Nicknames - post has nothing to do with being self sufficient LOL

[Henrietta23]

I don't like a nickname in laziness, so much, but I don't mind pet names any more.

I think this is why I don't like being called Kris. I used to get allergy shots and one of the nurses always called me in by just saying Kris. So one day when I wasn't in a hurry I sat in the waiting room where I couldn't see her. She came out at one point and called "Kris" and I ignored her. She said it again and still was too lazy to use my full name or even add my last name. She poked her head around the corner and saw me. "Didn't you hear me call you?" she says.... I answered "No, I didn't hear you call my name." "I called it twice just now!" "Oh, I heard you call someone named Chris." She got this real confused look on her face. I told her I don't go by Kris and never have so I had no idea she meant me. She never did stop doing it so I always ignored her the first time she called it. I didn't usually have the time to play the game with her so I'd just wait for the second call then look up and say "Oh, you mean me?"

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I think my despise of nicknames comes from one of mom's ex-boyfriend's who couldn't pronounce my full real name (which I love and think is quite beautiful BTW and yes I know that sounds stuck up) so he started calling me by my initials - A.J. - which stuck FOR YEARS. All the way through school, through highschool, when I got married, etc.

I finally had enough - and even though I've tried to get people to use my given name, it didn't happen - so 3 years ago when I joined BYC I told people my name was Aly - which is a shortened version of my name (not for Allyson) and so the new friends I made online, and later met in person, only new me as Aly. This is a name I chose, even though I'd rather use my full given name, but my thinking was it's the internet lol

Anyway, after 3 years of BeccaOh and her family and of keljonma and her husband and several other online friends calling me Aly around my other friends (and my husband and my kids, etc) I have successfully veered everyone away (or near everyone) from AJ. Almost NO ONE calls me that anymore - even my mom and Step dad have caught on FINALLY.

Now my Aunts and Uncles are catching on, and it may have taken awhile, but it's wonderful that my family is respecting my choice - inlaws, not so much, but oh well. When my brother and his wife were home for my grandmothers funeral back in June, I even heard them correcting their daughters when they addressed me as Aunt A.J. - they said to their girls, "Call her Aunt Aly". I cried!

Ok so I'm a dork, and I know it.

 

[dragonlaurel]

I like my name, but there are a bunch of us and I wanted something that was just "me" sometimes. I wanted a nickname when I was growing up, but nothing ever "stuck". Now I have a screen name that fits and is unique.

 

[savingdogs]

I think my despise of nicknames comes from one of mom's ex-boyfriend's who couldn't pronounce my full real name (which I love and think is quite beautiful BTW and yes I know that sounds stuck up) so he started calling me by my initials - A.J. - which stuck FOR YEARS. All the way through school, through highschool, when I got married, etc.

I finally had enough - and even though I've tried to get people to use my given name, it didn't happen - so 3 years ago when I joined BYC I told people my name was Aly - which is a shortened version of my name (not for Allyson) and so the new friends I made online, and later met in person, only new me as Aly. This is a name I chose, even though I'd rather use my full given name, but my thinking was it's the internet lol

Anyway, after 3 years of BeccaOh and her family and of keljonma and her husband and several other online friends calling me Aly around my other friends (and my husband and my kids, etc) I have successfully veered everyone away (or near everyone) from AJ. Almost NO ONE calls me that anymore - even my mom and Step dad have caught on FINALLY.

Now my Aunts and Uncles are catching on, and it may have taken awhile, but it's wonderful that my family is respecting my choice - inlaws, not so much, but oh well. When my brother and his wife were home for my grandmothers funeral back in June, I even heard them correcting their daughters when they addressed me as Aunt A.J. - they said to their girls, "Call her Aunt Aly". I cried!

Ok so I'm a dork, and I know it.

Why don't you just ASK people not to call you AJ?

I never liked my given name or the way you shorten it. It was the most common first name the year I was born, so everyone called me by my last name, which was hard to say and harder to spell, so I found it annoying. At one point I decided when I was about 12 to give myself a middle name (which my parents never did) and started to tell people I preferred to be called by it. I have used this other made-up name for about 40 years, so I sort of named myself. Except for "savingdogs" I've never had my newer name changed, it is only four letters, and I love that name, I picked it out myself! Now when my "family" addresses me, they still use my shortened family name, but when they introduce me to people, they use my other name because they know I don't use the family one. It does confuse people when they hear them calling me by my family name, they will say to me, "WHAT is your name again?" and the whole family laughs because I have spent years "teaching" them to call me it and it never stuck, but at least I trained them what I call myself to new people, and even Hubby calls me the name I like.

But I tell people what I want to be called and for the most part it has worked. I met my grand-niece the other day and was happy to see she was calling me by the newer name so perhaps it is finally working!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Why don't you just ASK people not to call you AJ?

I did, multiple times growing up, but when you're a kid and your mom introduces you to someone as, "This is my daughter AJ" and your brothers tell everyone that's your name, it doesn't help. I actually told people that I didn't want to be called AJ, and their reply was, "Well, you're name is too hard to pronounce, so I'm just going to call you AJ." Rude.

What helped was when my friends like BeccaOh or keljonma would come around, or call, and ask for Aly, my family would have to stop and think who that was, and it's really helped people switch from the initials.

I've never in RL referred to myself as AJ. I've always introduced myself by my given name, until I decided to go by Aly.

I have a SIL who's name is 1 letter different than mine, but pronounced different. I remember when we were all planning our weddings, I had joked that it would get confusing to any future nieces and/or nephews to have 2 Aunts with similiar names. She replied, "No it won't. You'll be Aunt AJ and I'll be Aunt _________ ."

 

[keljonma]

What helped was when my friends like BeccaOh or keljonma would come around, or call, and ask for Aly, my family would have to stop and think who that was, and it's really helped people switch from the initials.

I guess it is a good thing I didn't call and ask for Quail_Antwerp, then, isn't it?!



When I call Quail_Antwerp's place, I am keljonma.

 

[keljonma]

Our family is a mix of full names and nick names. In my dad's family, a baby would be named for a relative (historical or living), so a nick name sometimes was a big help in knowing who was being spoken to or called.

My mom's name was Margaret and she never introduced herself as Peggy or Peg, yet some people did call her that. She had one brother that called her by a nickname (not Peg or Peggy) and he is the only one who ever got away with that, to my knowledge.

In our family, my brother is the only one without a nickname, but he has always been known to everyone by his middle name; and that is how he introduces himself to others.

Personally, I am named for both of my grandmothers and I have always liked my name. My mom always called me by my first and middle names, dad usually called me by my middle name, one of my sisters gave me a nick name which everyone in the family uses, and I am also called by my initials.

And, of course, as a child, it was common to hear...
"A... B.... C.... D.... E - You know who you are! Come when I call!"

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

i dont nickname out of laziness either... its out of affection, unless of course its got some swearing attached to it.
;-)


i come from a family that never calls anyone by their right name. each of us has a host of nicknames, some are referential, some are 'titles' (brother, sister, sis, auntie), and most are along the lines of "honey", "sweetheart", "potato" and such. i dont even know the last time any of my family members called me by my given name. i dont know if that name has even come out of my brother's mouth. ever. and no i dont mind at all. i never even knew my uncle's given name until i needed it for some official form.

all our critters have gone thru about 47 iterations of their names also. our bottle raised cali, Peeper's given name was Abigale.... but she's Peeper, P, Peep, The Notorious P-E-E-P, Peepy, Peepop, PeepPeep, Peeperdeepeep, and sometimes "Angry." Sometimes we call Kai "Wiggles." Titan has about 9 or 10 iterations also in addition to Big Dog, Big Man, Sir, Good Dog, Son, etc.

the MIL named The Big Man a first name where there is literally no way to make a nickname or derivative name out of it. she hated that her MIL called her husband "Tommy" instead of "Tom" so she was determined that her MIL (our grandma) would not name a nickname out of him.

then i came along. since there wasnt a derivative name... we changed his name all together. boy was she mad. and yeah we laughed a lot about it. she didnt find out until my high school graduation party where everyone in my family (about 40 of us in the extended family) called him our nickname, "Hank"... once she figured out what we'd done she was so mad she coulda spit and was about to stomp out. i think that's when she started calling me her favorite nickname for me: "that woman."

when i was growing up there was one name i refused to be called and i had a 'stand your ground' moment with a 5th grade teacher which very nearly resulted in me getting suspended. i also had the same 'stand your ground' moment with some family members. it wasnt out of their rudeness, it was just out of their habit.

anyway, if you dont like it you dont like it, QA, but dont assume its out of meanness or rudeness. there's two kinds of teasing (which this kinda falls under) - inclusive "hey you're part of our group and this is part of our fun-ness" and real meanness "you're ugly and your shoes are too tight."

i'm with SD - but i'd TELL not ask and then dont answer.

BBH - i always refer to you as "My Pal Sal"
;-)
*hugs*

 

[colowyo0809]

So, My name is Matthew. when I was younger I wanted to be called Matt because I didn't like Matthew. Now that I'm older, I go by Matthew When I was in school I wasn't the most popular person and for several years I was known as Princess Matty because of a story we read in the 6th grade Now, I go by Matthew Ryan because I like the way it sounds and it is my first and middle names.

My SO on the other hand was born John Corey and everyone called him John. I hate the name John because it is soo common and plain and overused. I sure as hell wasn't going to call him JC due to several famous people with those initials So, the day we met I informed him that I was going to call him CJ because it was something that noone else has ever called him and I don't like the name John. He shrugged and said "OK" and that is how I've introduced him to everyone I know. Even his family sometimes slips and calls him that And his name tag at work says CJ because he likes it better than John

I can understand what Quail is saying about other people changing her name for her and not liking it. If my SO wouldn't have liked it I'd have gotten over it and called him John as well Good on you for changing what other people call you

 

[i_am2bz]

I am Suzanne. I perfer to be called by my full name. But I dont even flinch now, I am called Suzy, Suzy Q, Susan, San, Sue, anne, sannie, suzannie. on and on.

My sister is a Suzanne. When we were growing up, she was called everything BUT Suzanne. I was the queen of nicknames; I called her Sue, Suey, Elfie, Runny Babbit, Babs, Gherkin. When she was in college she decided she would not answer to anything but Suzanne (it sounded classier to her), but the name always stuck in my throat. To this day I'm the only one who gets away with calling her Sue.

BTW, someone posted about men being called Bobby, Johnny, etc. My dad is a James, but he's always called Jimmy by older family members, & he's 81.


edited for spelling