Why do people use nicknames ?

Question

I mean, why not just name your child the nickname

if you're going to call them that all the time?

You see my real name is Tatiana and my nickname

is Tee Tee but i have been called just Tee Tee since birth

and a lot of people don't know my first name because

of it.

I am trying to get people to stop referring to me by my

actual name now that i'm an adult now.

Answer 1

Because it gives you more options. For example, if your name is William, you can go by Will, Willy, Bill, Billy, William, or Liam, or if your name is Elizabeth you can go by Ellie, Liz, Lizzy, Elizabeth, Beth, Bethy, Bessy, Betsy, Betty, or Liza.  

Answer 2

It's fun! My friends call me Shay or Shay Shay, but my name is Shannon.

Answer 3

here in aussie land, its customary.

tatiana  could be tats, tatto, etc etc

we do shorten last names more often and go by them though.

Answer 4

Nicknames came about historically from an era where it wasn't at all uncommon to have several people in the same family with the same name.  Nicknames allowed a way to tell the difference between one person and another.  Ann might be called Nancy.  Sarah might be called Sadie or Sally.  Mary could be called Molly, Polly, or Mae.  And Margaret might be called Peggy, Greta, Meg, Maggie, or Daisy.

A more modern-day usage appears to be to allow you child to have a cuter, more childlike diminutive name, but to have a more "grown up" sounding name to use when they get older.  Sometimes nicknames just happen because the parents end up using them once or twice, and they just stick.

If you prefer your given name, just introduce yourself to new people that way, and politely tell the people in your life that you prefer to be called Tatiana.

Answer 5

sometimes it changes as you become an adult, for instance i was called butch all my life but my name is harry, after i got married everyone started calling me harry, unlike my older sister, our older brother couldn't say baby, but instead said booboo, she is called boo or booboo untill this very day, she is 54, it's just one of those things. when i named my son and daughter i named him jason carl, after his grandfather who's name is joseph carl, i named my daughter amber jo again after her grandfather, shortening the joesph to just jo, my thinking was my son would be call JC and my daughter AJ, but they now have kids and neither one has ever been called by there initails. plans go arye, so do names and nick names. if you insist on being called by your first name then you will half to remind your family and friends you don'y really like to be called Tee Tee, and by the way you do have a beautiful name, butch

Answer 6

It has been a long running tradition to give your child a formal name, even if no one will use it.

Nathaniel is biblical, Nathan is modern. Nate might be what the person goes by though.

My daughter's name is Alyssa. She has nicknames, but we didn't think of any of them before she was born. I like her proper name to be Alyssa though.

Answer 7

I agree.  Some of the names I have chosen are Liam and Kensie.  People comment that I should name them William and Makensie, which I do not like.  It annoys me.  

Answer 8

Because nicknames are nicknames for a reason. Giving your child a formal name gives them something to fall back on when they're older and would like a career other than a stripper or hooker.

Can you imagine a thirty year old Maddy, Addy, Gracie, Sissy, Bunny (My nickname) etc? I can't. Children are not babies forever, eventually they grow up and these nicknames don't fit them any more.

My mother gave me a nickname for a name (Janie), and to this day I despise her for it. It's almost as she was saying "You're not good enough for a real name, just a nickname". I'm actually considering to change my name to Jane, legally, since Janie is so childish sounding.

Answer 9

because it is more classy and gives more options

Answer 10

I have the same problem, my unusual nickname is Cricket (don't know why, and there's never been an explanation!) has been used since the day i was born, so much so that some family and friends think it's my real name!!  You'd think by the age of 24 it would have been shaken off by now, however i still get cards and greeted by people daily with that name : )

Answer 11

A lot of times nicknames are a good way to have a cute affectionate name for a child that relatives and friends can use.. But they still have a respectable name to put on documents and to use professionally.

For instance... Maddie is really popular right now, but a woman in a law office or something might prefer Madeline when she's an adult. Or my brother's name is Daniel... We always called him Danny when he was little, but now that he's older he introduces himself to peers as Dan.

Answer 12

sometimes younger children in the family cannot say a siblings name properly but can say a shorter version of it.that is why they are sometimes used.

or a parent will see something sweet or endearing to them about their child and call them something like Dinky or Pumpkin or Sissy because the other small kids cannot say her name and its easier.

i think your name Tatiana is far better to use as an adult .Tee Tee sounds a bit odd for an adult,just my opinion.good luck

Answer 13

love tatiana by the way. I know what you mean, but i dont think you would like being named TeeTee. Nicknames start out as something cute for the parents to enjoy, and sometimes it never leaves. my daughter's nicknames are Poot, Bubbie, and Na-Na (nah nah). So hopefully by the time she's in school, she'll be going by her real name. I would hate to get a call saying, "Your daughter insisted that we call her Poot. and we feel that is inappropiate...blah blah. I def. wouldn't have named my daughter Poot.