What's in a name?

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violakat

Senior Member
Apr 23, 2014
1,236
21
38
#21
Most people, when they try to call me by my long version of my middle name, call me by a totally different name, simply because the other name is more popular. Um, hello, not all of us are a Catherine, much less use a C.

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And yes, I go by my middle name, not my first. Blame it on my mom trying to keep peace in the family.
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
27,273
9,321
113
#23
My name is very common but I'm ok with that. I really love my name. I think my name is very much "me". My name is Angela. Some used to call me Angie. I can't stand that. I don't know why. My mom will still call me Angie sometimes. Now, my nickname most used is Ang. I like that one a lot. So, Angela or Ang. My name means heavenly messanger, although, I don't really feel very "angelic" at times. ;) Maybe that's why God gave me a middle name that means "wild and frenzied".
I had to "like" this for the last sentence.
 
H

HisHolly

Guest
#26
My name is Holland. Everyone I know calls me Holly. My mom named me Holland bc she loved the name but never has ever called it out for my attention, so I guess everyone else just took to shortening it too. Nicknames? Holly bolly, Hollandia, Hoddle, Holler, I can go on but will spare you all. I do not have a preference for one over the other and will answer to either.
 

tourist

Senior Member
Mar 13, 2014
42,578
17,046
113
69
Tennessee
#27
My name is Holland. Everyone I know calls me Holly. My mom named me Holland bc she loved the name but never has ever called it out for my attention, so I guess everyone else just took to shortening it too. Nicknames? Holly bolly, Hollandia, Hoddle, Holler, I can go on but will spare you all. I do not have a preference for one over the other and will answer to either.
Holly is a nice name and will go with that.
 

cinder

Senior Member
Mar 26, 2014
4,426
2,416
113
#28
My name is so unique (especially among my generation) that I'm pretty much the only one. So I refer to my name like it's a whole unique category or classification of people, and no one can argue with me because I'm the only one they know. It's also not a name that lends itself to nicknames. Now cinder, a lot of people make references to cinderella and at least one thought cindy would be an endearing shortening of it. First time they did that I was wondering who in the chat room was named cindy. As for my real name, well I'm named after a fish and a fairy godmother and that's all the more I'll say about that.
 
P

PinkDiamond

Guest
#29
My name is Joanna. I've had a ton of nicknames since I was young. Some had nothing to do with my real name. I've been called Jo and Jo-Jo a lot as well. I've never minded any of the short versions.
 

PopClick

Senior Member
Aug 12, 2011
4,056
138
63
#30
Actually, a lot of people try to lengthen my name. Then after calling me the long version a few times, sometimes they think to stop and ask "Wait, is it short for ______?" No. :p No, it isn't.

Some people do shorten my name, but it's usually only close friends who do that, and I don't mind. ;)
 

BruceWayne

Senior Member
Aug 7, 2013
3,694
357
83
Gotham City
#32
The only nickname I've had had nothing to do with my actual name lol. As for my name... It's never shortened, but certain girls like to add a letter to the end of my name for some reason. Weirdos.
 
Jul 25, 2015
893
44
28
#33
I have a very common name although my mother spelled it differently. When I was younger I never met another who spelled it the way my mom did but today it is more common again. I always wanted to have a boy name as a girl..sam for samantha, Rae, Etc...

Having such a common name always felt so generic but I have an amazing mother so I cant be greedy I suppose.
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
27,273
9,321
113
#34
Speaking of name meanings, mine means laughter. I seem to have lived up to it without really trying. :D

A young lady at church is named Tabatha. I found out it means gazelle, which really fits that hyper little girl. When I started calling her gazelle, she went and found out what my name means...
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
27,273
9,321
113
#35
My given Christian name gets automatically shortened quite frequently, much to my dismay. So often in fact that when people do call me by my full name it sometimes sounds weird! Honestly, when I have just met someone and I have told them my name is Xxxxxxx, and they immediately call me Xxxx, I wonder what just happened to cause almost half of my name to disappear??? And why do people think it is okay to do that, to take such liberties and call me something that is not my name?
This right here, this is my gripe. My name is my name. It does not necessarily define me, but it is an identifier, a pointer to ME as a unique individual in this world. Isaac is my name, not Ike.

That is also why when I meet someone who's name is commonly shortened I ask what name he prefers. You'd be surprised how many people are called something that bugs them, but they just gave up trying to get people to call them their real names so they don't say anything about it.
 

Tinkerbell725

Senior Member
Jul 19, 2014
4,216
1,179
113
Philippines Age 40
#36
My name means honorable one. Maybe it fits because I am prideful. Lol! But I am trying to repent.

If I can choose another name for me, julia would be nice since i'm a july baby.
 
N

NukePooch

Guest
#37
This right here, this is my gripe. My name is my name. It does not necessarily define me, but it is an identifier, a pointer to ME as a unique individual in this world. Isaac is my name, not Ike.

That is also why when I meet someone who's name is commonly shortened I ask what name he prefers. You'd be surprised how many people are called something that bugs them, but they just gave up trying to get people to call them their real names so they don't say anything about it.

I'm Aaron. People, for some strange reason, try to pronounce both A's, so it comes out sounding like A-A-ron. My name does not have a built in stutter. But, I don't care. No one gets my last name right, so I don't fault them for missing the first one as well. I also have a lot of people who say, "Aaron is a girl's name". Doesn't bother me.

I did work with a guy who called me "Double A-Ron". I didn't care about that either.

For 41 years, wherever I go, I've been the only Aaron. Now, in my church, there's about 25 Aarons, all of which are young boys who constantly get into trouble. So, everytime I'm at church, I keep hearing, "Aaron, don't do that! Aaron, put that down! Let her go, Aaron! Take it outside, Aaron! Aaron, get in here!"

All of a sudden, I've got two dozen moms mad at me....
 
A

Amazing-Grace

Guest
#38
I'm Aaron. People, for some strange reason, try to pronounce both A's, so it comes out sounding like A-A-ron. My name does not have a built in stutter. But, I don't care. No one gets my last name right, so I don't fault them for missing the first one as well. I also have a lot of people who say, "Aaron is a girl's name". Doesn't bother me.

I did work with a guy who called me "Double A-Ron". I didn't care about that either.

For 41 years, wherever I go, I've been the only Aaron. Now, in my church, there's about 25 Aarons, all of which are young boys who constantly get into trouble. So, everytime I'm at church, I keep hearing, "Aaron, don't do that! Aaron, put that down! Let her go, Aaron! Take it outside, Aaron! Aaron, get in here!"

All of a sudden, I've got two dozen moms mad at me....
My eldest son is called Aaron, when we named him it was an unusual name but it quickly became very popular (the same thing happened with my son Jordan) I've never heard of a girl being called Aaron (lots of female Jordan's these days) though, we pronounce it Aron and most other people do too but just occasionally someone will pronounce it "Aeron".
 
W

wwjd_kilden

Guest
#39
Speaking of name meanings, mine means laughter. I seem to have lived up to it without really trying. :D

A young lady at church is named Tabatha. I found out it means gazelle, which really fits that hyper little girl. When I started calling her gazelle, she went and found out what my name means...
A Lynx making friends with gazelles. Hmmm.

:p
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
27,273
9,321
113
#40
Strictly innocent. A gazelle is much too large for a lynx to take down. Anything larger than a rabbit has nothing to fear from a lynx, unless of course the thing-larger-than-a-rabbit tries to climb up in the tree where the lynx is lying.