Baby Vuolo Is a Girl

[neurogirl]

My name can be a nickname but is also used as a name on it's own, AND itself can have a nickname. I always insist that people call me by my name. Not a nickname they decided, and not making up something my name must be short for. 

But I really don't understand the hate for legal "nicknames". I like the name Luke, but am not a fan of Lucas. Luke is a Gospel name as well. I also love the name Theo. Theodore would be ok to, but just Theo is fine with me. Kate is a beautiful old name. My first friend's name was Katie. Not short for anything. Not all names ending with "e" sounds are bad. And historically, very popular names for boys were Tommy, Charlie, Jimmy, as the legal versions. And male presidents have had nicknames too. "I like Ike." I don't know why but I feel very strongly about this. I find the nickname hate a little judgy. 

[MargaretElliott]

10 hours ago, subsaharanafrica said:

It depends on how you feel about the r actually being pronounced in the name Patrick. 

I kid, I kid. 

 

Hey hey hey now, the "r" comes after a consonant, not a vowel! So it's pronounced with a Boston accent! Conner, Heather, or Alexander, however... that's a different story  I never really think I have an accent, but I've had strangers in other states ask me if I'm from Boston. That obvious, huh?

On the nicknames-as-full-names thing, I'd like to point out "The Tiffany Problem." Funnily enough, the name Tiffany dates back to the middle ages- it was a nickname for Theophania. But people think of it as a modern name, because it "sounds" modern. So historical fiction writers won't use it, despite the fact that it's a perfectly legitimate historical name, because it won't sound right to readers. Lots of common names were once only nicknames, including Molly, Carrie, and Judy. 

Sources:

Spoiler

http://www.irosf.com/q/zine/article/10407

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RealityIsUnrealistic

 

[LilMissMetaphor]

I don't like two-syllable names ending in "i" or "ie", generally speaking.  I know sisters named Kacie and Kodi.  Why would you do that? It's not cute.  They sound like pets.  I'm also not a fan of turning classical-sounding names like Adeline or Cassandra into Addy and Casey.  Finally, IMO, one-syllable names like Nell or Kate are just going to sound more traditional/less flighty than Nellie or Katie even though they're both nicknames.   

[VelociRapture]

3 minutes ago, Million Children For Jesus said:

I’m not a fan of nicknames as names, or jean jackets, but Michelle does look nice in that polka dot and jean jacket outfit. Jeremy’s mom looks very nice, too. Jeremy’s dad seems very personable. I wonder what hateful beliefs they harbor that resulted in the creation of Jeremy. I wouldn’t have immediately guessed that about them. FJ has really opened up my eyes to how much some Christian denominations really hate Catholics.

Wonder no more! You can find some of Pastor Chuck Vuolo’s sermons on his church’s website:

http://www.newlifemd.org/sermons/

[SamiKatz]

My name is a nickname, but as a nickname, my family calls me by the actual name!

Say what now?

[Satan'sFortress]

I'll admit that I named one of my kids a nickname as a name   Never heard any backlash or ill feeling about it until now---I honestly had no idea that people felt that way!!

Regardless, I absolutely love the name---think Charlie instead of Charles.  My older child----very serious, unsentimental---once admitted to me that he loved telling his friends that his brother's name is XXX because it was such a cool name. 

So, hmmmm. I guess he maybe can't be president. Or, he could always change it if he gets political ambitions!

3 minutes ago, SamiKatz said:

My name is a nickname, but as a nickname, my family calls me by the actual name!

Say what now?

We do that with the nicknamed child I was talking about! 

[Leftitinmysnood]

2 hours ago, Georgiana said:

May I complain here about a naming trend?

I HATE when parents give their daughters nicknames as their legal names.  HATE IT.  It's deliberately infantalizing, and it is no mystery as to why this is a trend for FEMALE babies and not for males.  

I get wanting to call your child something less formal.  My cousin is named Ellie.  That's the name she goes by, it's the name her parents always intended to call her, and it's the name she's gone by since birth.  No one has ever called her anything else in normal conversation.  But on her birth certificate, it says Elizabeth.  And when she is introduced as valedictorian of her class, she will be introduced as Elizabeth. Calling her Ellie would be inappropriate in that context.  My friend goes by her nickname, except when she is at work...for the FBI (don't get excited, it's a big organization and she's not an agent  ).  

Women do formal things and need formal names!  You wouldn't name a boy Tom or Steve.  That's not a trend because it's obviously dumb.  What if they grow up to be President or a Judge or a lawyer or a doctor?  You going to force them to be Dr. Steve? Sign all their court briefs with Steve?  President Steve?

This, so much this. I dislike diminutives to the point that words like "veggies", "tummy", and " yummy" bother me. I never had a nickname and wouldn't let anyone give me one, even as a kid. However, I do not find the nickname-as-legal-name thing limited to women. I have met an astonishing number of legally named male Jackies, Billys, Randys, Jims, and Dannys. I also think the name itself makes a difference. Being legally named Carrie isn't the same as being named Lally Joy or Kandee. Some names are inherently more juvenile than others, imho.

[SassyPants]

We named our son a formal, traditional name. Think Michael. So he could go by Michael, or as a little guy Mikey or Mike- My least favorite name is the nickname  (think Mike) . Of course, that's the name my adult son now goes by.  I always thought that people would call him Michael- that's the version I use. *

* His name is not Michael, but a very similar name.

Accept and move on.

[mpheels]

I’m in my mid-30s and have a diminutive for my given name. I like to give my mom a hard time since my grandmother (her mother) strongly felt that people should be called by their proper title/name, to the point that her children only ever called her “mother” and grandchildren only called her “grandmother.” She refused to call any family members by diminutive names. I’m the baby of the family, and named for a family friend. The friend’s legal name is the formal version, but she went by the nickname. My parents knew they wanted to call me by the nickname, so they just made it my legal name. I have never once felt dismissed or diminished due to my name (it probably helps that it’s now preceded by Dr.)

(My grandmother was a kind, gentle, loving woman. She had a great sense of humor and I never heard her speak a harsh word to anyone. She liked formality, and felt that use of proper names/titles was one of the few formal practices that showed respect for everyone, regardless their origin or place in life.)

[singsingsing]

26 minutes ago, MargaretElliott said:

On the nicknames-as-full-names thing, I'd like to point out "The Tiffany Problem." Funnily enough, the name Tiffany dates back to the middle ages- it was a nickname for Theophania. But people think of it as a modern name, because it "sounds" modern. So historical fiction writers won't use it, despite the fact that it's a perfectly legitimate historical name, because it won't sound right to readers. Lots of common names were once only nicknames, including Molly, Carrie, and Judy. 

So true. I could write a novel set in the middle ages starring a group of women named Tiffany, Alison, Christina and Denise. It would be perfectly historically accurate, but I'm betting most readers just wouldn't buy it because it sounds like the roster of their middle school homeroom!

[ItsMeY'all]

Is this the shortest dress we've ever seen Michelle wear?! Got to be close to it. I almost see a the under-shaddow of her knees.

[Jana814]

We have family friends. One of their daughter's is named Julie. However her sister calls her Rita or Rit. She has been doing it for years. 

[MarblesMom]

52 minutes ago, MargaretElliott said:

Hey hey hey now, the "r" comes after a consonant, not a vowel! So it's pronounced with a Boston accent! Conner, Heather, or Alexander, however... that's a different story  

I went to Boston for work trips a few years back, coming from So Cal at the time, and I had a really hard time understanding some folks!  Lovely accent, but someone told me to go to "the Knott station" (since I came from Knott's Berry Farm area) - "no, no, the NOTT station, you know, the opposite of SOUT."    I found my way.

[ItsMeY'all]

We were at a Red Sox game and one of the vendors was going through the stands selling bottles of water for something like $3.25 or $4.25 a bottle. "Water! Ice cold water!"  People were passing him $5 bills to pay and he would yell back "Ya want ya quarters?" Took me a minute to figure out what was going on becasue, I swear, he was using the same word for "quarter" and "water." Gotta love different accents! 

[HurricaneBells]

Wait, what? NO NICKNAMES? You wouldn't last a week in Australia... Is that dislike an American thing or just personal? What about FJ'ers from other countries?

Also (and maybe this is regional) nicknames are not just a shortening of a full name. My nickname is Bells (which i prefer!) yet has nothing at all to do with bells or my name. I use my real name in professional situations with no confusion whatsoever....

https://open.abc.net.au/explore/93312 

We may be given a name at birth that our parents have pondered over for weeks or months before deciding on but, when you live in Australia, there’s a huge chance that your known name will change.

[Glasgowghirl]

I

4 hours ago, Georgiana said:

May I complain here about a naming trend?

I HATE when parents give their daughters nicknames as their legal names.  HATE IT.  It's deliberately infantalizing, and it is no mystery as to why this is a trend for FEMALE babies and not for males.  

I get wanting to call your child something less formal.  My cousin is named Ellie.  That's the name she goes by, it's the name her parents always intended to call her, and it's the name she's gone by since birth.  No one has ever called her anything else in normal conversation.  But on her birth certificate, it says Elizabeth.  And when she is introduced as valedictorian of her class, she will be introduced as Elizabeth. Calling her Ellie would be inappropriate in that context.  My friend goes by her nickname, except when she is at work...for the FBI (don't get excited, it's a big organization and she's not an agent  ).  

Women do formal things and need formal names!  You wouldn't name a boy Tom or Steve.  That's not a trend because it's obviously dumb.  What if they grow up to be President or a Judge or a lawyer or a doctor?  You going to force them to be Dr. Steve? Sign all their court briefs with Steve?  President Steve?

Call your kids whatever you want, but don't give girls "cutesie" legal names assuming they'll never need a formal name!  They might!  There are some circumstances where using a nickname is disrespectful.  Why are you DEMANDING that your daughter always be addressed informally and familiarly, even by people who have no right to address her that way? Against her wishes?  I know some adults go by a nickname 100% of the time even professionally, but they get to make that choice as adults and can change it at any time.  But you aren't even giving your child that option!

Sorry, my friend just named her daughter "Kate", and it bothers me that this little girl will have to be called by a nickname for her entire life, even when it is contextually disrespectful to do so.  She might be president some day, for Rufus' sake!

I have the opposite view, if you don't intend to call your child ever by the longer version don't use it. My parents named me Debbie and I hated people just assuming it was Deborah, my parents hated the name Deborah, so why would they put it on my birth certificate. My name is not a nickname. 

My dad was called John, but to distinguish him from his dad and grandad he got called Ian. He got confused when he started school and the teacher shouted John, he didn't know that was his official name.

 

[MarblesMom]

10 minutes ago, HurricaneBells said:

when you live in Australia, there’s a huge chance that your known name will change.

This happens on the prairie, too.  There are people here named Lefty, Shorty, Cupcake, etc and I have no idea what their "real" name is.

[InTheNameofRufus]

I have no problem with nicknames as names. I call my kids everything under the sun, they respond. If they want to change their given name when they are adults, I may be a bit upset but I will respect their decision. 

When my cousin had her kids, she gave them names that do not lend themselves to nicknames. We were told NEVER to call them anything other than their given names. (She’s a bit of a bitch) Fast forward 16 years, both her kids have nicknames given to them by their friends. It’s unavoidable sometimes, you just have to go with it. I use the nicknames when I see them, and she’s not within earshot. 

Now, if people could just spell my son’s name right on his sports trophies this year.......(he’s 0 for 4 so far, and it’s not a hard name to spell!! )

[Ivycoveredtower]

5 minutes ago, InTheNameofRufus said:

I have no problem with nicknames as names. I call my kids everything under the sun, they respond. If they want to change their given name when they are adults, I may be a bit upset but I will respect their decision. 

When my cousin had her kids, she gave them names that do not lend themselves to nicknames. We were told NEVER to call them anything other than their given names. (She’s a bit of a bitch) Fast forward 16 years, both her kids have nicknames given to them by their friends. It’s unavoidable sometimes, you just have to go with it. I use the nicknames when I see them, and she’s not within earshot. 

Now, if people could just spell my son’s name right on his sports trophies this year.......(he’s 0 for 4 so far, and it’s not a hard name to spell!! )

I had an Aunt like that. you dare not call her baby by this one nickname. So we just did it to piss her off. 

[TatiFish9]

1 hour ago, Satan'sFortress said:

Jeramee??  Jeramie??

 

Jeremi for their little girl.

Or Jeremia lol! Little Mia Vuolo. I can totally see this.

 

[Leftitinmysnood]

@HurricaneBells, for my part it is completely personal preference.  Most of my kids have nicknames and the one that doesn't has a very short name. 

[scoutsadie]

30 minutes ago, HurricaneBells said:

Wait, what? NO NICKNAMES? You wouldn't last a week in Australia... Is that dislike an American thing or just personal?

It's not a uniformly American thing, and I think most if not all of those here who have objected to nicknames in some fashion have noted that it's just their personal view.

I'm American, and thinking about my friends and co-workers, I would estimate that more than half of the folks I know use a nickname in some setting.

I prefer that folks call me by the diminutive/nickname of my given name - except when my last name is also being used; then I definitely prefer my formal first name...it rubs me the wrong way to be called "Nickname Last name" as an adult, even in a personal setting. I just don't like the sound of it.

I remember having a conversation with a good friend once, and saying to her that I thought it was odd that a lot of new moms my age (GenX) were naming their kids "boring names like Elizabeth and Katherine," completely forgetting that the friend I was speaking to - Katie - has one of those as a formal name! Thankfully, she laughed, and now we joke about what a stupid name she has.  

(No offense meant to any Es and Ks out there!)

[Daisy0322]

I don't care for nicknames as names and I can see the arguments against it but in the big picture I don't think it's s big deal. Now names like princess, Ja'Majesty, Clay-Bo, Xtina, Tequila (I personally know a people with these names) I have an issue with because you can't take it seriously. I'd feel strange hiring a lawyer for example named princess or Tequila. I know that's probably not what people want to hear but I can't help it.

I go by a nick name in day to day life but at school and work I always used my full name and I like having that option.

[HarleyQuinn]

Yeah,  little Quinn has a nickname for his first name. Sorry, I wanted a Theo. Not a Theodore, just a Theo.

[Ivycoveredtower]

Okay I'm going to use a Harry potter reference here but sometimes when the nickname is not for the formal name you thought it was for it throws me. I was sure Teddy Lupin was really Theodore for the longest time. I was actually a little crushed when I found out it was Edward.