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Monday, April 30, 2007

What Is IN a Name?

People have been asking what I plan to call my second son, whose name is Sebastian. I tend to reply that I will call him "Sebastian," which then opens up a conversation about nicknames, which is sort of interesting since I confess I've never really given much thought to them.

Nicknames seem to evolve in one of two ways: either they are obvious (in a "Jim" for "James" or "Liz" for "Elizabeth" way) or they are the product of family and friend influences that are self-generating. You can't replicate them or force them, they just happen.

I must be somewhat mistaken, though, because people seem quite convinced that I either have some secret plan for Sebastian or that I need to move quickly and impose a name before someone else does.

Of course, I know that hoping to beat the influence of future friends is something way beyond a losing battle, so I figure I'll just have it my way until something better comes along.

For a while I figured Felix would come up with something interesting to call his brother but he has apparently settled on "Sebastian".

So what is the operating theory on nicknames?

I know of some people who have selected names for their children EXPRESSLY so they could use a nickname they like (with no intentions of ever using the child's formal name, ever). Other people assert something in hopes of blocking the possibility of another nickname, but for my children, I put a lot of time into coming up with their names (Sebastian is actually somewhat named after someone) and really have no desire to throw out the product of all that work.

Am I missing a point when if comes to nicknames? Am I revealing a lack of imagination? If there is something I haven't been exploring, what is it? Do tell.

posted by Elise at 8:30 AM

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4 Comments:

mcm said...

When my mother announced her intention to name me Michaela (a name she had loved since she was a teenager), my paternal grandmother expressed horror at the possibility that people might call me "Mickey," which was apparently unacceptable. As a result, growing up, when anyone shortened my name to "Mickey," I immediately corrected them.

However, that didn't stop me from earning the nicknames Kayla, Kay, Kay-Kay, Mouse, M&M, the Viking, Lloyd, Ernie, and Murph, some of which are still in use today. I'm sure it's no surprise that I think, no matter what anyone tells you, Sebastian will earn his nicknames organically.

Oh, and congratulations!

4/30/2007 11:24 AM

Anonymous said...

My parents named me Virginia, and they were fending off Ginnys and Gingers before I was a year old. I was correcting my teachers by first grade! So instead, they regularly mixed me up with my best friend Elizabeth -- every year through high school. (Long English names, I guess?) Now I'm V, Val, Virgil, Artemis, and assorted other options. People will make up things or get it wrong, but that doesn't mean you have to! Stay strong in the long-name struggle. And congratulations again! Love your work here. xoxo, girl who likes her long name

5/01/2007 8:13 AM

Brooke said...

This cracked me up! My mom named me Brooke, hoping that she would protect me from the "Y" tendency that seemed to be plaguing the late 60's/early 70's (JennY, SteffY, KateY)... So when people called me "Brookey" as they inevitably wanted to do, I got pretty testy... to this day there only 3 people in the world who get away with it! Yet in a fabulous twist of irony, my FH nicknamed me "WhimsY" and it stuck! ha!

5/08/2007 9:29 PM

Anonymous said...

This is great! Several times other parents have called my son by the first letter of his name "D" and it drives me up the wall! I can't stand it! I raise an eyebrow and give a look and people usually get the hint. My mother's name is Susan and she hates it when people call her Suzy. My name is Louise and the worst I ever got was jokes about Thelma and Louise and Wezzie Jefferson.

I think this is all part of life!

5/11/2007 12:58 PM

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