as long as it's logical, as your examples are. It's when you start getting into the Eric nn Odin silliness (yes, I have actually seen this) that it's too much. I don't have any on my list. I don't generally like NN's, and the ones I do like are very traditional.

I actually really dislike the name Ron.

---

I am considering, however, using the NN Ren for fuller names Cameron or Kieran.... is that too contrived? I know it basically the same concept but I feel the '-ren' sound is pretty prominent.

---

And what's so terrible about having a fuller name to achieve a certain nickname? I understand the idea of just giving a kid the name you're going to call them but I also appreciate the idea of having more options/something more formal sounding.

Generally, I don't care for them. I hate Poppy as a name in the first place, and find it ridiculous as a nickname for Penelope or anything else (I know it's fairly well-liked here, I don't mean to insult anyone's taste) Penny is actually pretty intuitive to me. Intuitive nicknames are just so much more friendly and comfortable.

I agree with a lot of what mirfak said. The sounds need to be within the name or it needs to feel natural. Ron as a nn for Cameron does seem really contrived because you don't pronounce the -ron as Ron. The stressed syllable part isn't a big deal for me, though.

---

I have a desire to use more archaic nicknames because I'm like that, or at least just less common ones to make them more unique. Like these are on my list to use:
Margaret nn Gretch / Gretchen - will use this if we ever have a daughter
Virginia nn Gin / Ginny
Anne nn Nan / Nanny / Nanw / Nancy - I love the sentiment behind the N nns.
Elizabeth nn Nell - same deal with loving the etymology of the N nns.
James nn Jem, although I'd also use Jamie. This is probably my #1 pick for another boy right now.
John nn Jack

This message was edited 2/16/2011, 4:14 AM

I almost always think that they need to be fairly natural shortenings of the sound of the full name, even if they're a bit childlike. If they are artificial, it seems forced, like it was the preferred name and was chosen to derive from a longer name because it was too "nicknamey." I'd rather just have a nick as a full name, than be, say, Aurelia with the "nickname" Rory, or Veronica "nicknamed" Vic.

---

"Ron" for Cameron seems contrived, since when I say Cameron, the ron part doesn't even sound like "Ron." It would only be because I thought Ron sounded cooler than Cam or Cammie (not that Cameron needs a nickname, IMO). And nicknames aren't about sounding cool, to me - they're just about making a longer or more formal-seeming name become shorter or more informal, for the purposes of personal, familiar address.

---

The only one I have on my list that I know is artificial, is Zil for Denzil. There aren't any Zil names, and I like (as a GP) the idea of a guy named Zil. Soooo... I decided I liked Denzil. And that kind of thing, is where I get my impression that such nicknames are contrived. Because if I did it, it'd be contrived.

---

I don't think it has to be the main stressed syllable that is used as the basis for a nickname, but it needs to be at least the first syllable (like Penny for Penelope) or a secondary stress (like Nora for Eleanor). Eleanor is EL-uh-Nohr, but I say Cameron like "CAM(uh)r'n," so Ron doesn't fly. If I pronounced it CAM-uh-Rawn, Ron might seem natural enough.

---

Contractions and consonant swapping work okay, especially if the stressed vowel is preserved, like Romy for Rosemary and Nell for Eleanor and Pippa for Philippa. The only nick on your PNL that I don't think is natural "enough" is Codie for Cordelia, but that depends on how you say your R. In the UK it could work, but not so well in my accent. I think a Cordelia would become Delia, Deedee, Dia, or Corie.