It wasn’t always this way. Once upon a time, friends and even strangers could casually call a boy named Daniel “Danny” and nobody would think a thing of it. Today, every young Daniel I know goes exclusively by his full name, by his parents’ choice. There’s nothing wrong with steering your child away from a nickname you dislike. You chose a name with care and love, so it’s natural to ask people to use that name. Yet there are virtues to the wide-open nickname approach, too.
Nicknaming lets kids adjust a name to fit different stages of their lives, or different social situations: Danny to Grandma, Danno to buddies, Daniel at a job interview. An openness to nicknames also puts control of the name in the hands of the person who bears it. That can help offset the fundamental dilemma of baby naming, that we’re choosing a name for someone we’ve never met, not knowing what kind of person they’ll grow up to be. What if you want the gift of a name to be the gift of flexibility? Ironically, it’s the most traditional baby names that offer the greatest options for creative personalization. Nicknames for English standards like Mary, Ann and Margaret proliferated back when those names accounted for half of all girls in a typical village. Longer classics like Alexander and Anastasia lend themselves to many options as well. More from The Stir: 4 Most Popular Names in Corporate America Carry an Unsettling Message The names on this list may not seem like creative choices in themselves, but they’ll give your children the flexibility to creatively name — and rename — themselves. Names with lots of nickname options: GIRLS Alexandra: Alex, Allie, Andra, Lexi, Sandra, Sandy, Sasha, Shura, Xan, Xandra Anastasia: Ana, Annie, Nastya, Stacy, Stasya, Tasia Annabelle: Ann, Anna, Annie, Bella, Belle, Ella, Nan, Nell Charlotte: Charlie, Carly, Lola, Lotta, Lottie, Tottie Christina: Chris, Chrissy, Christa, Christie, Ina, Kika, Stina, Tina Eleanor: Ella, Elle, Ellie, Nell, Nellie, Nora Elizabeth: Bess, Bessie, Beth, Bethan, Betsy, Bette, Betty, Buffy, Eliza, Ella, Ellie, Elsa, Elsie, Libby, Liddy, Lili, Lisa, Lise, Lisette, Liz, Liza, Lizbeth, Lizzie More from The Stir: 92 Classic Names That Will Still Be in Style When Your Baby Turns 60 Evangeline: Angie, Eva, Evie, Gilly, Lina, Vangie Genevieve: Evie, Gen/Jen, Genie, Genna, Genny, Ginette, Ginny, Viv, Vivi Katherine: Kat, Kate, Kathy, Katy, Katya, Kay, Kit, Kitty Margaret: Daisy, Greta, Gretchen, Madge, Maggie, Maisie, Mamie, Margie, May, Meg, Megan, Meta, Peg, Peggy Mary: Mae, Mamie, May, Mimi, Mitzi, Molly, Polly Natalia: Nat, Natasha, Talia, Tally, Tasha Sarah: Sadie, Sal, Sally, Sarita Susanna: Sookie, Sue, Sukey, Susa, Susie, Suze, Zanna, ZuZu Veronica: Nikki, Rona, Ronnie, Vera Wilhelmina: Billie, Mina, Minnie, Vilma, Willa, Willie, Willow, Wilma BOYS Alexander: Al, Alex, Lex, Sander, Sandy, Sasha, Xander, Zander Charles: Cal, Charlie, Chase, Chaz, Chick, Chip, Chuck Christopher: Chip, Chris, Kip, Kit, Topher Edward: Ed, Eddie, Ned, Ted, Teddy Frederick: Fred, Freddy, Fritz, Rick, Ricky Henry: Hal, Hank, Harry More from The Stir: 19 Surprising Scientific Facts About Naming Babies Jonathan: Jon, Jonty, Jonny, Than Lawrence: Larry, Laz, Lon, Loren, Lorne Nicholas: Cole, Colin, Klaus, Nick, Nico, Nikos Robert: Bob, Bobby, Dobbin, Hob, Rob, Robbie, Robin Theodore: Ted, Teddy, Teo, Terry, Theo William: Bill, Billy, Liam, Will, Wilkie, Willie, Wills, Wim This article originally appeared on Baby Name Wizard. Is flexibility an important quality in baby names for you? For more great baby name ideas, visit Baby Name Wizard. Images via Monkey Business Images/shutterstock; BKMCphotography/shutterstock
title: “30 Baby Names That Give You Tons Of Great Nicknames” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-16” author: “Melvin Crespo”
It wasn’t always this way. Once upon a time, friends and even strangers could casually call a boy named Daniel “Danny” and nobody would think a thing of it. Today, every young Daniel I know goes exclusively by his full name, by his parents’ choice. There’s nothing wrong with steering your child away from a nickname you dislike. You chose a name with care and love, so it’s natural to ask people to use that name. Yet there are virtues to the wide-open nickname approach, too.
Nicknaming lets kids adjust a name to fit different stages of their lives, or different social situations: Danny to Grandma, Danno to buddies, Daniel at a job interview. An openness to nicknames also puts control of the name in the hands of the person who bears it. That can help offset the fundamental dilemma of baby naming, that we’re choosing a name for someone we’ve never met, not knowing what kind of person they’ll grow up to be. What if you want the gift of a name to be the gift of flexibility? Ironically, it’s the most traditional baby names that offer the greatest options for creative personalization. Nicknames for English standards like Mary, Ann and Margaret proliferated back when those names accounted for half of all girls in a typical village. Longer classics like Alexander and Anastasia lend themselves to many options as well. More from The Stir: 4 Most Popular Names in Corporate America Carry an Unsettling Message The names on this list may not seem like creative choices in themselves, but they’ll give your children the flexibility to creatively name — and rename — themselves. Names with lots of nickname options: GIRLS Alexandra: Alex, Allie, Andra, Lexi, Sandra, Sandy, Sasha, Shura, Xan, Xandra Anastasia: Ana, Annie, Nastya, Stacy, Stasya, Tasia Annabelle: Ann, Anna, Annie, Bella, Belle, Ella, Nan, Nell Charlotte: Charlie, Carly, Lola, Lotta, Lottie, Tottie Christina: Chris, Chrissy, Christa, Christie, Ina, Kika, Stina, Tina Eleanor: Ella, Elle, Ellie, Nell, Nellie, Nora Elizabeth: Bess, Bessie, Beth, Bethan, Betsy, Bette, Betty, Buffy, Eliza, Ella, Ellie, Elsa, Elsie, Libby, Liddy, Lili, Lisa, Lise, Lisette, Liz, Liza, Lizbeth, Lizzie More from The Stir: 92 Classic Names That Will Still Be in Style When Your Baby Turns 60 Evangeline: Angie, Eva, Evie, Gilly, Lina, Vangie Genevieve: Evie, Gen/Jen, Genie, Genna, Genny, Ginette, Ginny, Viv, Vivi Katherine: Kat, Kate, Kathy, Katy, Katya, Kay, Kit, Kitty Margaret: Daisy, Greta, Gretchen, Madge, Maggie, Maisie, Mamie, Margie, May, Meg, Megan, Meta, Peg, Peggy Mary: Mae, Mamie, May, Mimi, Mitzi, Molly, Polly Natalia: Nat, Natasha, Talia, Tally, Tasha Sarah: Sadie, Sal, Sally, Sarita Susanna: Sookie, Sue, Sukey, Susa, Susie, Suze, Zanna, ZuZu Veronica: Nikki, Rona, Ronnie, Vera Wilhelmina: Billie, Mina, Minnie, Vilma, Willa, Willie, Willow, Wilma BOYS Alexander: Al, Alex, Lex, Sander, Sandy, Sasha, Xander, Zander Charles: Cal, Charlie, Chase, Chaz, Chick, Chip, Chuck Christopher: Chip, Chris, Kip, Kit, Topher Edward: Ed, Eddie, Ned, Ted, Teddy Frederick: Fred, Freddy, Fritz, Rick, Ricky Henry: Hal, Hank, Harry More from The Stir: 19 Surprising Scientific Facts About Naming Babies Jonathan: Jon, Jonty, Jonny, Than Lawrence: Larry, Laz, Lon, Loren, Lorne Nicholas: Cole, Colin, Klaus, Nick, Nico, Nikos Robert: Bob, Bobby, Dobbin, Hob, Rob, Robbie, Robin Theodore: Ted, Teddy, Teo, Terry, Theo William: Bill, Billy, Liam, Will, Wilkie, Willie, Wills, Wim This article originally appeared on Baby Name Wizard. Is flexibility an important quality in baby names for you? For more great baby name ideas, visit Baby Name Wizard. Images via Monkey Business Images/shutterstock; BKMCphotography/shutterstock
title: “30 Baby Names That Give You Tons Of Great Nicknames” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-24” author: “Jeanne Conlisk”
It wasn’t always this way. Once upon a time, friends and even strangers could casually call a boy named Daniel “Danny” and nobody would think a thing of it. Today, every young Daniel I know goes exclusively by his full name, by his parents’ choice. There’s nothing wrong with steering your child away from a nickname you dislike. You chose a name with care and love, so it’s natural to ask people to use that name. Yet there are virtues to the wide-open nickname approach, too.
Nicknaming lets kids adjust a name to fit different stages of their lives, or different social situations: Danny to Grandma, Danno to buddies, Daniel at a job interview. An openness to nicknames also puts control of the name in the hands of the person who bears it. That can help offset the fundamental dilemma of baby naming, that we’re choosing a name for someone we’ve never met, not knowing what kind of person they’ll grow up to be. What if you want the gift of a name to be the gift of flexibility? Ironically, it’s the most traditional baby names that offer the greatest options for creative personalization. Nicknames for English standards like Mary, Ann and Margaret proliferated back when those names accounted for half of all girls in a typical village. Longer classics like Alexander and Anastasia lend themselves to many options as well. More from The Stir: 4 Most Popular Names in Corporate America Carry an Unsettling Message The names on this list may not seem like creative choices in themselves, but they’ll give your children the flexibility to creatively name — and rename — themselves. Names with lots of nickname options: GIRLS Alexandra: Alex, Allie, Andra, Lexi, Sandra, Sandy, Sasha, Shura, Xan, Xandra Anastasia: Ana, Annie, Nastya, Stacy, Stasya, Tasia Annabelle: Ann, Anna, Annie, Bella, Belle, Ella, Nan, Nell Charlotte: Charlie, Carly, Lola, Lotta, Lottie, Tottie Christina: Chris, Chrissy, Christa, Christie, Ina, Kika, Stina, Tina Eleanor: Ella, Elle, Ellie, Nell, Nellie, Nora Elizabeth: Bess, Bessie, Beth, Bethan, Betsy, Bette, Betty, Buffy, Eliza, Ella, Ellie, Elsa, Elsie, Libby, Liddy, Lili, Lisa, Lise, Lisette, Liz, Liza, Lizbeth, Lizzie More from The Stir: 92 Classic Names That Will Still Be in Style When Your Baby Turns 60 Evangeline: Angie, Eva, Evie, Gilly, Lina, Vangie Genevieve: Evie, Gen/Jen, Genie, Genna, Genny, Ginette, Ginny, Viv, Vivi Katherine: Kat, Kate, Kathy, Katy, Katya, Kay, Kit, Kitty Margaret: Daisy, Greta, Gretchen, Madge, Maggie, Maisie, Mamie, Margie, May, Meg, Megan, Meta, Peg, Peggy Mary: Mae, Mamie, May, Mimi, Mitzi, Molly, Polly Natalia: Nat, Natasha, Talia, Tally, Tasha Sarah: Sadie, Sal, Sally, Sarita Susanna: Sookie, Sue, Sukey, Susa, Susie, Suze, Zanna, ZuZu Veronica: Nikki, Rona, Ronnie, Vera Wilhelmina: Billie, Mina, Minnie, Vilma, Willa, Willie, Willow, Wilma BOYS Alexander: Al, Alex, Lex, Sander, Sandy, Sasha, Xander, Zander Charles: Cal, Charlie, Chase, Chaz, Chick, Chip, Chuck Christopher: Chip, Chris, Kip, Kit, Topher Edward: Ed, Eddie, Ned, Ted, Teddy Frederick: Fred, Freddy, Fritz, Rick, Ricky Henry: Hal, Hank, Harry More from The Stir: 19 Surprising Scientific Facts About Naming Babies Jonathan: Jon, Jonty, Jonny, Than Lawrence: Larry, Laz, Lon, Loren, Lorne Nicholas: Cole, Colin, Klaus, Nick, Nico, Nikos Robert: Bob, Bobby, Dobbin, Hob, Rob, Robbie, Robin Theodore: Ted, Teddy, Teo, Terry, Theo William: Bill, Billy, Liam, Will, Wilkie, Willie, Wills, Wim This article originally appeared on Baby Name Wizard. Is flexibility an important quality in baby names for you? For more great baby name ideas, visit Baby Name Wizard. Images via Monkey Business Images/shutterstock; BKMCphotography/shutterstock
title: “30 Baby Names That Give You Tons Of Great Nicknames” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-29” author: “Donna Morgan”
It wasn’t always this way. Once upon a time, friends and even strangers could casually call a boy named Daniel “Danny” and nobody would think a thing of it. Today, every young Daniel I know goes exclusively by his full name, by his parents’ choice. There’s nothing wrong with steering your child away from a nickname you dislike. You chose a name with care and love, so it’s natural to ask people to use that name. Yet there are virtues to the wide-open nickname approach, too.
Nicknaming lets kids adjust a name to fit different stages of their lives, or different social situations: Danny to Grandma, Danno to buddies, Daniel at a job interview. An openness to nicknames also puts control of the name in the hands of the person who bears it. That can help offset the fundamental dilemma of baby naming, that we’re choosing a name for someone we’ve never met, not knowing what kind of person they’ll grow up to be. What if you want the gift of a name to be the gift of flexibility? Ironically, it’s the most traditional baby names that offer the greatest options for creative personalization. Nicknames for English standards like Mary, Ann and Margaret proliferated back when those names accounted for half of all girls in a typical village. Longer classics like Alexander and Anastasia lend themselves to many options as well. More from The Stir: 4 Most Popular Names in Corporate America Carry an Unsettling Message The names on this list may not seem like creative choices in themselves, but they’ll give your children the flexibility to creatively name — and rename — themselves. Names with lots of nickname options: GIRLS Alexandra: Alex, Allie, Andra, Lexi, Sandra, Sandy, Sasha, Shura, Xan, Xandra Anastasia: Ana, Annie, Nastya, Stacy, Stasya, Tasia Annabelle: Ann, Anna, Annie, Bella, Belle, Ella, Nan, Nell Charlotte: Charlie, Carly, Lola, Lotta, Lottie, Tottie Christina: Chris, Chrissy, Christa, Christie, Ina, Kika, Stina, Tina Eleanor: Ella, Elle, Ellie, Nell, Nellie, Nora Elizabeth: Bess, Bessie, Beth, Bethan, Betsy, Bette, Betty, Buffy, Eliza, Ella, Ellie, Elsa, Elsie, Libby, Liddy, Lili, Lisa, Lise, Lisette, Liz, Liza, Lizbeth, Lizzie More from The Stir: 92 Classic Names That Will Still Be in Style When Your Baby Turns 60 Evangeline: Angie, Eva, Evie, Gilly, Lina, Vangie Genevieve: Evie, Gen/Jen, Genie, Genna, Genny, Ginette, Ginny, Viv, Vivi Katherine: Kat, Kate, Kathy, Katy, Katya, Kay, Kit, Kitty Margaret: Daisy, Greta, Gretchen, Madge, Maggie, Maisie, Mamie, Margie, May, Meg, Megan, Meta, Peg, Peggy Mary: Mae, Mamie, May, Mimi, Mitzi, Molly, Polly Natalia: Nat, Natasha, Talia, Tally, Tasha Sarah: Sadie, Sal, Sally, Sarita Susanna: Sookie, Sue, Sukey, Susa, Susie, Suze, Zanna, ZuZu Veronica: Nikki, Rona, Ronnie, Vera Wilhelmina: Billie, Mina, Minnie, Vilma, Willa, Willie, Willow, Wilma BOYS Alexander: Al, Alex, Lex, Sander, Sandy, Sasha, Xander, Zander Charles: Cal, Charlie, Chase, Chaz, Chick, Chip, Chuck Christopher: Chip, Chris, Kip, Kit, Topher Edward: Ed, Eddie, Ned, Ted, Teddy Frederick: Fred, Freddy, Fritz, Rick, Ricky Henry: Hal, Hank, Harry More from The Stir: 19 Surprising Scientific Facts About Naming Babies Jonathan: Jon, Jonty, Jonny, Than Lawrence: Larry, Laz, Lon, Loren, Lorne Nicholas: Cole, Colin, Klaus, Nick, Nico, Nikos Robert: Bob, Bobby, Dobbin, Hob, Rob, Robbie, Robin Theodore: Ted, Teddy, Teo, Terry, Theo William: Bill, Billy, Liam, Will, Wilkie, Willie, Wills, Wim This article originally appeared on Baby Name Wizard. Is flexibility an important quality in baby names for you? For more great baby name ideas, visit Baby Name Wizard. Images via Monkey Business Images/shutterstock; BKMCphotography/shutterstock
