I’ve never shortened my name. I think that shortened, diminutive names sound really childish. They’re embarrassing when used by adults.
My name is David. Until my mid 30’s, I went by Dave, then I decided to introduce myself as David.
I don’t take offense at Dave, but when someone asks if I prefer David or Dave, I say David.
The music school I teach at has had me listed as Dave for 13 years, I haven’t asked them to change it.
For what it’s worth, I was in a 5 piece band in my 30’s, 4 guys and a woman, and 3 of the guys were David.
When I was 18 on a Boundary Waters canoe trip, there were 3 of us named David. To keep track of each other, one was David, one was Dave, and I was “D”
David with an ID
I was given a name that is the diminutive, shortened and cutesy version (e.g Cathy) of a common name (Catherine). Not as a nickname, but as my official, on-your-birth-certificate name. It probably worked great when I was under 5. As an adult, not so much.
I’d get the flip side - people lengthening my name! As if they were making the point that they knew my proper name, even if I didn’t…
Because the cutesy version annoyed me and reminded me of the name either a 5 year old or your fat, old aunt would have, with friends I used “Cath” or “Cat”. But was still stuck with (fat, aunty) “Cathy” in professional environments. It just sounded overly childish / non-adult to my ears
So a couple of years ago, I officially changed my name to the longer version. Cost me $90. In formal or professional situations, I introduce myself as “Catherine”, and I still go by “Cath” or “Cat” or “Oi you!”
in informal situations. The only people who still call me “Cathy” are non-friends from my younger years (mainly my family and my in-laws). Even though I dislike “Cathy” I don’t get upset when people who have known me for years use that name, as that’s how they knew me for a long time, and I’m not precious about it. I just don’t want to be called that name going forward.
I love my son’s first name, and it has a common name shortened version which I hate.
I found that I only had to insist he be called by his full name until he was in pre-school. By that time, he took over and would lecture anyone using the shortened version, “That is not my name, my name is [his full first name] and that is what I should be called, please”. 
He had heard it so often that it eventually stuck and to this day he will refuse to answer to the shortened form of his name.
The shortened name thing also had an age dimension to it back when I was growing up. For example, a Thomas would be Tommy as a child and Tom when he aged- usually by high school, if not before. Thomas was only for official records/documents and when his parents were really mad at him-
Other examples: For Daniel, first Danny, then Dan. Robert, first Robby or Bobby, then Rob or Bob. Timothy, first Timmy, then Tim.
In school I knew many Timothys (born 1959- 1961) and not one of them ever went by Timothy on a regular basis. EVER.
My location then was central Indiana.
I feel that way about my first name. It’s essentially one of those twee female names that’s a diminutive in itself, and I don’t have a “formal” version to fall back on. I wish I did. If I had ever pulled up roots and moved somewhere completely different, I would have introduced myself by my initials (for example, “B.J.”). But I stayed here, so I’m stuck.
I do use my middle initial on my business stationery (because it lends a touch of formality and balances out my first and last names) and when signing e-mails with my initials, but I NEVER EVER EVER use my actual middle name. Combined with my already horrible first name, it sounds about as adult as being called Strawberry Shortcake.
If I’d had kids, they would have had names like Margaret or William, so they could choose to use the full name or any of several diminutives, their choice. Also viable middle names, if they didn’t like their first names. (I grew up with someone whose name was similar to Elizabeth Margaret, and she took full advantage, going through several permutations of diminutives in her lifetime before she settled on one she liked.)
I am also Elizabeth. I go by Libby, though, and that’s what I was called from the day I was born. I tried going by Elizabeth in high school, but everyone called me Liz. And, no offense to any Lizzes out there, but I hate the name Liz. Beth I can deal with. Liza’s ok. Eliza has a nice ring to it. Betty I don’t mind.
The reason I wanted to go by Elizabeth was because I thought Libby was too cutesy, too no-one-will-take-me-seriously-if-my-name-ends-in-a-e-sound. Plus, everyone thought I was saying Debbie, which, to me, is worse than Liz. A couple months into HS, however, I realized, deep down inside, I’m a Libby. I’m still not entirely sure how you get Libby from Elizabeth, but that’s another matter all together.
Today, and I’m in my late 20s, I go by Libby in my daily life and Elizabeth professionally, which, as an academic, means when I go to a conference or publish a paper. It’s also in my automatic signature in my email. Everyone knows me as Libby, though. And having a diminutive puts me in good stead in my field, where two of the most awesome people are Bambi and Penny.
As for other people in my age bracket, I can’t think of many who have a shortenable name who don’t shorten it. The two Daniels in my department go by Dan and Danny. The Micheal goes by Mike. The Jesus goes by Txuss. The Jonathon goes by Jon. And so forth.
I am the quaint soul who used the word pretentious. But surely (Shirley?) you must have misunderstood as I was not referring to your name, but rather to my own.
When I was a teenager, I met someone who’s given name was Jay. I thought it was weird that someone would have a name that was also a letter.
It was shortly after that that I became conscious of the fact that EVERYONE outside of my family called me Jay and had for years.
-Jason
Jesus Chewbacca would be one of the ballsiest names ever for a native English speaker.
Well…there was the time somebody in my office (referring to somebody who is all of our bosses) said to somebody who was not me, “(Name) is handling Dick at the front desk,” and I totally lost my shit laughing. No offense to Dick. But nobody younger than him wants to go by that nickname.
I have a fondness for Marty because that’s what my dad went by and all, but I really like the name Martin anyway.
I suspect this sort of thing goes in and out of fashion. Though I don’t see Dick coming back anytime soon.
I am Paul. You cannot shorten Paul, no matter how hard you may try. You can only lengthen it, which in my opinion is a stupid thing to do. So I am very happy that 99% of the people I know call me Paul.
That 1% who do lengthen my name, I tolerate only because they are otherwise so nice.
Only somewhat related.
I knew a David that was a raging psychotic ass. He highly prefered David. I made sure to call him Dave every chance I got
Then I left one job where I was known by a nickname. That place and my ass boss were so bad and left me with such a case of career PTSD (usually by yelling my nickname down the hall for yet another retarded crisis) that at the next job I never even told em my nickname (which is all I’ve ever used) and went by my middle name instead. Never used that middle name before or since.
Even today, if some geezer was to yell my nickname “Bill!” down a hallway I’d have flashbacks and heart palpitations.
And oh yeah. I meet a twenty something Charles the other day that prefers to be called Charles. Thats a first for me so maybe the OP is onto something.
My (one syllable!) name has 2 standard diminutive versions.
One is childish, and I hate being called it - I only tolerate it from my family, who’ve known my since I was a child, and thus had no problem with a childish name.
The other is the version my father uses. (We’re both named for my grandfather.) Which is potentially confusing in many contexts.
I also dislike the assumption of familiarity required for diminutive forms from people who aren’t friends or family. And friends generally call me by nicknames unrelated to my real name, or else they’re used to the (one syllable!) ‘full’ version of my name, and feel no reason to use a familiar form, even though it’d become appropriate.
My parents named me Benjamin and called me Benjamin ever since I was born until they picked me up from kindergarten one day and noticed all the other kids yelling, “Bye, Ben!” They shrugged, concluded I preferred Ben and that’s what I am. In retrospect, I doubt I purposefully dropped the jamin and just went along with what the other kids called me. But nowadays, I answer to Ben, Benjamin, Benny, Benji, Benster, Jamminben, or whatever else, people come up with. I don’t particularly care. But if someone thinks the name someone calls me is silly, well, nerts to them.
Interestingly enough, I never got the full first and middle name when my mom got mad. Just BEN as short and clipped as she could make it.
This is exactly why my son is called James instead of Jim, or Jimmy. We had such a negative reaction to having a president named Jimmy that we resolved (since James was the name of our best friend/best man) to call our son James until he got past the Jimmy stage, and then let him decide. He calls himself James, but doesn’t get upset if others refer to him as Jim or Jimmy/He just doesn’t always hear them.
I’m David/Dave, and I have no preference.
I’ve been known to introduce myself by saying “I’m Dave or David, your choice.” I get called Dave more often, but some people call me David. A few use my initials, DJ, which is also fine by me.
As for other people, I call 'em what they’re introduced as, unless they tell me otherwise.
I know a lot of people under thirty. Danny, Dave, Ed, Mike, and Matt are all in their 20s.
Thus far, I’ve met exactly two people, Jeffery and Michael, who had had a fit if people have shortened their names, and both of them are over thirty now.
I have a name that got a LOT of jokes and teasing when I was a kid, so I do tend to bristle if anyone other than family calls me anything other than my given name. It’s frustrating when people at work do that. I mean, we’re at work, you are not my friend, please stop being overly familiar. Try to be a little professional here.
When I was young I was called a shortened form of my middle name. I liked it then, but as I got older I decided I liked my first name much better. This didn’t sit well with a lot of family and friends.
For privacy purposes, I will call myself Anna Felicia.
Anna was a dowdy name for a little girl, and so everyone called me Leesha. Cute for a girl, not so much when I turned 18 or so. This is when I told everyone to call me Anna(Hi, Patty Duke!). I also introduced myself this way to new people, including my future husband.
Now, my mother, my best friends and assorted relatives refused to call me by this name, one given to me by said mother. Why, I asked her, dod you name me Anna if you didn’t like it?
“The priest insisted that you have a Saint’s name”.
I still call myself Anna, because it’s elegant and it doesn’t sound like a stripper name. Some realtives still call me Leesha. Get me a pole.