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11-29-2012 at 2:17 PM
CLaNa
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Do you know boys who go by William?

I have a one month old named William and I'm really regretting the choice.  Whenever we tell someone his name, they always ask what we will call him.  Hello I just told you his name is William.  I didn't say Billy.  It's so annoying and I hate that he will deal with this his entire life.  Next, despite telling everyone his name is William, no one will call him William.  They all just go ahead and say Will or Billy.  I'm so aggravated.  I especially didnt think people would just call him Billy on their own since that's an entirely different sounding name rather than just the shortened version.  Anyway, I don't know many little ones since this is our first so i'm wondering if there are other boys from his generation going by the name William itself.  For some reason, I was under the impression that there were a lot of little Williams out there right now.  

 Im so over this name.  It doesn't even sound good to me anymore.  I am seriously considering changing it.  I need reassurance if you have any!  We cho I because we  wanted a traditional name and so many names were already used by family.  I didn't give it enough thought though.  At this point, I'm not even sur I can stand Will and the name William itself is starting to sound very old to me. Ugh. 
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11-29-2012 at 2:18 PM
CLaNa
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Please excuse the typos in the last paragraph.  I'm on my iPad and I can't get the curser to go back to fix them for some reason.  I didn't want to re-type the entire thing.
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11-29-2012 at 2:21 PM
JET29
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I think that William is a great, classic name. My Grandfather was named William, and I would have loved to have named my son after him, but my cousin used it first. I say, stick with William, your son is only one month old and people will realize in time that he goes by William not Will. 
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11-29-2012 at 2:23 PM
Notwifezil...
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I agree. I taught and one year I had two Williams (who both went by William) in my class. Just keep reinforcing and correcting people. I have no problem being up front and so to me correcting someone who uses a nickname I don't intend to use would be no issue. 

 
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11-29-2012 at 2:27 PM
Crys1925
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I know an equal amount of men who go by Will as those who go by William. If someone introduces himself as William, I call him William, not Will.
 
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11-29-2012 at 2:31 PM
LeahB12
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William is a wonderful name. People probably ask what you are calling him because there are common nns that go with the name. I have a nephew named Andrew and a friend's daughter is Catherine. Neither have a nn and people have stopped asking. People will stop asking about your William too.
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11-29-2012 at 2:32 PM
ShadyKull
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Yes, I know a little boy who is named William and goes by William. It never even occurred to me to don him with a nickname all on my own. I think it is a lovely name. I also really like the nicknames Will and Liam that go along with it. Willy and Billy would bother me though.
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11-29-2012 at 2:38 PM
MrsTBird
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Most of the Williams I know go by William. Some go by Will, and the older Williams I know go by Bill. William is a strong, masculine, classic name. Even if now it sounds old to you, just remember he'll only be a baby for a short time. William is a great name that will age well with your DS.

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11-29-2012 at 2:42 PM
BethPSU
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I know a William that goes by William and one that goes by Will. Just call him William and people will follow, however all bets are off once he is school age and has friends who may choose a nn for him.
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11-29-2012 at 2:47 PM
BLPL101
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I know multiple men/boys who go by William. I love William! It's one of my favorite boy names.
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11-29-2012 at 2:53 PM
buggal28
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I now have a Sheryl Crow song in my head. But I don't know any Bill or Billies or Mack or Buddies for that matter : . S o perhaps the nicknames are becoming less popular.
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11-29-2012 at 3:09 PM
Estwd2
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I know a few Williams that go by William, Will, Bill, Billy, and Liam, sometimes more than one nn per person. It's a great name that comes with a lot of nns, so I'm sure people are just aware of all the nns and want to abide by your wishes. Just answer and say "We call him William."

But I have to ask, are you going to be annoyed if anyone gives him a nn at any point in his life? I totally understand personal preference, so call him William. But at some point, he's going to have his own preference and it might not be yours. What if he's 12 and his friends call him Billy and he LIKES it? Is it going to bother you then?
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11-29-2012 at 3:59 PM
CLaNa
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Estwd2:

I know a few Williams that go by William, Will, Bill, Billy, and Liam, sometimes more than one nn per person. It's a great name that comes with a lot of nns, so I'm sure people are just aware of all the nns and want to abide by your wishes. Just answer and say "We call him William."

But I have to ask, are you going to be annoyed if anyone gives him a nn at any point in his life? I totally understand personal preference, so call him William. But at some point, he's going to have his own preference and it might not be yours. What if he's 12 and his friends call him Billy and he LIKES it? Is it going to bother you then?

 

If he chooses it, I will be fine with it.  In fact, a nn like Will or Wills or maybe even Liam may be used by us at some point.  It's just almost seemed like people have an aversion to saying "William" and are determined to use a nn already.  These are the same people who use the full names of many of our relatives and friends even though the names are typically shortened (like Christopher) so I've started wondering if it's just something about this particular name that people feel inclined to use a nn.   
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11-29-2012 at 4:02 PM
ramy3695
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My nephew's name is William and sometimes they'll call him Will, but usually it's his full name.

I think it's a strong classic name. 
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11-29-2012 at 4:13 PM
fitzpember...
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This is one of the things about people and names that just boggles my mind.  I would never automatically nn someone if they introduced themselves by a full name.  That is so presumptuous.

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11-29-2012 at 5:40 PM
Estwd2
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CLaNa:
Estwd2:

I know a few Williams that go by William, Will, Bill, Billy, and Liam, sometimes more than one nn per person. It's a great name that comes with a lot of nns, so I'm sure people are just aware of all the nns and want to abide by your wishes. Just answer and say "We call him William."

But I have to ask, are you going to be annoyed if anyone gives him a nn at any point in his life? I totally understand personal preference, so call him William. But at some point, he's going to have his own preference and it might not be yours. What if he's 12 and his friends call him Billy and he LIKES it? Is it going to bother you then?

&nbsp;

If he chooses it, I will be fine with it. &nbsp;In fact, a nn like Will or Wills or maybe even Liam may be used by us at some point. &nbsp;It's just almost seemed like people have an aversion to saying "William" and are determined to use a nn already. &nbsp;These are the same people who use the full names of many of our relatives and friends even though the names are typically shortened (like Christopher) so I've started wondering if it's just something about this particular name that people feel inclined to use a nn. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Honestly, I don't think they do it to be disrespectful. I think certain names, like William, seem very formal to some people. If you're close with someone, especially if it's a relative, nicknames happen naturally. It might feel odd to them to use a very formal name with someone they are close with. I would consider it a sign of affection.
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11-29-2012 at 6:43 PM
queenbone
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My cousin's son just goes by William. I'm really surprised that so many people are cutting to Billy immediately. That sounds so dated to me. Most other Williams I know of this generation go by Will or Liam. No one does Bill anymore.

Are these all Great grandma types who are calling him Billy? The ladies in the Altar Society instantly wanted to call Theodore, Teddy, I think because it was the popular NN when they were naming babies. I would assume the same thing is happening with Billy.

I would just be firm about it, "No, he's William, not Billy." I tell people we aren't ready to call Francis, Frank or Frankie yet because it seems too harsh for a baby.

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11-29-2012 at 6:53 PM
JoJo716
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I am a teacher and I have taught several Williams that go by their first name. In fact, I don't think I have taught one William that went by a nickname. 
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11-29-2012 at 7:00 PM
swimiz500
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My cousin has a son named William who goes by William and only William. 
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11-29-2012 at 7:28 PM
Sto71
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My cousin's husband his name is William Christopher but he actually goes by Chris because apparently he got teased when he was younger for using "Willie" as a nn
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11-29-2012 at 7:39 PM
MSW_721
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I'm sorry you're dealing with that. It's frustrating when people don't respect your wishes. My son is William and we call him William. I love his name. It is so classic and will age well with him. If he wants a nn when he's older, he's free to do so, but for right now he is William.
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11-29-2012 at 9:00 PM
madisonbra...
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Stand your ground on his name, demand that family members cut out the nick names. I have the same problem with my DD, everyone shortens her name and I correct them, but if you really want to change it go for it. But you've already been calling him William...it might be hard to stop the habit
 
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11-29-2012 at 9:16 PM
llewzier
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I know a few guys who go by William. When someone calls him something else I would just correct them and say "He goes by William" over time people will get the idea!

It is a wonderful name!

 
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11-29-2012 at 9:19 PM
+lisamarie...
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My cousin, who is now 7, is a William. He has always been William and no one calls him anything else. I think if you make it perfectly clear that his name is William and that's what you are using, no nickname, maybe everyone will get it?
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11-29-2012 at 10:57 PM
oliversmom...
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I have two young family members that are named William that go by William. One goes by Will occasionally but mostly William. I actually love the name but I can't use it (For one we have too many family members named this and for two our last name is Williams :-/ )
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11-30-2012 at 10:15 AM
CLaNa
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Thank you for your responses everyone.  I really appreciate it and you've made me feel better.  In hindsight I wish I had chosen the other name we were considering, but hopefully it will work out.
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