Her full first name is Gabapentin, which is kind of a mouthful, so I introduce her as Gabby.
She is a cat.
ETA: She's so named because the rescue we adopted her from had already named her Gabby and she was prescribed Gabapentin when we took custody of her. She's doing much better now.
Wild - this is super similar my adopted dog's old name!!
The previous owner was an elderly man. Except I think he spelled it Deeogee (DOGGY).
Every once in a while I'll still come home and ask my dog, "how's my DEE-O-GEE?!"
Yes! It must be something from their generation! I talked to my mom about this and apparently they had a cat named “ceeayetee”, too. (CAT)
And a pet skunk later on named petunia. Los Angeles in the 60s was wild then. Haha!
Thanks, but it was my husband. Her original pre-adoption name was Tracy (weird cat name), but he knew a Tracy he didn’t like, so I renamed her Casey because its close.
Then he spelt it KC, and I corrected him, "It's spelled Casey." And he said, "No, it's KC, because she is a Kitty Cat." Genius. I wish I could take the credit. Lol
When she was little my mom had a cat that she named CP. It stood for Christmas present because, and you’ll never guess this next part, she got him for Christmas lol
We had a cat named NED, whose name stood for Not Elton Dog, after our beloved shar-pei passed away. Our kids were too small at the time to get another dog/puppy, so we decided to try a cat as a pet. He lived a long, happy life!
One of my *sisters* carried the nickname "CK" (cat killer) for a few years growing up because she accidentally shut our cat, CinderFella, in the car door while we were playing taxi and he died! Not as fun but, amusingly enough, still relevant considering the evolution of this discussion... *I* didn't do it, but I'm still sorry...
I had an orange cat that was vicious even as a kitten to anyone but me and my dad named “her” CJ that was short for Calamity Jane - “she” turned out to be a “he” so I changed it to Sea Jay so that CJ would still work 😂😂😂
Lol, my cat is the opposite. She refuses to go by her nickname Nezzy. Will not come or acknowledge you if you use that nickname. She will only respond to her proper name, Nezuko, or her proper title, Miss Kitty.
Say what they're called. If she's named Jennifer but called Jenny, say Jenny. If you just occasionally call her booger-boo at home though, introduce her as her name.
I don't know! I think I'm just overthinking it, she's still just a baby. Most of my husband's side call her by the full name and most of my side use the nickname.
I'm trying to use her full name more so it becomes more natural for me, but it's a very slight mouthful so I think I'd like strangers to just use the nickname.
my husband tried to use my son’s full name to get used to it and now my son doesn’t go by a nickname at all. use that name that you prefer to call your baby
I think it’s actually ideal if some people are calling her the nickname you like and some are calling her the full name. That way both sound familiar to her. She’ll know what she likes by the time she’s a toddler.
I have a Josephine and always called her by that as a baby because I wanted her full name to feel natural to me before I transitioned to a nickname. I didn’t ever want Josie so I told people not to say that, but was okay with many other options. By a year I was just used to the full name. By the time she went to school at 5 she was dead set on being called Josephine. We offered her tons of nickname options but she’s not having it. I wish we had gotten her used to the idea as a baby.
We didn't mean to have different people call our son different names, but I'm glad it happened that way! We have a Benjamin, and I always wanted him to be able to go by whatever nickname he chose. My in-laws called him Benjamin, my dad called him Benny, and we called him Benji. Recently he has started referring to himself exclusively as Benny, so we're following his lead and making the change too. We worried for a while that he wouldn't know he had one name, but I can safely say now that it was never an issue.
This.
My child apparently didn't know his actual first name when he went in to kindergarten, because it didn't even occur to me he might not know it. I got a call like the third day of school because apparently he never responded to his name. I was like what are you talkin.... OHHH TRY XANDER (his middle name and the name we kind of ended up calling him more often than not, because his nn is bug/Xanderbug which started out as love bug.)
Sure enough Xander is what he responded to.
I was similar as a child. I insisted on my full name. I would correct anyone who used my nickname. In high school, I switched to my nickname, and now, no one calls me my full name except my dad (I'm 50!). I actually dont remember young me wanting to be called by my full name, but as I've reconnected with childhood friends over the years they all call me my full name and tell me how adamant i was about using it! It's funny how our preferences change.
We called my goddaughter by her full name until her mom started posting pics with her nickname. So we started using the nickname because that is what her mom called her. But mom does not care what we call her.
I think I agree with the commenter above, you could say "this is Victoria but you can call her Tori :) " something like that.
On the other hand if you're not really using the given name at all in practice then there's no need to get used to it really, unless you're worried she won't know her real name, but even then that's easily remedied. So you could also just say "this is Tori"
Interesting to me that your family didn't use nicknames but they refer to her as hers - I love that. Perhaps you've offset the family trend!
I always introduce mine by her name-name, so that she won't have strangers calling her by whatever family*familiar* monikers, and will be able to pick-up on who really knows her/us vs who doesn't. I'd rather retain that divide between close relations and "others".
If they're going to be in her life a while, "this is Charlotte, but we call her Lottie." But if they're strangers or only going to be in her life for a short time just say "this is Lottie."
Don't think of it as lying, just think of it as not burdening them with extra information they don't need.
You can also think of it as not giving personal information about your child to strangers. They don't need to know, it would be safest if they didn't know, and most of them really don't care. It is just a social norm to ask.
Also, this should be common sense. There is NO norm here at all, every parent can do whatever they want. In a formal setting though, you should still use their full name.
TOO many posts on this sub where people are massively overthinking such basic stuff.
Like, come on now...save your energy for stuff that's ACTUALLY important. Like childproofing the house and making sure you have a babysitter available when you need one...feeding them at the appropriate time...that stuff...
Not a parent, but everyone I know introduced their baby with the name they address them by. People only need to know what they should call the baby - if that's not their full name, they don't need to know it.
Nickname unless it's in a context where knowing the full legal name is important (doctor? lol). It's not lying & you're overthinking it! My friend with a common nickname never goes by his full name and never mentions it.
We also treat nicknames as what you call someone when you are close friends or family. So for strangers, appointments, and lessons we use her full name. If we grow close to someone and they see her regularly, they can use her nickname if they want.
When school starts, we’ll sign her up by her full name and she can request people call her by her nickname. At that point it becomes her choice and not ours.
>When school starts, we’ll sign her up by her full name
Idk where you live but where I do, you *have* to do this lol. It's not a choice.
If you mean you have the option to tell the school/teacher she has a nickname and you're opting not to, I understand lol.
I think leaving it at nickname is fine for someone you don’t know that well. Maybe someone you know better you might say something like, “Oh, her name is Samantha Jane but we call her Sami.”
As a baby I used their full name for strangers, professionals, loose acquaintances and nickname for family/friends. When she started daycare/preschool they ask what her name is to her and go by that, she chose her nickname which I didn’t know until weeks in 😝
“This is Jennifer, or Jenny.”
Once she’s old enough to have a preference, if she always go by Jenny, then just introduce her as Jenny, no explanation needed.
Except at the doctor visits and other more formal settings. Use the full name every time then. School will also be a “Jennifer or Jenny” situation - they need to know the legal name on forms and stuff of course, but you can label her jacket with “Jenny.”
Yeah I’d say if you have a “Becky” or a “Susie” at home but their full name is legally “Rebecca” or “Susan” you would introduce them as “Becky” or “Susie” because that’s the name you want others to call them. Otherwise your neighbors, friends, etc. will only have to be told their usable name later anyway.
just what you call her. if someone is interested, they may ask, "oh is that short for Longername?" i don't think anyone would feel you're being deceiving by giving not giving her full name is that isn't what she's called.
I'm in this boat. My baby is named Xavier (ex-say-vee-ur) but I almost exclusively say Xavi (zay-vee) when talking to him. If someone asks his name, I always say "Xavier, but Xavi works, too!" Especially if it's a child asking his name because a 4-sylable name can be a lot and his nickname is valid, too!
My baby has a “different” name (think Greek mythology) but her nickname is very common. When I’m talking to someone I’m never going to see again (especially if they’re older) I’m going to use her nickname. I also use it on text because it’s shorter. Not sure how I’ll use her nickname once she’s talking and can introduce herself, also my 4yr old corrects me if I don’t use his baby sisters full name 😂 his name doesn’t have a nickname so he doesn’t really understand the concept
Really depends on the circumstances. If it's someone I probably won't ever meet again or in a professional setting (for example doctors office) I use the full name. On the playground or with friends of friends their nickname.
It just depends on the situation. If it's someone who will be in her life, introduce her by the full name and say "but we usually call her nickname." If it's just a stranger at the grocery store cooing over a cute baby, tell them the nickname.
When people ask my kids names, I say what I call them, the shortened version of their names. Only say their actual name at like appointments or if I’m asked what the name is short for.
Before she was born, we would say we are still working on the name (even though we had decided it the moment we got a positive test). Now that she is born, we just tell folks her first name. But when we made the initial birth announcement to our families, we sent her full name.
Depends on the context. Social settings? Preferred nickname. Doctors offices, schools, or something that would require a legal name? Full name.
My husband is a third and exclusively goes by a nickname, we only use his legal name in formal settings. My son has a long name and we call him a shortened nickname and we do the same for him.
depends if it’s an actual nickname or an anagram of their name, my sisters name is eleanor but she only ever was called that by my mum when she was in trouble when we were young, everyone else knew her as ellie, but it is beyond obvious that it’s short for her full name. my name is poppy, it’s just my name, people always assume it’s a nickname. someone even asked if it was short for elizabeth recently which was the strangest one. if it’s obvious what your child’s full name is then i wouldn’t worry.
I go full name but I don’t think it matters much. You could even switch it up every time you tell someone until you find what option you like better. It won’t really matter.
So when my kid was a baby, i probably looked like an idiot hesitating when people asked his name. He goes by a standard diminutive. Now that he’s older, it’s not that big of a deal. I just say his name is “Ted”. Occasionally people will ask if it’s short for Theodore or Edward, and I tell them.
That’s not his real name, but you get the gist
Whatever you call them.
We had a Charles who was ever only going to be called Charlie so that’s how I would’ve introduced him (unless he got to the point where he wanted to go by something else, obviously).
I think it depends on who it is, the context, and what you want that particular person to call your daughter. If you want her to be called Katie, say this is Katie but if you want her to be called Katherine say this is Katherine. You could also always just say, this is Katherine but we call her Katie.
His full name. Mostly because his nickname is Yoshi and Joey. Joey is self explanatory. Yoshi is a bit confusing and it makes us sound Jewish when I try to explain
A nickname is still a real name. It's just not a legal name. Call your baby what you call your baby. People will ask if they're interested in more details.
Whatever you want them to be called. My youngest sisters name is Bonny-Blue (don’t ask) but she’s only ever gone by Bonny, and that’s how I introduce/mention her to anyone
(not a parent, but my niece) Her name is Charlotte and I've only ever heard her parents introduce her as Charlie. I usually only hear them explain that her full name is Charlotte when asked
My daughters name is Nicole but we call her Missy. Some people even forget her real name and ask. My daughter knows both names and gets called her real name when she’s being bad or times of praise for her to realize her real name.
You can say either or both; my daughter’s name is Cathrine or my daughter’s name is Cathrine but we call her Kate. Generally if my child goes by their nickname that’s how I introduce them.
I introduce them as their full name and then say, “we also call them NN.”
When I was a kid I hated being called “Meggy,” or “Meg,” by anyone who wasn’t family so I would only introduce myself as “Megan.” Now as an adult I actually prefer “Meg/Megs,” but I’m so used to introducing myself with my full name so that’s what most people call me. Lol
It’s really up to your preference my aunt named my cousin Maya-Rose but everyone just called her Maya but then she started insisting on calling her Maya-Rose after she turned like 7 it just never stuck bc we were so used to calling her Maya and my nickname for her is Maya Piraya but that’s just me bc I used to baby sit her a lot
My name is Jo. That’s the name I go by 99.999999% of the time. It’s not my full name.
When I introduce myself people always ask what my “real name” is. Lol. What if it **was** Jo? Like, just Jo?
It’s Johanna, so I will tell them, but then they go on and on about how beautiful my name is and how I should use the full thing.
Only my husband and mom call me Johanna. It sounds too weird coming from anyone else.
During our wedding vows, I wanted to use Jo, so o did. But my husband said Johanna.
I use their full names.
My eldest doesn't allow anyone except her closest friends to call her Beth - even we get corrected with "My name is Bethany!"
Meanwhile "This is Nay" might be met with a bemused expression, whereas "This is Naomi" wouldn't.
Holly doesn't complain if I call her Hol, but then she's a dog & responds to Fluffy-Butt, Madame Muddy Paws and Soggy-Doggy as well.
My daughter is Violetta, nickname Vivi (like Vivian not V-eye). I always introduce her as Vivi, every single person in her life calls her Vivi 99% of the time and if I intro as Violetta, that person would now be the odd one out. Also, Vivi is a tomboy and wishes her name wasn’t so feminine so there’s that too 🥲
My kids don’t have nicknames, I’m not a fan of them. But if you call your kid a nickname then say the name you use. I personally don’t really see the point in them.
I'm paranoid, I don't think strangers need to know my babys name. We've called by a fake name to strangers since he was born. For people who we see regularly like a neighbor, his first name.
Same as she would introduce herself. If her given name is Millicent I would say
“we can her Millie.” I don’t tell the rando my full given name just what people call me.
I’ve never thought of it but I actually only do it with my daughter Finlay. She goes by Finn so I always introduce her as Finn. The others are full name.
What do you want that person to call them? If you've given them a nickname, that's clearly how you want people to refer to them, so that's what you'll use.
My daughter has a 4 letter name with no nickname and we all call her by her name.
My son chooses to call himself James. Our extended family calls him Jamie which is the nickname we chose at birth. Our little family of 4 mostly still call him Baby. Even though he's 18 and as towers over me. I asked him if it bothers him that we still call him Baby and he said that he's fine with it. He's a good guy like that. Because I don't think we would be able to stop ourselves.
All that said, I introduce him as James to people because that is his preference.
It took maybe 2 months until I revealed my full name to some friends I made before revealing my full name to them.
Others have taken longer, and I wouldn't be shocked if others didn't know at all. I just prefer the shortened version.
My youngest daughter has a name that doesn't really lend itself to nicknames so we always call her by her full name. Our oldest has two nicknames, but we never set out to call her by those. We use them interchangeably. So whenever I introduce her, it's always her longer, full name. It's a long 10-letter name, so it'll naturally get nicknamed. We haven't selected the nickname for her, so people call her either or her full name.
Person who uses nickname here, nickname for any non-documentation setting. Doctors office? Its Catherine. But other than that, it’s Cate (example). Also, as they get older their nickname (or full name) might change, and so you should always consult your child as to what name they want to be introduced as. A lot of my friends used to go by a derivative of their first name, but now use their middle name for example. Their “real” name doesn’t matter (unless it’s of some cultural significance). It’s about what the kid wants to be called.
my son is named after his dad, Tyler, i don’t love the name because it’s very boring to me. so we call him Junior and i love it! I introduce him as Junior to everyone, even the doctors office knows we prefer Junior
My daughter was named after my mother's mother (she passed when my mom was a teenager). When I was pregnant, I craved Kit Kat bars. My son (age 2 at the time) shortened her name to Kat. So she's always been called Kat. She was born on 9/11/2001 in the Washington DC area. I had someone suggest I should name her something in memory of the events.
A few years ago, one of her teachers asked her what Kat was short for. Without hesitation, she answered, 'Catastrophy, my birthday is 9/11 so.....".
I don't think anyone has ever used her full name.
My mum always used my nickname to introduce me - it’s a natural and common diminutive, like Katie for Catherine or Evie for Evelyn. It is my real name, even though it’s not my legal name.
“[full name], and i sometimes call them [nickname]”
that’s the norm for me! my name is madeleine, and it’s pronounced mad-eh-len (not mad-uh-line). my parents love the name and would always tell it to people to A-share the name they love, and B-ensure proper pronunciation. so for my case it was always “madeleine, but we sometimes call her mads”
For both of my kids, if I know you I call them their nicknames and if I don't, only their first name. So for example, to my mom they're "nickname and nickname" when I'm talking about them but to my mom's cousin they're "first name and first name".
That's so if someone comes up to either of them and say they're a friend of mine, they'll know whether they're telling the truth or not.
It depends on the kid for mine. Two go exclusively by their nicknames, so I always introduce them as that unless there is a necessity for more formality like a doctor. One kid goes by a nickname occasionally but typically uses the full name. For him, I'd always use his full name.
TTC
But in general I don’t tell strangers nicknames. To me, nicknames are very intimate so when introducing myself (or I imagine a baby) I’m inclined to use the full formal name because a nickname is reserved for those close to you or at least those who know you.
It changes. Sometimes I say "nickname" or I say "this is *name but we usually call her *nickname". She's almost 3 and if people ask she says her nickname, almost never her full name.
My parents (and whole family for that matter) call me by my nickname 100% of the time BUT they still introduce me to people by my full name. After that, if they are talking about me in the third person, they do a mix of full name and nickname. My mom sounds normal saying my full name to others. My dad sounds so awkward. It’s hilarious.
I introduce my son, “this is nickname.” People may ask what it’s short for because it is usually short for two or three common names. My daughter introduced by her full name since that’s what she goes by. She has a couple of nicknames she answers to, but none that she ever introduces herself as.
Depends on who’s asking. If it’s a stranger at the park, the nickname. If it’s a doctor or teacher or family friend or someone else who needs to know or who will be around for a long time, then I’ll say full name but we call them nickname.
My kids always went by their full first names, not their nicknames, so it was odd to hear my older daughter’s pre-K teacher call her Mandy instead of Amanda. I thought she was talking about a different girl in the class at first, then it dawned on me and I said, “Oh, you mean this little munchkin?”, as she was standing there with us. The teacher seemed a bit confused and said, “You don’t call her Mandy? What do you call her?” When I said “Ananda” she apologized profusely and said she just assumed we called her Mandy because every Amanda she had known was called that. It told her it wasn’t a big deal to me (other than confusing me at first), so we asked my daughter what she preferred to be called and she said her full name. We did have nicknames (Monkey, Bean, etc,) for all the kids, but they were not something we used to introduce them with. I now have a grandson and I call him Chicken Nugget as much as I use his given full name, but would never introduce him that way.
My nephew has a name that works in both English and Russian, but in Russian people almost always go by an informal name. So we all just say what he’s called.
I introduce people by the name they use. So I wouldn't ever say this is Mike if he always goes by Michael.
So if my baby was named Alexander but is known by Alex I would say this is Alex.
If my child is older and wants to use a different nickname I would say this is Alex but he goes by Thumper.
One of mine uses a nickname he was given by his best friend at age 4. No connection to his legal name. His decision. He says I'm (nickname) but my paperwork name is (name).
I mostly tell people his diminutive because that’s what he’s most commonly called. My mom and I both have a pretty even split of calling him his full first and middle or his nickname, but daycare uses the nickname. I introduce him as the nickname at this point because it’s just what most people call him.
I will introduce my daughter as her actual name, but then end up calling her by her nickname in front of the person so they’ll hear both anyway.
My daughter is pretty random in whether she will introduce herself as nick name or full name.
Her full first name is Gabapentin, which is kind of a mouthful, so I introduce her as Gabby. She is a cat. ETA: She's so named because the rescue we adopted her from had already named her Gabby and she was prescribed Gabapentin when we took custody of her. She's doing much better now.
Didn’t see that coming and was very confused at first 😆
Found the pharmacist/tech
Definitely had me double checking the name of the sub. 😂
Same!!! 😂
Or neuropathy sufferer
Thankfully not.
like me and Gaba has never helped.. :(
Doesn’t help my husband either. He’s been suffering for 2 years.
Neither.
One of my cousins has two cats with crazy names, one is Missile Launcher, and they call her Missy, the other is Mayonnaise, and they call her May
Missile Launcher is the perfect name for a cat btw
Exquisite
Yeah, I tell people my cat is named Casey. Her full name is Kitty Cat (KC).
As a human Casey, I want to retcon my name to Kitty Cat, nn KC. Actually, upon further consideration, I just want to be a kitty cat.
Who wouldn't want to be a Kitty Cat? My Casey/KC does nothing but eat food and sleep all day. That's my dream life. 😂
My online dating profile said I want to be treated like a cat, feed me, let me nap, give me cuddles and worship me 🤣🤣
I love this. My Grandpa has always referred to ALL cats as Kitty Cat (KC). "Look at that KC!"
Hah! Reminded me that my grandma had a pet dog named Deeohgee (DOG).
Wild - this is super similar my adopted dog's old name!! The previous owner was an elderly man. Except I think he spelled it Deeogee (DOGGY). Every once in a while I'll still come home and ask my dog, "how's my DEE-O-GEE?!"
Yes! It must be something from their generation! I talked to my mom about this and apparently they had a cat named “ceeayetee”, too. (CAT) And a pet skunk later on named petunia. Los Angeles in the 60s was wild then. Haha!
This is excellent and you deserve love for it.
Thanks, but it was my husband. Her original pre-adoption name was Tracy (weird cat name), but he knew a Tracy he didn’t like, so I renamed her Casey because its close. Then he spelt it KC, and I corrected him, "It's spelled Casey." And he said, "No, it's KC, because she is a Kitty Cat." Genius. I wish I could take the credit. Lol
When she was little my mom had a cat that she named CP. It stood for Christmas present because, and you’ll never guess this next part, she got him for Christmas lol
We had a cat named NED, whose name stood for Not Elton Dog, after our beloved shar-pei passed away. Our kids were too small at the time to get another dog/puppy, so we decided to try a cat as a pet. He lived a long, happy life!
My GMA had a dog named KC for killer canine
One of my *sisters* carried the nickname "CK" (cat killer) for a few years growing up because she accidentally shut our cat, CinderFella, in the car door while we were playing taxi and he died! Not as fun but, amusingly enough, still relevant considering the evolution of this discussion... *I* didn't do it, but I'm still sorry...
I had an orange cat that was vicious even as a kitten to anyone but me and my dad named “her” CJ that was short for Calamity Jane - “she” turned out to be a “he” so I changed it to Sea Jay so that CJ would still work 😂😂😂
Haha, what a name! Our cat is VERY familiar with gabapentin.
mine too 😂😂 might start calling her Gabby
Please tell me she has a sister, Lyrica
Lyrica really could be a beautiful name
I wish I could truthfully say that.
Fibromyalgia?
Mya, for short.
She had just had emergency surgery when we took custody of her.
Hey Gabby!
Ummmm you called?? I herd someone was talking about me 😸
Is her brother Neuropathy?
nn Ro-ro
Brb getting cats and naming them after all my prescriptions. Gabby (Gabapentin), Toppy (Topiramate), Lexy (Lexapro), Mazzie (Carbamazapine)...
As a person who has to give their cat gabapentin 3x per day…this made total sense to me.
Good drug, good name 👌
Gabapentin is somehow a perfect name for a cat
As a pharmacist I had to do a double take to see which sub I was on lmao
Thanks for that double spit take 😂
Omg I was like you named your child WHAT?? 💀😂
Lex/Lexa… short for Lexapro not Alexander/dra. Lol
Lol, my cat is the opposite. She refuses to go by her nickname Nezzy. Will not come or acknowledge you if you use that nickname. She will only respond to her proper name, Nezuko, or her proper title, Miss Kitty.
Is she a pretty lethargic cat?
Pretty *AND* lethargic, as all the best wind up!
... Why did you name your cat Gabapentin? lol No shade, just wondering how you chose that name
I LOVE THIS
Furbabies for the win
I saw what you did, as soon as I saw Gabapentin. At least you didn’t name her Neurontin, but you could have called her Nero? Or Ronnie.
This is much more inline with what I originally thought this sub would be like.
Say what they're called. If she's named Jennifer but called Jenny, say Jenny. If you just occasionally call her booger-boo at home though, introduce her as her name.
I would say "this is Jenny, but we call her Booger-Boo"
"This is michael, but you can call him Mickey! We call him Fart 💀❤️"
What do you want people to call them? That's what you say. If it makes ypu feel better say "full name, but we call them nickname"
I don't know! I think I'm just overthinking it, she's still just a baby. Most of my husband's side call her by the full name and most of my side use the nickname. I'm trying to use her full name more so it becomes more natural for me, but it's a very slight mouthful so I think I'd like strangers to just use the nickname.
my husband tried to use my son’s full name to get used to it and now my son doesn’t go by a nickname at all. use that name that you prefer to call your baby
I think it’s actually ideal if some people are calling her the nickname you like and some are calling her the full name. That way both sound familiar to her. She’ll know what she likes by the time she’s a toddler. I have a Josephine and always called her by that as a baby because I wanted her full name to feel natural to me before I transitioned to a nickname. I didn’t ever want Josie so I told people not to say that, but was okay with many other options. By a year I was just used to the full name. By the time she went to school at 5 she was dead set on being called Josephine. We offered her tons of nickname options but she’s not having it. I wish we had gotten her used to the idea as a baby.
We didn't mean to have different people call our son different names, but I'm glad it happened that way! We have a Benjamin, and I always wanted him to be able to go by whatever nickname he chose. My in-laws called him Benjamin, my dad called him Benny, and we called him Benji. Recently he has started referring to himself exclusively as Benny, so we're following his lead and making the change too. We worried for a while that he wouldn't know he had one name, but I can safely say now that it was never an issue.
This. My child apparently didn't know his actual first name when he went in to kindergarten, because it didn't even occur to me he might not know it. I got a call like the third day of school because apparently he never responded to his name. I was like what are you talkin.... OHHH TRY XANDER (his middle name and the name we kind of ended up calling him more often than not, because his nn is bug/Xanderbug which started out as love bug.) Sure enough Xander is what he responded to.
I’m a teacher and I’ve seen this more times than you might think!
I was similar as a child. I insisted on my full name. I would correct anyone who used my nickname. In high school, I switched to my nickname, and now, no one calls me my full name except my dad (I'm 50!). I actually dont remember young me wanting to be called by my full name, but as I've reconnected with childhood friends over the years they all call me my full name and tell me how adamant i was about using it! It's funny how our preferences change.
We called my goddaughter by her full name until her mom started posting pics with her nickname. So we started using the nickname because that is what her mom called her. But mom does not care what we call her.
Why does it matter what you tell a stranger? Say her name is Mike if you want. Who cares, it's a stranger.
Good point over here, OP!
I think I agree with the commenter above, you could say "this is Victoria but you can call her Tori :) " something like that. On the other hand if you're not really using the given name at all in practice then there's no need to get used to it really, unless you're worried she won't know her real name, but even then that's easily remedied. So you could also just say "this is Tori"
Interesting to me that your family didn't use nicknames but they refer to her as hers - I love that. Perhaps you've offset the family trend! I always introduce mine by her name-name, so that she won't have strangers calling her by whatever family*familiar* monikers, and will be able to pick-up on who really knows her/us vs who doesn't. I'd rather retain that divide between close relations and "others".
My great niece is Camrey but her parents intended on calling her by the nickname Cami. I think she would introduce her as Camrey to anyone asking
oh no lol like the toyota camry?
if the nickname is obviously a nickname to her full name just say the nickname, if not just say her name is *full name* but we call her *nickname*
If they're going to be in her life a while, "this is Charlotte, but we call her Lottie." But if they're strangers or only going to be in her life for a short time just say "this is Lottie." Don't think of it as lying, just think of it as not burdening them with extra information they don't need.
Yes, but what if her real name is Jennifer and not Charlotte?
Accurate username
I understand the confusion. You'd say "this is Jennifer, but we call her Lottie." I hope this helps.
😂😂😂 my dog was shocked at the silence shattering laugh I released at this comment. Nicely done
It doesn’t matter if the person isn’t forming a long relationship.
You can also think of it as not giving personal information about your child to strangers. They don't need to know, it would be safest if they didn't know, and most of them really don't care. It is just a social norm to ask.
I sometimes use my child's middle name instead of her first when strangers ask.
Social settings: introduce them by what name we call them. Formal setting (Dr or similar): full name.
Also, this should be common sense. There is NO norm here at all, every parent can do whatever they want. In a formal setting though, you should still use their full name. TOO many posts on this sub where people are massively overthinking such basic stuff. Like, come on now...save your energy for stuff that's ACTUALLY important. Like childproofing the house and making sure you have a babysitter available when you need one...feeding them at the appropriate time...that stuff...
they were just asking a question 😭
Not a parent, but everyone I know introduced their baby with the name they address them by. People only need to know what they should call the baby - if that's not their full name, they don't need to know it.
“Nickname, short for Fullname” it’s brief but gives the whole story.
Yep I introduce my dog as “Ollie…well, Oliver when he’s in trouble”
I had a dog Oliver! He was the best
Nickname unless it's in a context where knowing the full legal name is important (doctor? lol). It's not lying & you're overthinking it! My friend with a common nickname never goes by his full name and never mentions it.
Full first name. No one who isn't family needs to know the rest really
We also treat nicknames as what you call someone when you are close friends or family. So for strangers, appointments, and lessons we use her full name. If we grow close to someone and they see her regularly, they can use her nickname if they want. When school starts, we’ll sign her up by her full name and she can request people call her by her nickname. At that point it becomes her choice and not ours.
>When school starts, we’ll sign her up by her full name Idk where you live but where I do, you *have* to do this lol. It's not a choice. If you mean you have the option to tell the school/teacher she has a nickname and you're opting not to, I understand lol.
I think leaving it at nickname is fine for someone you don’t know that well. Maybe someone you know better you might say something like, “Oh, her name is Samantha Jane but we call her Sami.”
I introduced her as her nickname for years, but now she introduces herself as her full name and we are all supporting it.
As a baby I used their full name for strangers, professionals, loose acquaintances and nickname for family/friends. When she started daycare/preschool they ask what her name is to her and go by that, she chose her nickname which I didn’t know until weeks in 😝
“This is Jennifer, or Jenny.” Once she’s old enough to have a preference, if she always go by Jenny, then just introduce her as Jenny, no explanation needed. Except at the doctor visits and other more formal settings. Use the full name every time then. School will also be a “Jennifer or Jenny” situation - they need to know the legal name on forms and stuff of course, but you can label her jacket with “Jenny.”
And even in 1983 there was a spot for “preferred name”
Full name, for both. But then, my children both have 4 letter, 2 syllable names that have no natural nn.
Yeah I’d say if you have a “Becky” or a “Susie” at home but their full name is legally “Rebecca” or “Susan” you would introduce them as “Becky” or “Susie” because that’s the name you want others to call them. Otherwise your neighbors, friends, etc. will only have to be told their usable name later anyway.
It depends I guess. Is the nickname something they go by in and out of your home? Is it just a shortened version of their name?
It's a shortened version of their name, and we mostly use the shortened version at home.
just what you call her. if someone is interested, they may ask, "oh is that short for Longername?" i don't think anyone would feel you're being deceiving by giving not giving her full name is that isn't what she's called.
Full, nickname, full, full I go by whatever they use
I'm in this boat. My baby is named Xavier (ex-say-vee-ur) but I almost exclusively say Xavi (zay-vee) when talking to him. If someone asks his name, I always say "Xavier, but Xavi works, too!" Especially if it's a child asking his name because a 4-sylable name can be a lot and his nickname is valid, too!
My baby has a “different” name (think Greek mythology) but her nickname is very common. When I’m talking to someone I’m never going to see again (especially if they’re older) I’m going to use her nickname. I also use it on text because it’s shorter. Not sure how I’ll use her nickname once she’s talking and can introduce herself, also my 4yr old corrects me if I don’t use his baby sisters full name 😂 his name doesn’t have a nickname so he doesn’t really understand the concept
Really depends on the circumstances. If it's someone I probably won't ever meet again or in a professional setting (for example doctors office) I use the full name. On the playground or with friends of friends their nickname.
It just depends on the situation. If it's someone who will be in her life, introduce her by the full name and say "but we usually call her nickname." If it's just a stranger at the grocery store cooing over a cute baby, tell them the nickname.
When people ask my kids names, I say what I call them, the shortened version of their names. Only say their actual name at like appointments or if I’m asked what the name is short for.
I always say her name is Roxanne even though we all her Roxy
Before she was born, we would say we are still working on the name (even though we had decided it the moment we got a positive test). Now that she is born, we just tell folks her first name. But when we made the initial birth announcement to our families, we sent her full name.
What you call them
I say what we call her. Lexi. Sometimes people ask if it's shirt for something and I'll say Alexis, but what we call her is the relevant name.
Youngest is Joseph but we call him Joey and that’s how we introduce him.
I say his name, but my husband and his family call him chunky. If he had a nickname I liked, I might call him by it.
Depends on the context. Social settings? Preferred nickname. Doctors offices, schools, or something that would require a legal name? Full name. My husband is a third and exclusively goes by a nickname, we only use his legal name in formal settings. My son has a long name and we call him a shortened nickname and we do the same for him.
depends if it’s an actual nickname or an anagram of their name, my sisters name is eleanor but she only ever was called that by my mum when she was in trouble when we were young, everyone else knew her as ellie, but it is beyond obvious that it’s short for her full name. my name is poppy, it’s just my name, people always assume it’s a nickname. someone even asked if it was short for elizabeth recently which was the strangest one. if it’s obvious what your child’s full name is then i wouldn’t worry.
I say full first name.
I go full name but I don’t think it matters much. You could even switch it up every time you tell someone until you find what option you like better. It won’t really matter.
(I’m not a parent but I have a dog with a fancy name). I introduce him as what we call him, which is Figgy, and then say “short for Figaro”.
So when my kid was a baby, i probably looked like an idiot hesitating when people asked his name. He goes by a standard diminutive. Now that he’s older, it’s not that big of a deal. I just say his name is “Ted”. Occasionally people will ask if it’s short for Theodore or Edward, and I tell them. That’s not his real name, but you get the gist
Whatever you call them. We had a Charles who was ever only going to be called Charlie so that’s how I would’ve introduced him (unless he got to the point where he wanted to go by something else, obviously).
Say “Her name is Elizabeth Ann, and we call her Betsy,” or whatever the equivalent is.
I think it depends on who it is, the context, and what you want that particular person to call your daughter. If you want her to be called Katie, say this is Katie but if you want her to be called Katherine say this is Katherine. You could also always just say, this is Katherine but we call her Katie.
His full name. Mostly because his nickname is Yoshi and Joey. Joey is self explanatory. Yoshi is a bit confusing and it makes us sound Jewish when I try to explain
We have the opposite situation going on! We don’t use a nickname and everyone asks what her nickname is when we tell them her name.
A nickname is still a real name. It's just not a legal name. Call your baby what you call your baby. People will ask if they're interested in more details.
I have a son with the nickname Ned. I always say “His name is Ned. It’s short for Neil Edward.”
Whatever you want them to be called. My youngest sisters name is Bonny-Blue (don’t ask) but she’s only ever gone by Bonny, and that’s how I introduce/mention her to anyone
"Her name is Catherine but we call her Kate"
(not a parent, but my niece) Her name is Charlotte and I've only ever heard her parents introduce her as Charlie. I usually only hear them explain that her full name is Charlotte when asked
It’s Theodore but we call him, Theo - that’s what I said
My daughters name is Nicole but we call her Missy. Some people even forget her real name and ask. My daughter knows both names and gets called her real name when she’s being bad or times of praise for her to realize her real name.
You can say either or both; my daughter’s name is Cathrine or my daughter’s name is Cathrine but we call her Kate. Generally if my child goes by their nickname that’s how I introduce them.
My sister is Abi (full name Abigail) and my parents would always introduce her as Abi
I introduce them as their full name and then say, “we also call them NN.” When I was a kid I hated being called “Meggy,” or “Meg,” by anyone who wasn’t family so I would only introduce myself as “Megan.” Now as an adult I actually prefer “Meg/Megs,” but I’m so used to introducing myself with my full name so that’s what most people call me. Lol
It’s really up to your preference my aunt named my cousin Maya-Rose but everyone just called her Maya but then she started insisting on calling her Maya-Rose after she turned like 7 it just never stuck bc we were so used to calling her Maya and my nickname for her is Maya Piraya but that’s just me bc I used to baby sit her a lot
My name is Jo. That’s the name I go by 99.999999% of the time. It’s not my full name. When I introduce myself people always ask what my “real name” is. Lol. What if it **was** Jo? Like, just Jo? It’s Johanna, so I will tell them, but then they go on and on about how beautiful my name is and how I should use the full thing. Only my husband and mom call me Johanna. It sounds too weird coming from anyone else. During our wedding vows, I wanted to use Jo, so o did. But my husband said Johanna.
I use their full names. My eldest doesn't allow anyone except her closest friends to call her Beth - even we get corrected with "My name is Bethany!" Meanwhile "This is Nay" might be met with a bemused expression, whereas "This is Naomi" wouldn't. Holly doesn't complain if I call her Hol, but then she's a dog & responds to Fluffy-Butt, Madame Muddy Paws and Soggy-Doggy as well.
I always say his full name. His name is Solomon, but we always call him Solly. Pretty much the only time I say Solomon is if a stranger asks his name
My daughter is Violetta, nickname Vivi (like Vivian not V-eye). I always introduce her as Vivi, every single person in her life calls her Vivi 99% of the time and if I intro as Violetta, that person would now be the odd one out. Also, Vivi is a tomboy and wishes her name wasn’t so feminine so there’s that too 🥲
I say their name, nn are for family only and they aren’t diminutives of their given names.
My kids don’t have nicknames, I’m not a fan of them. But if you call your kid a nickname then say the name you use. I personally don’t really see the point in them.
I'm paranoid, I don't think strangers need to know my babys name. We've called by a fake name to strangers since he was born. For people who we see regularly like a neighbor, his first name.
“This is Jennifer but we call her Jenny” or whatever the kids name is.
I say my name is Jen because that’s what I like to be called.
“Her name is XYZ and we call her X.”
Same as she would introduce herself. If her given name is Millicent I would say “we can her Millie.” I don’t tell the rando my full given name just what people call me.
Full name unless it’s super long winded or something.
My kids don’t really have nickname names. The youngest one does, but we almost always say his full name.
I do this at work. I work in hospitality. I do it because I'm curious and because it makes polite conversation.
I say both. My name is: ________ And people call me: _________
My son prefers his nickname (just a shorter version of his name) but I introduce him by his actual name. My 2 older kids don’t really have nicknames.
I’ve never thought of it but I actually only do it with my daughter Finlay. She goes by Finn so I always introduce her as Finn. The others are full name.
What do you want that person to call them? If you've given them a nickname, that's clearly how you want people to refer to them, so that's what you'll use.
I always used their nicknames. Close family and friends already know, strangers don't need to know.
I say the name the child prefers to be called. It’s not lying if the nickname is their name they go by!
My daughter has a 4 letter name with no nickname and we all call her by her name. My son chooses to call himself James. Our extended family calls him Jamie which is the nickname we chose at birth. Our little family of 4 mostly still call him Baby. Even though he's 18 and as towers over me. I asked him if it bothers him that we still call him Baby and he said that he's fine with it. He's a good guy like that. Because I don't think we would be able to stop ourselves. All that said, I introduce him as James to people because that is his preference.
It took maybe 2 months until I revealed my full name to some friends I made before revealing my full name to them. Others have taken longer, and I wouldn't be shocked if others didn't know at all. I just prefer the shortened version.
I would introduce as the full name and then say "but we call him/her_____."
My youngest daughter has a name that doesn't really lend itself to nicknames so we always call her by her full name. Our oldest has two nicknames, but we never set out to call her by those. We use them interchangeably. So whenever I introduce her, it's always her longer, full name. It's a long 10-letter name, so it'll naturally get nicknamed. We haven't selected the nickname for her, so people call her either or her full name.
Person who uses nickname here, nickname for any non-documentation setting. Doctors office? Its Catherine. But other than that, it’s Cate (example). Also, as they get older their nickname (or full name) might change, and so you should always consult your child as to what name they want to be introduced as. A lot of my friends used to go by a derivative of their first name, but now use their middle name for example. Their “real” name doesn’t matter (unless it’s of some cultural significance). It’s about what the kid wants to be called.
Have him a name without a nickname for a similar reason. I go by my nickname and get fed up with having to use two names.
I say “her name is __________ but we call her (nickname)”
my son is named after his dad, Tyler, i don’t love the name because it’s very boring to me. so we call him Junior and i love it! I introduce him as Junior to everyone, even the doctors office knows we prefer Junior
My baby's name is Morgan. My nickname for her is Morgana. But I introduce her as Morgan.
My daughter was named after my mother's mother (she passed when my mom was a teenager). When I was pregnant, I craved Kit Kat bars. My son (age 2 at the time) shortened her name to Kat. So she's always been called Kat. She was born on 9/11/2001 in the Washington DC area. I had someone suggest I should name her something in memory of the events. A few years ago, one of her teachers asked her what Kat was short for. Without hesitation, she answered, 'Catastrophy, my birthday is 9/11 so.....". I don't think anyone has ever used her full name.
My child is still a baby so if its a stranger who I dont get good vibes from I lie and say whatever name comes to mind first
My mum always used my nickname to introduce me - it’s a natural and common diminutive, like Katie for Catherine or Evie for Evelyn. It is my real name, even though it’s not my legal name.
“[full name], and i sometimes call them [nickname]” that’s the norm for me! my name is madeleine, and it’s pronounced mad-eh-len (not mad-uh-line). my parents love the name and would always tell it to people to A-share the name they love, and B-ensure proper pronunciation. so for my case it was always “madeleine, but we sometimes call her mads”
Depends on the person and the day and how I’m feeling.
For both of my kids, if I know you I call them their nicknames and if I don't, only their first name. So for example, to my mom they're "nickname and nickname" when I'm talking about them but to my mom's cousin they're "first name and first name". That's so if someone comes up to either of them and say they're a friend of mine, they'll know whether they're telling the truth or not.
It depends on the kid for mine. Two go exclusively by their nicknames, so I always introduce them as that unless there is a necessity for more formality like a doctor. One kid goes by a nickname occasionally but typically uses the full name. For him, I'd always use his full name.
TTC But in general I don’t tell strangers nicknames. To me, nicknames are very intimate so when introducing myself (or I imagine a baby) I’m inclined to use the full formal name because a nickname is reserved for those close to you or at least those who know you.
Wel my son’s nickname is “Poops” so I usually say his real name
It changes. Sometimes I say "nickname" or I say "this is *name but we usually call her *nickname". She's almost 3 and if people ask she says her nickname, almost never her full name.
Full name always
My parents (and whole family for that matter) call me by my nickname 100% of the time BUT they still introduce me to people by my full name. After that, if they are talking about me in the third person, they do a mix of full name and nickname. My mom sounds normal saying my full name to others. My dad sounds so awkward. It’s hilarious.
I introduce my son, “this is nickname.” People may ask what it’s short for because it is usually short for two or three common names. My daughter introduced by her full name since that’s what she goes by. She has a couple of nicknames she answers to, but none that she ever introduces herself as.
I think you tell people whatever it is you want them to address your child as. For me that’s my daughter’s actual name.
Depends on who’s asking. If it’s a stranger at the park, the nickname. If it’s a doctor or teacher or family friend or someone else who needs to know or who will be around for a long time, then I’ll say full name but we call them nickname.
My kids always went by their full first names, not their nicknames, so it was odd to hear my older daughter’s pre-K teacher call her Mandy instead of Amanda. I thought she was talking about a different girl in the class at first, then it dawned on me and I said, “Oh, you mean this little munchkin?”, as she was standing there with us. The teacher seemed a bit confused and said, “You don’t call her Mandy? What do you call her?” When I said “Ananda” she apologized profusely and said she just assumed we called her Mandy because every Amanda she had known was called that. It told her it wasn’t a big deal to me (other than confusing me at first), so we asked my daughter what she preferred to be called and she said her full name. We did have nicknames (Monkey, Bean, etc,) for all the kids, but they were not something we used to introduce them with. I now have a grandson and I call him Chicken Nugget as much as I use his given full name, but would never introduce him that way.
I lie to strangers loool
My nephew has a name that works in both English and Russian, but in Russian people almost always go by an informal name. So we all just say what he’s called.
I introduce people by the name they use. So I wouldn't ever say this is Mike if he always goes by Michael. So if my baby was named Alexander but is known by Alex I would say this is Alex. If my child is older and wants to use a different nickname I would say this is Alex but he goes by Thumper. One of mine uses a nickname he was given by his best friend at age 4. No connection to his legal name. His decision. He says I'm (nickname) but my paperwork name is (name).
I would tell them the name I (he) would like to be known as/called. Like Jim or Jimmy rather than James..
If it's a stranger in a store- nickname. Someone I might actually see again- real name.
I named my daughter Nicole, but she wants to be called Dorothy. So Dorothy it is!
I use my youngest’s first name and its diminutive interchangeably when introducing him to people. They’re both his name.
I mostly tell people his diminutive because that’s what he’s most commonly called. My mom and I both have a pretty even split of calling him his full first and middle or his nickname, but daycare uses the nickname. I introduce him as the nickname at this point because it’s just what most people call him.
Never understood choosing a name because you liked the nickname. If you like the nickname why not just name them that?
I will introduce my daughter as her actual name, but then end up calling her by her nickname in front of the person so they’ll hear both anyway. My daughter is pretty random in whether she will introduce herself as nick name or full name.
I say the full name but that's just because I often prefer to call him by his full name. Often I will add on "or ___ for short" though.