Short vs long names

There's been a couple of debates about this on babycentre lately and I wondered what you thought. Someone told me Jamie should be a James (which is a family name but one I personally hate) and told someone else their Harry should be a Henry. Now I admit that if I would go for Benjamin, Thomas, Samuel, Alexandra, etc rather than naming by shorts but I don't really see that it matters.

What do you all think

I'm all for proper names but that's just me.

I'm Penelope but have always been pen or penny.

I called charlotte charlotte as I was planning on shortening it to Charlie. But I didn't occasionally she lottie but usually charlotte. Her boyfriend calls her Char! (I don't like that)

Eleanor gets both Ellie and Eleanor.

But paul gets called pauly and paulus by us which drives him bonkers.

I do believe that a name is a gift and you give it to your child with lots of thought. After that it belongs to them and they can do what they please with it. (but not Char) grrrf

I hate lukey, which my niece calls lucus drives me insane, then catch me doing it

Rich, gets rich, Richard, Richie, Richard James, depends what I want him for and he also gets called munchkin and chuckle bum lol

Lucas, is Lucas, Lucas Maurice his family nickname is moo, but also sometimes use monkey moo, snuggle bum

Tamsyn, is shortened to tam tam but have called her missymoo and giggle bum.

They also get called 1,2,3 lol when we out as I always get names mixed up

We picked names that could be shortened, because that's how we roll lol

I don't like people shortening my boys names, if I'd wanted them to be called ty or fin I would have named them that.obv once they are older they can call themselves what they like.

Jade I think if you always call them by their proper names then it does kinda stick. Most people call charlotte charlotte because she was brought up to be called that and introduces herself as charlotte x

I have Ciara, sometimes I call her 'key' and siobhan sometimes gets vaughny or shuv. When I write their names I never shorten them. My sister has a Matthew and a Thomas and they get Matt and Tom. Even on their school books which I think isn't right.

I chose names for my children that could be shortened (Imogen/Immi & Joshua/Josh), as I like that you can have your proper name and then a nickname with friends. Like I would never introduce myself as Shell, only Michelle then when I like them let them call me Shell

I think certain names that were originally shortenings stand alone now like Jamie and Harry and Charlie.

Both my boys names can be shortened but I hate it! They will always be called Stephen and Thomas to me. Someone sent me a card congratulating me on the birth of baby Tom which made me furious! I realise that other people might shorten it when he's older but not when he's just been given the name! My husband is Mike to me but his mum still calls him Michael, which I only do if he's in trouble!

Tommy is Tommy and he hates being called anything else, Charlie sometimes calls him Tom but he's quickly corrected!
I don't have an opinion either way really i will always call my babies by their full names, if the choose to shorten them thats fine i don't mind

I hope your right penny, like I said they can call themselves what they like but other people should respect what I've chosen to call them and not shorten there names