topic Re: Trend In Naming Babies in Community Chat

Trend In Naming Babies

occasionalrain — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 00:45:35 GMT

People are naming their babies nicknames rather than the formal name. For example: Beth rather than Elizabeth, Liv rather than Olivia, Tim rather than Timothy...

I wouldn't like that it eliminates the option of choosing to be addressed by a different nickname, Liz instead of Beth or the formal name. The Princess of Wales prefers to be called Catherine rather than Kate.

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

fthunt — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 00:59:38 GMT

C vs K

Don't blame her - Kate is too "FLIP"

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

haddon9 — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 01:03:36 GMT

My daughter did that with her baby boy. I wasn't crazy about it but the name is nice....could have been something really "different".

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

VanSleepy — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 01:12:33 GMT

My niece just had a baby girl and they were stuck between two names. She was hesitating on the name she preferred because she said it didn't have a nickname for it. I said why do you need a nickname; it's only two syllables. Then my sister reminded her that her (niece's) name lends itself to a couple very common nicknames and no one has ever called her those. You never know what nicknames may stick.

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

SouthernBee — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 01:23:49 GMT

@occasionalrain : I know someone that named her daughter: Denver Rain. So far no nickname.

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

On It — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 01:30:56 GMT

Nicknames can be problematic. Young children respond to the name their parents use, not the name on the birth certificate. I think the current trend is a good one since that is the name others recognize. It should be on all legal documents instead of some formal name no one knows.

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

occasionalrain — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 01:42:16 GMT

@On It

But what if you dislike the nickname your family calls you? If my family called me Beth or Liv, I wouldn't be pleased, but I'd like being called Elizabeth or Olivia. I use my formal name, not a nickname.

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

sunshine45 — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 01:46:31 GMT

new grandma here.....our little devil is now 3 months old.

he has a not so common name that can be shortened to a not so common nickname. i generally call him by his name, my daughter and her husband call him by his nickname.

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

RollTide2008 — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 01:49:21 GMT

My son Matthew hates to be called Matt.

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

ROMARY — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 01:54:10 GMT

Several years or so ago, we ran into someone who named their baby son 'Bear'.

I've wondered if Bear was or is an actual name? And how he feels about his name right now.

Any thoughts?

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

Carmie — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 01:54:50 GMT

My husband's real name is a nick name.

One of his friend's real name is Ricky.

This is not new. It has been going on for years.

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

Josmad — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 01:57:50 GMT

It is nothing new. My daughter is 35 years old and her name is Katie Beth.

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

Jk9 — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 02:01:19 GMT

My name isn't a formal name but the nickname. I never liked that.

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

On It — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 02:01:32 GMT

@occasionalrain Names are tricky. We just had a recent thread here about changing our names if we could.

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

occasionalrain — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 02:54:05 GMT

When parents choose a name for their baby, seldom do both parents prefer the same name, so there's no guarantee the child will like the name they were given. At least choosing the formal version gives the child a few options.

I sometimes hear that a mother wanted a cute name for her baby. What's cute for a baby, isn't cute for an adult, especially if they want to pursue a profession where having confidence and trust matters. An actor named Billy or Suzy is fine, but not a surgeon.

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

Scooby Doo — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 03:01:39 GMT

@ROMARY wrote:
Several years or so ago, we ran into someone who named their baby son 'Bear'.

I've wondered if Bear was or is an actual name? And how he feels about his name right now.

Any thoughts?

My 50ish neighbor's legal first name is Bear. He's not native american, but he is the size of a bear.

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

sugarbee — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 03:57:25 GMT

I was adopted and my parents gave me a very beautiful nickname that I used through school and beyond. I only used my legal name for just that, legal signatures. Going through a divorce I legally changed my name to my nickname that I loved and reverted back to my maiden name. Your name is the only thing you truly own from birth to death and it defines you as a person.

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

Tinkrbl44 — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 07:33:36 GMT

I sometimes wonder about the names parents give. I still can't believe Gwyneth Paltrow named her daughter Apple. Seriously ... a fruit?

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

CANDLEQUEEN — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 12:54:09 GMT

We named our firstborn Jennifer, not to be shortened to Jenny or Jen. I made it very clear to all teachers and friends and family-it was Just Jennifer.

She is now in her 40's and she never has been called a nickname..I think if you like nicknames-great, but I didn't want that for her. Had she gotten older and said I like Jen, then so be it, but as a child I wanted her to be called by her name, not a shortened version of it..

Re: Trend In Naming Babies

occasionalrain — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 14:34:42 GMT

I prefer and use my formal given name, but don't mind much when someone calls me by a nickname, maybe because it seldom happens.