Changing my name

I stopped anyone calling me Harry since childhood by ignoring anyone who shortened my name that way. It never happens again, and now I am too old to be denigrated that way :-)

I've arrived at the stage where I answer to anything!
Mum, Sweetheart, Nurse, Sister, Madame, grand children's nickname for me, Ow you!
My name has always been shortened as I like a brief name that's easy for people to call.
But if you wish to not shorten your name tell her. I would be mortified if a friend let me go on abbreviating her name if she wasn't happy about it.

My late husband was Bernard. One person always called him Bernie. I hated that.
I have a DD whom we named Elizabeth, but have never called her that but a diminutive. We gave her the longer name so she had some choices if she wished. Her BIL calls her sweaty Betty!

Tell her your name is Deborah, and if she calls you Debbie, ignore her.

She’ll get the message.

I certainly wouldn’t bother calling her Lizzie though.

My unusual first name was shortened in my teenage years and people who know me from way back always use it. When we moved to a village there was already someone by that name and so the longer version came back into play and now I answer to either. On the whole I prefer the short version as it reminds me of my younger self.

I have a Polish name which is very similar to its English equivalent , but I prefer the Polish diminutive so I always use that. But I hate being called by the shortened form of that! And no one can spell it unless they're Welsh as it contains "si" pronounced "sh". But over the years I've got used to people mispronoucing it, and just correct them.

I'm three people , going by the shortening of my name . I will answer to all of them but much prefer my full name .

Tell the lady your name is Deborah and that's how you wish to be addressed. No need to address her as Lizzie out of spite.

I have an unusual name. Most people get the pronunciation right when I tell them, but one acquaintance always pronounces it wrongly, no matter how many times I have corrected her.
So I have stopped correcting her and just ignore her when she uses it. She asked whether I had a hearing problem and I respond that I didn’t realise she was talking to me!
She still doesn’t get it right. Aaargh!

Biscuitmuncher

Every time I see the heading of your thread I'm reminded of that song by Pulp

"Your name is Deborah, Deborah.
It never suited ya".

Perhaps other people think Deborah doesn't suit you !

You're not the Deborah are you? 😯

Ask her to call you Deborah. If she doesn't comply, ignore her until she says Deborah.

Biscuitmuncher

I'm not changing my name, other people, bless them are doing it for me. I'm early 60s and my name is Deborah. I've had this a few times in my life when people decide I'm a Debbie, I really don't like it, in fact it enrages me. I've joined a group where a woman called Elizabeth has started calling me this, would I be unreasonable to call her Lizzy or Betty?

Just say to her "Elizabeth doesn't suit you so I'm going to call you Liz. Or Beth. Which do you prefer?"

I go by my christian name. When I was at school I had two friends, all of us with the same christian name as me. We either all answered When our name was said, or none of us. In the end we decided that we would be known by different names, the other two opting for shortened versions. I have always stuck with my full name and anyone who uses a shortened version is told, nicely, my name and I don't answer to anything else ever since being at school. They then get told the story and I also let them know I don't answer to anything else. I don't have any problems with people getting upset or offended.

For me it's been the opposite problem. I'm Liz to everyone. Even my dad called me Liz from the day and hour I turned eighteen. Before that, he called me by the name he and my mother gave me but he accepted it as my choice, as an adult. My mother always called me by my Sunday name!

However, for some unknown reason, my late husband always introduced me to new acquaintances as Elizabeth! It always sounded so formal and I had to add, "How do you do? Call me Liz!" I don't expect to be called Elizabeth and it takes a moment for me to realise they mean me!

Do not reply when people address you by not-your-name.

Why are people so het up about having their names shortened? What’s the big deal? Why do us UK people have so many social barriers up? Live’s too short.

It seems to be fashionable at the moment to call people what you want to, rather than what they want to be called!

I am waging the battle against two sets of people who insist on calling me Lisbeth, which I dislike, instead of my given name: Elisabeth.

The one couple do, when I mention it, call me Elisabeth for the next couple of times they address me, then it's back to Lisbeth. The third person makes no effort to comply with my request.

I am thinking of employing the tactic I used as a schoolgirl of simply not answering unless addressed correctly. When teachers reproved me, I simply said politely that I had not realised I was being addressed, as my name is not Lisbeth.

My old dad used to say "I don't care what you call me as long as you don't forget to call me for my dinner".

Just tell her politely that you have always used Deborah as your name ,and simply don't like being called Debbie Debs or any short form. You don't have to explain any reasons why you want to addressed by your given name. I would never use a shortened pet form of any name unless I knew the person actually preferred that form of address. I went to school with someone called Edward when at school who shortened it to Ed at university and during his working career and then decided he was going to be Ted in retirement!

Indigo8

My old dad used to say "I don't care what you call me as long as you don't forget to call me for my dinner".

😁

Or just call me!

I've had my name used in full or shortened to various forms over the years and there's only one version I dislike.

Working in care homes opened up a whole realm of names that weren't really their names, to me.
"Oh, I'm Beatrice, but everyone has always called me Timmy"

"Oh, my real name is Eliza, but I thought it sounded more racy to be called Lil, once I got interested in boys".

"Nobody's called me Harry for years. I used to tell the girls my name was Joe, and it just sort of stuck"

"I'm Peggy. It's short for Elizabeth"

"Maud's my middle name, but mum and dad always called me Betty, not my first name, which is Gloria"

"I didn't realise you were speaking to me, because nobody calls me Harry. I prefer Alfie, so just tell people it's my name"

My name is regularly shortened, and always has been. I can’t understand why people can’t call me by the name that I give. It’s probably because they know other people who have the same name, and who use/accept the shortened version. My
in laws shortened it to something different, and other relatives over the years have called me by four other different versions. These days it is four. As I said, I never give any name other than my full one, apart from to relatives. I sign mail with these four different versions, depending on who they are.

My late father always called me by my Sunday name ,mum and other family used two diffferent shortened versions.I answered to them all .When dad died I missed him using the name he had chosen for me and mentioned it in passing,before long there was a string of folk who called me by my full name and still do over 30 years later and I like it.My son and DIL gave their new baby my name last year and her 5 year old sister insists she gets the full name when anyone asks what’s she,s called .Its lovely and I really feel it’s a compliment

I worked with somebody ( several years ago) who was called Betty. My boss insisted on calling her Elizabeth but she was actually named and christened Betty. so it can work both ways!
i would just say politely that you prefer to be called Deborah

My eldest sister’s name was Elizabeth, but, for some unfathomable reason, everyone called her Lil!