The Complete List and Guide to Choosing a Baby Name Without Nicknames (4 Steps and 194 Ideas)
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It can be difficult to find the perfect name for your baby, and it can be even more difficult to keep the name you give them.
One of the best ways to increase the chances of your baby keeping the same name from birth (and not acquiring a nickname) is to name them in a way that can't be changed.
In this article, we are going to show you ways of naming your bundle of joy so that it's difficult for them to get nicknames, along with a list of baby name ideas that we think can work perfectly for this.
Why Choose a Name without a Nickname
Some of you might be wondering why you wouldn't want your child to have a nickname, and there can be multiple reasons for this that we will outline shortly. However for this piece, we are only going to touch on some of the pros to providing your child with a name that can't easily be changed. So if you would like to see some of the advantages in picking a name that can be shortened, you can read our article on The Complete List and Guide to Choosing a Baby Name with Nicknames. With this in mind, let's continue!
Benefit 1: You've given your baby a name, and you love it!
The first reason for giving your baby a name you don't want changed is because you love it too much! You can spend a huge amount of time picking the perfect name, or maybe you have a name ready since you were a child yourself! But either way, you have a name you like, and you want it to stick. And one of the easiest ways to make sure it stays as is, is to choose a name that can't be shortened into a nickname.
Benefit 2: Bullying
This is one of the more serious reasons. Bullying is something almost everyone has gone through at some point in their lives, and we don't want the same to happen to our babies. Unfortunately, there's no way we can really stop this. But choosing a name that is difficult to change can help a lot. Some things you can look out for are certain words a name sounds like, how it fits with your baby's surname, and the different words their name can be shortened into. The list we have provided below deals mainly with the latter, introducing shorter names and other suggestions that rarely attract nicknames. The former two reasons you may need to look into yourself, as it depends where you are in the world that instigates the different words a name sounds like, and because you know what beautiful surname your baby is going to have!
Benefit 3: They could get a nickname you don't like
Similarly to the first reason, you could give your baby a name that you love, but unlike the first reason, you could be open to them having a nickname. Depending on the name you choose however, there could be multiple nickname options for your child, and you might not like all of them. For example, the name Katherine for a girl, can attract a wide range of nicknames, and maybe you only love a couple of them. One way to get around this is to name your baby the name you love, and then call them by the nickname you love the most! This helps you control the nickname they're given a little bit more.
Guide to Choosing a Baby Name Without Nicknames
Now that we've outlined some of the reasons for choosing a name that can't be changed, we can start to look at how you can achieve this. Follow these simple steps below to help you choose the perfect name for your baby without nicknames.
Let's dive in!
Step 1: Choose a name that can't be shortened
If you choose a name like Leonardo for your baby boy, chances are Leonardo is going to pick up a nickname. One of the main reasons for this is because of how long his name is. The longer the name, the more effort there is to say it. But don't just look at the amount of letters the name has, think about the amount of syllables in the name. With Leonardo, there are four syllables, and reducing this to one makes it easier and quicker to say. So Leonardo might be called Leo pretty quickly - just think about the actor! With this in mind however, we do have some ideas below with longer names and more syllables that we believe can still be difficult to shorten, so this isn't the be-all and end-all!
Step 2: Look at words the name sounds like
As mentioned before, this often depends on where you're based. A name that's very popular in France, may not be so popular in the United States because of its pronunciation. Now, you may think that this step won't need too much thought, because if the name sounds like another word, that word should just jump out at you. But there's no harm in giving it a little think. Also, try to look at the spelling of the name, and what it could be changed to from that respect.
Step 3: Think about how it fits with your surname
Depending on which surname your baby is taking, you may already know from your own life experiences what your surname could be changed to (I certainly know a few from my own!). But there are ways of making sure they don't link to their first name too. Similarly to the previous step, if their surname can easily be changed into a certain word, make sure the name you have chosen for them can't be changed into a word that will complement it (and complement it in a bad way). Check out the name of Ben Stiller's character in Meet the Parents for an exaggeration of this! We would also advise going against names that are nearly identical to or rhyme with their surname - for example, Robby McBobby might not go down too well!
Step 4: Choose the nickname yourself!
One effective way of keeping your child from acquiring a nickname you don't like is to give them a nickname yourself. An example of this that we have below is the name Chris, which is a short form of Christopher and Christine (along with some other names that start with Chris). If you decided to give your bundle of joy this gender neutral name, you could essentially be picking their nickname for them. And if you also liked the full form of their name, you could give them the full form, while calling them Chris on the daily.
Step 5: Ask someone else
Sometimes, you can be blinded by the names you love so much, that you can't think of any nicknames associated with it. Asking a friend or relative (especially younger relatives!) to come up with nicknames for your chosen list, can help. The more people you get, the better, and choose people that you know will be brutally honest - really test out that name. You might be surprised with what they come back with!
List of Baby Name Ideas Without Nicknames
Instead of just sending you on your merry way with our guide to naming your baby without nicknames, we've decided to make a list of baby name ideas that we feel complement this nicely. Below, you will find separate lists for boy names, girl names, and gender neutral names - we hope this helps!
Boy Names:
We believe this list of 87 boy names are some of the best names that are difficult to shorten, but test it out yourself! Try your best to come up with nicknames so you know whether they're good or not, because as mentioned before, a lot of this depends on where you're based!
- Aaron
- Adam
- Brian
- Blake
- Brad
- Bruce
- Carl
- Chad
- Chase
- Cian
- Clay
- Clint
- Clive
- Cody
- Cole
- Colin
- Conor
- Corey
- Craig
- Darren
- Dean
- Drake
- Dylan
- Earl
- Eli
- Eric
- Ethan
- Evan
- Finn
- Glenn
- Graham
- Grant
- Gus
- Guy
- Hank
- Harry
- Heath
- Ian
- Ivor
- Jack
- Jax
- Jay
- Josh
- Jude
- Justin
- Keith
- Ken
- Kirk
- Kurt
- Kyle
- Lance
- Leo
- Levi
- Liam
- Logan
- Luke
- Mark
- Max
- Mike
- Miles
- Morgan
- Moss
- Ned
- Neil
- Niall
- Noah
- Noel
- Omar
- Otto
- Owen
- Paul
- Pearce
- Rory
- Ross
- Roy
- Ryan
- Scott
- Sean
- Seth
- Shane
- Todd
- Troy
- Vance
- Warren
- Wayne
- Xavier
- Zane
Girl Names:
There are 83 names for girls below for you to choose from, but we've definitely missed some! If you can't find what you're looking for in this list, keep looking. Our baby name generator is also available for more help. And don't worry, you'll find the perfect one.
- Amy
- April
- Aura
- Ava
- Beth
- Brooke
- Carla
- Chloe
- Ciara
- Claire
- Cora
- Diane
- Elsa
- Erin
- Eve
- Grace
- Greta
- Gwen
- Heather
- Holly
- Hope
- Ida
- Ivy
- Jade
- Jane
- Jean
- Jill
- Joy
- Kate
- Kelsey
- Kim
- Kylie
- Lara
- Layla
- Leah
- Leann
- Leona
- Lily
- Lisa
- Lois
- Lola
- Lydia
- Macy
- Marcy
- Marie
- Mary
- May
- Meryl
- Mia
- Miley
- Mindy
- Molly
- Nadia
- Naomi
- Nina
- Nora
- Opal
- Orla
- Paige
- Paula
- Pearl
- Piper
- Polly
- Rita
- Rhonda
- Rose
- Ruby
- Ruth
- Selina
- Selma
- Sandy
- Serena
- Sienna
- Sonia
- Sue
- Summer
- Tara
- Tess
- Tina
- Toni
- Wendy
- Zara
- Zoe
Gender Neutral Names:
If you want to keep your baby's name gender neutral, this list of 24 ideas can help! You may find yourself feeling that some names below are more masculine or more feminine than you'd like - and that's okay! A lot of this has to do with your own opinion, so choose whatever you feel is best.
- Alex
- Ash
- Bailey
- Beau
- Blair
- Bryn
- Chris
- Cleo
- Coby
- Dakota
- Drew
- Dusty
- Grey
- Jess
- Joss
- Kelly
- Kerry
- Lou
- Nicky
- Reese
- Sage
- Sam
- Sawyer
- Sky
Need more ideas?
We really hope this guide and list helps you on your quest to finding the perfect name! However, if you need some more ideas, why not check out our free baby name generator? Here, you can set a wide range of filters that will help generate a bunch of names for you to choose from - enjoy!