Pet names

[ailbhe]

One of the reasons I suddenly decided I didn't like the name "Astrid" partway through my pregnancy is because I thought it would be difficult to make into squishy pet names or diminutives. Linnea is Linnea-nea-noo, shortening to Nea, and Emer is Eemshie-weemshie-wumsie-eemshie-weemshie-woo (third generation pet names for the absolute win!), shortening to Eem.

Also, it just plain isn't as euphonious (thanks radegund as Linnea or Emer. It's less feminine sounding, more clunky, like Enid or Edna or other names with thunky Ds in them.

I've decided I like that aspect of it. And there is too a pet name for her. She's "A strid, a strid, a strudel!" and that rhymes with all sorts of things like noodle and poodle and oodles of snoogles and things, so that's fine.

Just as well; it's too late to change it now!

(Om nom nom babies!)

Comments

[serene]

You're adorable. I'm the only one who's allowed to call the kid by pet names, and it makes me really happy.

[biascut.livejournal.com]

I think it is the most gorgeous name. It is all stars and sparkly, but with an undercurrent of definiteness.

[ailbhe]

I think it sounds really, really strong. I don't get a sparkly feel from it, nor a soft one like I get from the other two, but it's strong and beautiful.

[cyan-blue.livejournal.com]

Astrid's a neat name. And there's a total cool-girl character named Astrid in the recent movie "How to train your dragon."

[annifa.livejournal.com]

I love Astrid!
I can imagine shortening an Astrid to Asty-pasty or Diddy-piddy. I'm a bit too into ridiculous shortenings and have to be careful not to do the ones in my head that I have for my colleagues to their faces. hehe!

[ailbhe]

I think she may well be "Astrid, known as Trudy" before she's two, the way these things evolve. I also call her Starchild, but that's not the same as a name-sound-based one.

[pne.livejournal.com]

Which syllable do you stress her name on?

I would have guessed "ASS-trid" (with the first syllable rhyming with "gas", not with "pass", for those who make a difference), but given "a strid, a strid, a strudel" and "known as Trudy" I wonder whether you pronounce it as "a-STRID"?

[ailbhe]

A-strid. I just said it several time sti check and the S is with strid, not as.

[pne.livejournal.com]

the S is with strid, not as.

Makes sense. The pronunciation of the "a" is still as in "as", though? (As opposed to, say, "a" as in "a house", or "ay" as in the name of the letter A, or "ah" as in "father".)

[ailbhe]

It's a as in as, or a ha, or a house, but not hay or father.

[cangetmad.livejournal.com]

Ach, I think if you're a nicknamer you'll find a way into any name. Sam is also known (to me) as Pigeon because Sam -> Samwich -> Smidge -> Pidge -> Pigeon. Or, as his sister dubbed him on his first day of life, Sammy Toenail (Samuel Antonio, through the mind and mouth of a 2-year-old).

I do love Astrid's name. You could be anyone with a name like that.

[therealocelot.livejournal.com]

That was my big problem with the name too, combined with the potential for unfortunate nicknames chosen by peers.

It's worked out for us, though. I don't regret the choice at all.

[ailbhe]

For the others I deliberately chose names which they could choose to Anglicise - Linnea could be Linn/Lynn quite easily, and Emer could be Em like Emma. The boy name is Anglicisable too. But for Astrid, there's not much... I'm less anxious about it than I was, though.

[therealocelot.livejournal.com]

My main concern is that the name be recognizable as a name and pronounceable by people who speak primarily English. Many of the ones preferred by my husband did not fit that criteria.

Most people I've met have at least heard of the name Astrid, probably primarily thanks to Pippi, though I get a lot of people thinking we named her Esther if I don't annunciate sufficiently.

This upcoming one will most likely have the least obviously name-like name, but I can't complain, as I'm the one who came up with it.

[ailbhe]

We wanted to make sure Anglophones would be able to SPELL them. And that they would work in three languages, which they do, though Astrid is a bit borderline for Irish. It does still work ok though.

[ailbhe]

I wanted a Caitlín but knew people would say Kate-Lynn which I hate.

[ailbhe]

I don't hate it for people whose name it really is, but I do for people whose name is Caitlín.

I also can't stand Niamh being pronounced Neev, and never even considered Caoimhe because no-one would ever get it.

[ailbhe]

My sister Gráinne is called George. She's remarkably patient about it.

[clarahippy.livejournal.com]

I really really wanted to have Grainne (apologies for not adding the accent) as a name for consideration when I was pregnant but my OH just wasn't keen. I think it is such a beautiful name.

[ailbhe]

Ah, console yourself that just as Niamh is pronounced Neev, everyone would pronounce it Grawnya (or Grain-ya) and you're better off as is.

[beckyl.livejournal.com]

Continuing my education in pronunciation - would my deductive guess of Gron-ya be closer or further off?

[ailbhe]

The i after the a is pronounced, but it's brief - I'll say it slowly for you sometime and you'll see. Somewhere between Grony(a) and Groiny(a) - the e is like the one in my name, sort of schwa-y.

[nakedfaery.livejournal.com]

I think it's a lovely name. Part of my reason for choosing Nathan for my son was that I knew it would inevitably get shortened by his friends. My mother was continually cringing at people called my brother 'Pete' instead of 'Peter' and would shout 'that's not his name, it's a kind of compost!' I wanted to chose a boys name that would have bearable shortenings.

So I chose Nathan because I figured he'd get Nath or Nate, the latter of which I prefer but don't mind either. I'd hate it if people called him Nat, but I think that's more likely as a shortening of 'Natalie' in my area.

I called him Nathanbum when he was a baby. Probably because when we were in hospital, the only song I found that calmed him down when he cried (which was a lot - we had BF'ing difficulties) was Beetlebum by Blur :-P I wasn't a very mumsy type back then, and the one nursery rhyme I could remember didn't work!

[clarahippy.livejournal.com]

Heh we sing hardly any proper kids songs to our baby. When she was tiny and colicy she got Barenaked Ladies and Bob Marley!

[ailbhe]

The only one that got us really funny looks was when we whistled Toreador to Linnea on the Eurostar - it was the only tune guaranteed to stop her crying.

[snorkel-maiden.livejournal.com]

What do Linnea and Emer call her? Can they 'get' Astrid? Our pet names (that still persist, to my sister's mortification) were Wonkie and Weezie, as that's what her 2-year-old mouth made out of Veronica and Theresa.

[ailbhe]

Ashtrid, when they don't manage Astrid. Emer's 4, so can manage most pronunciations if she's thinking about it.

[mrs-warwick.livejournal.com]

Rhiannon used to call herself 'Nannon' so we do too. However she gets cross if anyone outside of the family use it. Otherwise she has generic pet names such as pumpkin, munchkin and baby girl (another one she's not keen on now she's 7!)
Eleri gets Merry-'Leri or 'Leri-Berry as the rhyme helps other people pronounce it correctly. She is also called pumpkin, munchkin and baby girl.

[tiggsybabes.livejournal.com]

I love the name Astrid :)

Our pet names are Katie Pie Pie or Piesy Pops for Kate & Molly Molly Moo Moo or Molly Mops for Holly.

[cabbagemedley.livejournal.com]

I think that if you're the sort to play with words and names, you'll find a way with pretty much anything. I'm a Sarah and my family now call me Rum (which arrived via Hairy and Harum-Scarum). Sophie is the Woph, the handsome Poph, and sometimes whole herds of Woves.

Astrid always makes me think of Lindgren, and that's a good thing.

[ailbhe]

Yes, Lindgren is the one I'm most familiar with.