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HelpRe: Annie and Willa
in reply to a message by Martha
Susannah is such a distinctive name that using Annie, not one of its usual or obvious nns, seems a bit like Susannah is being "dumbed down." Like the parents really wanted to use Susannah, but something about it, its uncommonness or its Biblicality or something, put them off, and instead of either picking another name entirely, putting Susannah in the mn slot or just using Susannah anyway and letting go of whatever objection they had, they tried to "play it safe" with a very plain, not very intuitive nn.
This goes double for FirstName Wilson, nn Willa. It feels very southern blueblood to me, and also like the parents were more interested in using family names and thus needed to stretch very hard to find distinctive nns.
It reminds me of one of the Bush twins a couple years ago naming one daughter Margaret Laura after both grandmas, and using Mila as the nn, and then later on naming another daughter Poppy after her grandfather, George. It's like "Really? The things you tell yourself..."
Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, when you criticize him, you're a mile away and you have his shoes!
Steve Martin
This goes double for FirstName Wilson, nn Willa. It feels very southern blueblood to me, and also like the parents were more interested in using family names and thus needed to stretch very hard to find distinctive nns.
It reminds me of one of the Bush twins a couple years ago naming one daughter Margaret Laura after both grandmas, and using Mila as the nn, and then later on naming another daughter Poppy after her grandfather, George. It's like "Really? The things you tell yourself..."
Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, when you criticize him, you're a mile away and you have his shoes!
Steve Martin
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Replies
I'd say Annie's an obvious nickname for Susannah--it's a major part of the name.
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Susie is definitely more obvious for Susannah, but it does still have "Anna" in it.
For FirstName Wilson "Willa", I'd just assume they didn't like their first name but didn't really want to change it. If it was their parents who came up with the nickname, I'd be very surprised.
For FirstName Wilson "Willa", I'd just assume they didn't like their first name but didn't really want to change it. If it was their parents who came up with the nickname, I'd be very surprised.
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Poppy after George took me... a while. That is pushing it.
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yes, it's quite a stretch ...
And it's actually kind of pathetic and embarrassing. I mean, cut out the fact that Poppy is an actual name and you are essentially naming the kid Grandpa or Grandaddy.
Mila for Margaret Laura isn't quite so bad; at least Margaret and Laura and Mila are all actual names. But if you wanted to go that route, Marla would make more sense as a nn, and could have been a resonable first name to commemorate both grandmas.
And it's actually kind of pathetic and embarrassing. I mean, cut out the fact that Poppy is an actual name and you are essentially naming the kid Grandpa or Grandaddy.
Mila for Margaret Laura isn't quite so bad; at least Margaret and Laura and Mila are all actual names. But if you wanted to go that route, Marla would make more sense as a nn, and could have been a resonable first name to commemorate both grandmas.
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you have tempted me to try to make a name out of my grandmothers' names, Hannah and Rebecca. Becky-Anne? Not very good.
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Rebeccanne is a name, I think. Bit ridiculous but it is a name.
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