AIBU to not like my name being shortened?

I really dislike my name being shortened by the majority of people, but those who do shorten it are a very dear and special set of friends, and only they can do it, as it’s a privilege nobody else gets. I always remind others in the gentlest way I can, that I prefer my full name.

Yes I hate my name shortened too ! I get Kath a lot but always sign /introduce myself off as Kathryn ! I find people who's names can’t be shortened are the worst !

I tend not to like shortened names. There are beautiful traditional names that are usually shortened, which spoils them for me. Examples that spring to mind are Nicholas, Christopher, Benjamin and Elizabeth - rarely used in their full form.

We have Davids, Andrews and a Peter in our family. .Heaven help anyone who tries to shorten those! They wouldn’t stand for it. My sons have three-syllable names (not the ones I mention above) that are shortened by almost everyone except me.

My son and DIL rejected the name Charles for their son because they knew everyone would call him Charlie, which they didn’t like. I had rejected Charles for that son, because his middle name was going to be Philip, and we thought it sounded a bit too royal! In the end no-one’s called Charles in our family.

One of the few rules we had in the primary school where I worked was,
Call everyone by the name they want!

It's your name! If you don't want it shortened, which I fully understand, tell your new friends that your name is Sally, not Sal and then don't answer them if they address you wrongly.

I went through school refusing to answer both teachers and fellow pupils who mispronounced my name. It was not always a popular move, especially with the adults, but it did work.

I never knew mine could be shortened until I moved away from home - was utterly horrified by the shortening too!!

Also Sally...i hate it when it is shortened to Sow!

My real name is a french one and was always mispronounced at school and made to sound horrible. My aunts still make it sound as though it has loads of 'E's' in front of it. When I was 17 the new boyfriend called me by a shortened version of it and I loved it and still use it for family and friends. The long version has always been used for work and officialdom. Since moving to France, I now use the long version with the French as they pronounce it correctly. Clients are told that my name is the shortened version and friends still use it. I never liked my maiden name but it has come back to haunt me as French bureaucracy insists on using a woman's maiden name on all forms. You have the opportunity to write your 'name of usage' and the postman delivers mail to me in both names.

I have a very unusual Christian name - combination of Mum & Dad's. I am not very fond of it. My DH always calls me Liz after Skinny Liz (I was a long time ago). So, anyone new we meet assumes I am Elizabeth.

My name has been shortened for years, by choice, my name is Bernadette, quite a mouthful, I am always called Bernie, people who dont know me but know my name, always call me Bernadette, either way I dont object, officially it has to be Bernadette of course.

My name is Lynne but my sister called me Lou all her adult life! Never knew why....
In our childhood Dad would call the pair of us Sam!!! When we left home Mum and Dad got a dog - it was a girl but still ended up being called Sam ?

My official name is Sara but for some unknown reason Sally is short for Sara! My dad said in a letter to my mum "Let's christen her Sara so that we can call her Sally" ( they were apart due to the war). So I have been known as Sally for most of my life and I too hate being called Sal. I actually prefer Sara now but am not sure how it should be pronounced as my parents never ever called me Sara!

Back in the 60's I know my mum tried to have my sister registered as Mandy but wasn't allowed - officially it had to be Amanda. So she chose Sally instead then was really annoyed when her mum said that used to be short for Sara ?

My mother's name was Elizabeth but my grandad caled her Liz or Lizzie which she hated. So when she was grown decided to be known as Lily and always was. Then when she was 91 she moved abroad with us and decided to be called Elizabeth again. So everyone here knew her as Elizabeth until she died two months before she was 98.
I have always been known by my shortened name except when my parents were cross with me and I was called by my full name. My DH does the same. I have a fairly recent friend who always calls me by my proper name and although we have become quite close it sounds very formal but then I would never dream of shortening her name. At the doctors and hospitals here they read out your full names which gets a bit complicated when it's common here for people to have about 5 names because they take both their parents surnames

There isn't a lot you can do with Hilda, but at my last place of work a Latvian nurse used to call me Hildachka, I liked it. Sometimes, in my youth, I got Hilly, which wasn't an apt description as I was flat chested and skinny.

I always give my full name, as I don't like, or feel that I am, any of the shorter versions. Nevertheless, most people start calling me the most common shorter version. It is really rude of them. If someone tells me that their name is eg Jennifer, I wouldn't dream of immediately calling them Jen or Jenny. Likewise, changing Kathleen to Kathy, or Judith to Judy or Susan to Sue etc.

My husband had the opposite problem when we moved to the Wigan area 50+ years ago. He was used to being called Richie, but the old folk insisted on using everyone’s full name. No matter how many times he corrected them, he was always RichARD.
My name, Brenda, is rarely shortened. For some strange reason people often get confused and call me Barbara though.
My son is always called Chris, which is lucky because his wife’s brother is also named Christopher, but uses his full name. DIL’s name is Carolyn, and she hates it when people shorten it, or call her Caroline.

Someone very close to me is called Sally and I call her by the name. People do call her Sal though but I don’t feel comfy calling her it. I would say I prefer Sally it’s what I have always been called. It’s your feelings you should think of most in this.

I am called Kathleen, Kathy or Kate depending on where I am at the time. My mother hated my name being shortened and told my friends not to do it. However, once I left home it was inevitable. I don't mind except that I hate with a passion being called Kath. A lot of Londoners did that.
There's only a cousin and officialdom left to call me Kathleen otherwise I'm Kathy and Kate.
I love the way the French pronounce Kathy - how I'm known there. Because of their difficulty in pronouncing 'th' it comes out as a very soft version of 'Katty' but without the hard sound of 'catty'.

I'm so glad to see others who dislike having their Christian name shortened. All my life I have been known by my full name, by family, friends, colleagues. There was no problem. As I have poor health I have spells when I've needed agency care and get very upset when carers call me by a shortened version on my name, just the initial. I have told their managers I prefer to be called Mrs (so and so) by people I don't know as the presumed familiarity is disrespectful. They are not friends or family. As we age we deserve the sort of respect we are used to all our lives and being vulnerable makes that respect more important. It has also happened during a hospital stay, staff referring to me loudly by a just the initial of my name. I have tried to correct it as it feels so alien but it seems they are trained to create a friendly atmosphere by "appearing" to be friendly. Pity they don't make an effort to ask if what I want to be known as?

A recent example was I needed help for one day from a care agency and rang them, gave them my details and their manager rang back later calling me by that shortened version of my name!

She repeated it three times as if to make sure I understood she didn't bite! I reminded her of my real name and she agreed with me, then said she will call me by the shortened version! I said I was uncomfortable with the familiarity as I have never spoken to her before.

My mother had carers four times a day and she was left weeping after some calls because they called her by her Christian name. My father tried to ask them politely not to do it but there are such a turnover of carers.

I would never do it to others. I always referred to my MIL as Mrs (so and so) which was what she wanted and I loved her. Insisting on referring to an older person by a shortened version without permission could be mild abuse, I seems like an attempt at taking control of an individual.

I have had several nicknames in my time. Both family orientated and also I do a lot of drama and I tend to get nicknames wherever I go. I was referred to at various places as "Titch". Not just due to my stature (I am 6 feet 6) but also because I played the tallest dwarf in the world once in a prod of "Snow White". I am also called at diff places "Captain Colin" and "Courageous Colin" and also Big Col, which was v original. I don't mind that, but I didn't like it when my dad used to refer to me as "Colinski" or even just "Col". It used to sound to me like taking coals to Newcastle. Love, hugs and kisses xxxxxx - BIG COL

I think it’s rude to call anyone by anything else other than how they prefer to be called, whether that’s their full name, a diminutive, or a nickname. The name they introduce themselves as should be respected, whatever it may be.

Well, I've just been for a blood test and got "told off" by the nurse for saying my name was Jackie (Jacqueline on the form).

If your full name is the same as mine gillyknits then I know what you mean !
There are only 2 people who call me by my full name. My dad who says it like I’m being told off and the husband of a friend of mine ( with the most lovely Asian accent) who almost sings it like Jill-ee-Ann. Everyone else uses the shortened version which I much prefer .

My unusual first name can be shortened in several ways , but I particularly loathe one form. My DH occasionally calls me by it, after he heard sisters and parents calling me that. Since they dislike me almost as much as I do them, I hate it. Bless him, he is trying to reform.
Mercifully, no-one else has tried to shorten it, other that my dearest cousin. I love that!
My favourite form? Grandma!!! It is the nicest name anyoe has called me; I love it!