Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.
I’m a Katherine, but I go mostly by Katie in real life. For a short time when I was six I insisted on Kathy (yuck). I prefer Katherine, but it’s so hard to switch back to the full version when everyone I know is so used to Katie. My Dad is the only one who calls me Kate, which I don’t particularly like.
My brother Stephen went by Stevie about half the time until there was a Stephanie in his 3rd grade class who also went by Stevie and he insisted we should never call him that anymore. He’s been just Stephen since. I don’t think anyone’s ever called him Steve.
The evolution of nicknames is very interesting, I’m loving to read the stories in the other comments.
My cousin-in-law is a Katherine who introduced herself to me as Kat (she was a teenager then) when we first met 11 years ago. She is an artist and signs all her work Kat. Her siblings call her Kat. her mother, however, calls her Kathy and corrects anyone who says “Kat” in her presence.
When my uncle was a teenager many of his friends used to call at the house and as “Is Chris in?” His mother would promptly tell them that there was no Chris in the house. Only if she was feeling generous would she add that there was, in fact, a “Christopher” currently in.
Great story Abby, really made me smile. My Lenora, who’s been Lena basically since she came home from the hospital decided a couple of weeks ago that she’s now Nora! Which is pretty but takes away the family element behind her name.
On the other hand her older sister Genevieve has dozens of nicknames and answers to basically anything-much like me and my sister at her age.
Now with a Neve and a Nora, a Toby and a Tilly, it does make me wonder that if we do decide on another whether we need to make sure it’s an ‘O’ to go with Ollie!
Our Rose was never Rosie at home, but once she started Kindergarten, friends and teachers started calling her Rosie. I asked her if she likes that and she said yes. Her Dad has told her that he will not call her Rosie and she hasn’t asked to be called that at home.
We took Henry to preschool open houses last week. One of the teachers asked if he would be Hank. We laughed and said no. We’ve teased him before that we’ll call him Hank and he said he didn’t like it. I told him that Harry is also a nickname for Henry and he likes that better. Though he pronounces it “Hairy” rather than the British-sounding Harry that I was going for. So we’re all sticking with Henry for now. He loves it when he hears another boy at the library being called Henry.
We didn’t intend on calling George “Georgie” but when Rose was off school for the summer she started calling him Georgie. When she went back to school in the fall, I found myself picking up where she’d left off and calling him Georgie myself. That’s one that I’d rather didn’t make it onto his school list, but maybe he’ll like it.
Rose has a class mate called Katherine. I don’t know the spelling. But she’s known as “Kit Kat” to her friends. I just asked Rose what the teachers call her. She wasn’t sure but thinks “Kat” and then asked “Why are you talking about her?!” Ooops.
Fantastic post. It sounds like your Aly/Alex is rolling with the punches very well. And that male Delaney is going to be in for a shock at some point – you just KNOW he’s going to hear “But that’s a girl’s name!” himself one day. It’s funny: I’ve known an Elizabeth S., an Elizabeth C., and an Elizabeth P., none of which was EVER shortened. On the other hand, I’ve been friends with three Katies, a Katy, a Kitty, a Cathy, a Kat, and a Kate, who very rarely – if ever – went by their full names.
Thanks for sharing!
I struggle with this a bit. There are many nicknames I like for full names that aren’t considered intuitive today, and if the nickname is really what you are after, it can cause some second guessing. Sometimes I think I should just go with Maude or Nell so I don’t end up with a Mattie or Ellie.
I have much the same thing in that when I first meet people, many automatically shorten Eleanor to Ellie. It used to feel strange and not quite belonging to me, as I have always been El or Ella, but now it doesn’t bother me one jot. I have so many names that people call me by. My sister, fr example, calls me Nen, which is probably my favourite.
I think that’s what I love about nicknames — that you can be different things, or names, to different people.
The automatic shortening of Eleanor to Ellie drives me NUTS. For a name that’s so exquisite, and with so many gorgeous nicknames, why they always assume that 1) you want a nickname, and 2) you want THAT one…. it’s like “Liz” for Elizabeth.
Lauren, that’s so funny because Nen came about from a little boy who couldn’t pronounce Eleanor and instead said Nenenah.
Your comment has made the nickname doubly appropriate as my middle name is Lauren!
I was secretly hoping that my Stephanie would be a Stevie for short but no such luck as yet. She’s been Anie (when she was first learning to talk – she had trouble with the Steph bit), Stephanie, and currently Steph.
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If you’ve been reading for a while, you might know that I refer to my firstborn as Aly, short for 
I’m a Katherine, but I go mostly by Katie in real life. For a short time when I was six I insisted on Kathy (yuck). I prefer Katherine, but it’s so hard to switch back to the full version when everyone I know is so used to Katie. My Dad is the only one who calls me Kate, which I don’t particularly like.
My brother Stephen went by Stevie about half the time until there was a Stephanie in his 3rd grade class who also went by Stevie and he insisted we should never call him that anymore. He’s been just Stephen since. I don’t think anyone’s ever called him Steve.
The evolution of nicknames is very interesting, I’m loving to read the stories in the other comments.
My cousin-in-law is a Katherine who introduced herself to me as Kat (she was a teenager then) when we first met 11 years ago. She is an artist and signs all her work Kat. Her siblings call her Kat. her mother, however, calls her Kathy and corrects anyone who says “Kat” in her presence.
When my uncle was a teenager many of his friends used to call at the house and as “Is Chris in?” His mother would promptly tell them that there was no Chris in the house. Only if she was feeling generous would she add that there was, in fact, a “Christopher” currently in.
Great story Abby, really made me smile. My Lenora, who’s been Lena basically since she came home from the hospital decided a couple of weeks ago that she’s now Nora! Which is pretty but takes away the family element behind her name.
On the other hand her older sister Genevieve has dozens of nicknames and answers to basically anything-much like me and my sister at her age.
Now with a Neve and a Nora, a Toby and a Tilly, it does make me wonder that if we do decide on another whether we need to make sure it’s an ‘O’ to go with Ollie!
Fran, beautiful names!
Lovely article.
Our Rose was never Rosie at home, but once she started Kindergarten, friends and teachers started calling her Rosie. I asked her if she likes that and she said yes. Her Dad has told her that he will not call her Rosie and she hasn’t asked to be called that at home.
We took Henry to preschool open houses last week. One of the teachers asked if he would be Hank. We laughed and said no. We’ve teased him before that we’ll call him Hank and he said he didn’t like it. I told him that Harry is also a nickname for Henry and he likes that better. Though he pronounces it “Hairy” rather than the British-sounding Harry that I was going for. So we’re all sticking with Henry for now. He loves it when he hears another boy at the library being called Henry.
We didn’t intend on calling George “Georgie” but when Rose was off school for the summer she started calling him Georgie. When she went back to school in the fall, I found myself picking up where she’d left off and calling him Georgie myself. That’s one that I’d rather didn’t make it onto his school list, but maybe he’ll like it.
Rose has a class mate called Katherine. I don’t know the spelling. But she’s known as “Kit Kat” to her friends. I just asked Rose what the teachers call her. She wasn’t sure but thinks “Kat” and then asked “Why are you talking about her?!” Ooops.
Fantastic post. It sounds like your Aly/Alex is rolling with the punches very well. And that male Delaney is going to be in for a shock at some point – you just KNOW he’s going to hear “But that’s a girl’s name!” himself one day. It’s funny: I’ve known an Elizabeth S., an Elizabeth C., and an Elizabeth P., none of which was EVER shortened. On the other hand, I’ve been friends with three Katies, a Katy, a Kitty, a Cathy, a Kat, and a Kate, who very rarely – if ever – went by their full names.
Thanks for sharing!
I struggle with this a bit. There are many nicknames I like for full names that aren’t considered intuitive today, and if the nickname is really what you are after, it can cause some second guessing. Sometimes I think I should just go with Maude or Nell so I don’t end up with a Mattie or Ellie.
Thank you for sharing that. It certainly is interesting how nicknames evolve over a lifetime – and in Aly’s case in just a few short years.
“But then, so much of parenting is like that, and it turns out that the fun isn
Oh, and on another note, a boy called Ali wouldn’t raise an eyebrow in Britain as it has long been used as a nickname for Alistair.
We’re not in Britain, but that’s what I’m counting on and why Alisdair nn Ali is high up on our list! My Arabic speaking family can call him Ali 😉
I have much the same thing in that when I first meet people, many automatically shorten Eleanor to Ellie. It used to feel strange and not quite belonging to me, as I have always been El or Ella, but now it doesn’t bother me one jot. I have so many names that people call me by. My sister, fr example, calls me Nen, which is probably my favourite.
I think that’s what I love about nicknames — that you can be different things, or names, to different people.
The automatic shortening of Eleanor to Ellie drives me NUTS. For a name that’s so exquisite, and with so many gorgeous nicknames, why they always assume that 1) you want a nickname, and 2) you want THAT one…. it’s like “Liz” for Elizabeth.
I was called Nen for years by little babysitees. It is just the cutest nickname.
Lauren, that’s so funny because Nen came about from a little boy who couldn’t pronounce Eleanor and instead said Nenenah.
Your comment has made the nickname doubly appropriate as my middle name is Lauren!
I was secretly hoping that my Stephanie would be a Stevie for short but no such luck as yet. She’s been Anie (when she was first learning to talk – she had trouble with the Steph bit), Stephanie, and currently Steph.