Oi. 
Gotta chime in on this one. My father in law is named Bobbie. I’m sure it was perfectly adorable when he was a cuddly little infant, but he’s 77 years old, and I expect it was an occasional hassle as he worked through his professional life.
I just wanted to chime in and say that I’d rather have a nickname-prone name than one that doesn’t really allow for any.
Like- my name is Isadora. People do shorten it to Iz or Izzy on their own if I don’t correct them (which I don’t now. When I’m older, I’ll insist on something more grown up). But when I get older, I have options. I can switch to Isa, Dori, Dora, or just insist on nothing but Isadora. My sister is a Margaret and, although she’s Maggie now, she can be practically anything when she’s older. Peggy, Meg, Madge, Margie, Greta, etc.
But my other sister is an Anne. And the only options she really has (as far as things you can, say, get your teachers or bosses to call you) are Anne and Annie. Anna if you want to push it. She hates it. She wants options. I don’t blame her.
That is so weird…were you working in the northwest suburbs of Chicago at the time? Actually, the “Sally” wasn’t me…I haven’t gone by that name since I was probably around 5. But maybe it was the same Rick!
I looked up my favorite girl’s name, which I’ve been holding in reserve for a first-born daughter since I was twelve. The graph is a complete flatline until mid-90s to 2005 where it spikes straight up to the top of the chart.
:smack:
I don’t think I will make any recommendations since I think we have polar opposite taste in names, given that I think all the names you suggested in your OP (no offense, just different taste) are awful. :X
NajaNivea you remind me of me. I was eleven (heh I typo’d that as “elven”, which would be cool, but I never was) when I chose my son’s name, and 23 when I gave birth to him. And yes, I gave him that name–Dominic–that I picked at age eleven. At the time, age eleven, I didn’t know anyone with that name. Growing up, in high school, I knew one French foreign exchange boy named Dominique, but other than that, I met no Dominics.
He was one of three in preschool. 
Nope, I’m in Davenport Iowa. How weird though!
Total aside: I’ve been there! The 2005 IJA Juggling Festival was there 
I designed the t-shirts and DVD covers with that bridge in it.
List
[ul]
[li]Thor[/li][li]Kal-El[/li][li]Lex[/li][li]Ming[/li][li]Daniel[/li][/ul]
The possibilities are endless.
That’s true. The only Devin I know in Australia is the 20something American niece of my dear (American) friend. Her niece gets known as Dev. I’m sure we did a double-take first time we heard the name, but shrugged it off with “those crazy americans!!”
Blinkingblinking, I can understand your want to name your child Robbie. But I chime in with the point that it will be a person, not just a baby. Robert is a nice name. Introduce him to everyone as Robbie. He will be nicknamed, up until the point he decides to insist on a particular moniker.
I’m a Stefanie. I’ve been a Steffi (not since I was 11 though, unless you ask older rellies), Stef, Tef, Teffali, Teffikins (I don’t get it either), Fanie, Fan, Nienie, Stef-Stef, Dehdee (brother couldn’t say my name), and the oh-so-hilarious Stiffi. Oh the wit of eight-year-olds, it kills me. That said, I’m named after my grandmother and I almost live with her now, which is really confusing, so I’m Mala Stefanie (little Stefanie).
My boyfriend is Jeremy. Jem. Everyone calls him Jem since a friend’s mother started the ‘Jem by name, Gem by nature’ thing. He’s 18 years old and everyone gets really confused when I talk about my boyfriend Jem. Only his older relatives call him Jeremy.