Can Molly be a nickname for Margaret?

September 6, 2014 7:35 AM

We are looking into baby names, and really like the nickname Molly. I thought Molly was a nickname for Margaret, but apparently it has traditionally been a nickname for Mary. Would it be weird to name our baby Margaret, but call her Molly? Should we just name her Molly?
posted by crunchysalty to Human Relations (39 answers total)

My best friend is a Margaret who goes by Molly! Go for it.
posted by punchtothehead at 7:37 AM on September 6, 2014

1. Names Are Weird, Nicknames Especially So - I have a friend named Steven legally who is called Stu by everybody because of a childhood joke about his last name. Who cares, it's your kid and her own name!

2. I just googled those two names together, and got a bunch of results for famous women named Margaret called Molly, especially "Unsinkable Molly Brown," the Titanic passenger who demanded that her lifeboat go back and search for other survivors.

THEREFORE:

The rules say Molly is a nickname for Margaret, and the rules are all made-up anyway, so you're safe on all counts. Molly olly oxenfree!
posted by Tomorrowful at 7:39 AM on September 6, 2014

Do what you want. My daughter is named Shoshana and we call her Sasha as a nickname. As far as I know, that's not a standard nickname for Shoshana. But who cares!
posted by amro at 7:41 AM on September 6, 2014

My sister is Susannah and we call her Frankie.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:43 AM on September 6, 2014

If you want to call her Molly, you might as well just name her that unless there is another reason you'd like her legal name to be Margaret. It would make her life simpler when introducing herself, starting school and new jobs, etc.

Bias: My name is Molly.
posted by something something at 7:45 AM on September 6, 2014

Margaret is a lovely name!

She might go by Maggie, Madge, Mags, Maisie, Marge, Meg, Megan, Mog, Moggie, Rita, Daisy, Greta, Gretel, Gretchen, Magee, Marg, Margot, May, Molly, Peggy or Peg.

Check out all the cool variant forms there, too. If she discovers one day that she's grown out of the Molly nickname, she could be Bixti, Peigi, Mette, Perele.

I've always loved all the variations.
posted by mochapickle at 7:46 AM on September 6, 2014

(And I have a name that is short and utterly un-nicknameable. So I am always fascinated by names like Margaret.)
posted by mochapickle at 7:47 AM on September 6, 2014

Names in my family:

Mary Ellen (aka Marie)

Anne (aka Nancy)

Anastasia (aka Lola)

So... do what you like!
posted by Chorus at 7:51 AM on September 6, 2014

Our Molly is just Molly as well (because I grew up with a nickname which I had to explain on the first day of school every.stinking.day for 16 years). But she has a more "refined' middle name that she could use if she doesn't want to be Supreme Court Justice Molly.

I'll say that my Molly is currently not thrilled with her name becoming drug slang. Maybe that will be out of fashion by the time your Molly gets older.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 8:05 AM on September 6, 2014

You can't derive Timo or Cayope (?) from my name, but that never held my family back.
posted by Beardman at 8:12 AM on September 6, 2014

Name your child whatever you want - including Molly - and call her Molly. The area I've recently moved to has an interesting trend where everyone is called something completely different than their first name (which, incidentally, almost always rhymes with 'Aiden' these days.) I have seen Amelia convert to Missy, Randall to Cole, Eleanor to Haley, and Michael to Darius. In short, all rules are out the window.
posted by Rewind at 8:16 AM on September 6, 2014

My name is Margaret and in my experience, just about anything can be a nickname for Margaret. Molly is a new one for me, but sure why not? Margaret is the amazing transformable name, second only to Elizabeth.
posted by MadamM at 8:34 AM on September 6, 2014

Use her legal name for things like doctor's appointments. Don't confuse the insurance company!
posted by Carol Anne at 8:57 AM on September 6, 2014

My grandmother's name was Margaret, and they called her Marge.
My mom's name is Margaret and they call her Peggy.
My sister's name is Margaret and they call her Mandy.
My niece's name is Margaret and they call her Margot.
So you can call her anything you like.

But really, I'd just name the kid Molly, if that's what you like, and be done with it.
posted by Liesl at 8:58 AM on September 6, 2014

It may be that when you meet her, she's not a Molly. I had my daughter's name all picked out, with an adorable nickname. Her name suits her, but the nickname just wasn't her style. Name her Margaret and she may be Maggie. She may be Peg. She may be Margaret and then decide at 15, that she's really Greta.
posted by Ideefixe at 9:07 AM on September 6, 2014

I was thinking more about your question. Two main benefits for using a name that's different from your legal first name:

1. My parents both went by their middle names all their lives, so if we ever got a call at the house for [FIRSTNAME], we knew instantly that the caller was someone who didn't know them personally. It's quite helpful.

2. My mother stratifies people into categories this way. Strangers and people she doesn't like have to call her [FIRSTNAME]. People she likes get to call her [MIDDLE NAME]. And children and people she knows through my dad get to call her [diminutive version of MIDDLE NAME]. She takes classes at the Apple store and the instructors who get to call her [MIDDLE NAME] know she likes them the best. (And yes, she has instructed the others to call her [FIRST NAME].)

It's pretty common to go by a different name than your formal legal name.
posted by mochapickle at 9:09 AM on September 6, 2014

I never quite got Jack for John as a nickname. Molly is the street name for ecstasy [MDMA].
posted by vapidave at 9:10 AM on September 6, 2014

I've got a Margaret and we call her one of mochapickles variants. In fact, the variant is the name we really wanted but we were worried that it was too wacky and wanted the kid to have a nice staid name in case she wanted to be president!

It is always startling to hear that name called out at the doctor's office (even though their forms have a "preferred name" section which apparently they don't look at.)
posted by vespabelle at 9:12 AM on September 6, 2014

I have a nickname, which is the only name I've ever been called, that is not a traditional shortening for my legal name. It is vaguely related on a linguistic level (same root). I HATE IT. Explaining to everyone I do legal business with (so, when I go to school, the doctor, get a job, anything) the reason why my name is different is a total pain. As is getting called by a name that I don't identify with when I don't choose to explain. In college, it would have meant a separate discussion with every single professor. People make checks out to a name that I can't legally cash them under. It's fine to choose a more traditional name and call a child by a variant, but can cause problems to choose two names that are less related.
posted by decathexis at 9:17 AM on September 6, 2014

Just call her Molly. It's a good name. :)
posted by MsMolly at 10:07 AM on September 6, 2014

My first name is Sandra*, and everyone in my family called me Frog.

So, like: Do what you want, you know?

(also Molly isn't just a nickname, it's also a name name, so you could just name her Molly. But then you might need to call her Mol for short?)

* used to be; i changed it
posted by kythuen at 10:13 AM on September 6, 2014

I am a Margaret, named after two great aunts on both sides who were awesome Margaret's!! I have been Meg my whole life but you wouldn't believe the people that call me Meghan. Everyone. It's exhausting. Nothing against the Meghan's, but that's not my name. Since hitting 40 three years ago, I've become a real tyrant about correcting people, and since I'm at the tail end of a divorce, I think I might keep the last name for the kids but start using my given name of Margaret. It's awesome, a great name, strong, the women who I was named after were amazing..... I might embrace that for my new beginning. I say Molly is a great nickname for Margaret..... I love it!! She will be one heck of a gal and if she ever wants to someday go by Margaret, she'll have the strength to make the change.
posted by pearlybob at 10:37 AM on September 6, 2014

Neither Mr. Meat nor I go by our given first names. It's really only been a problem on the first days of school and at doctor/dentist/etc. appointments. But if you're intending to call her Molly, just name her Molly. :-)
posted by Ms Vegetable at 11:10 AM on September 6, 2014

I know a Molly who might just be a Supreme Court Justice Molly one day. It's a good name name.
posted by sweetkid at 11:24 AM on September 6, 2014

I have a friend whose parents wanted to call her Cricket, but gave her a "real" name. Everybody but the nuns at school called her Cricket and she eventually changed her name legally. So I say go for Molly!
posted by Biblio at 11:53 AM on September 6, 2014

Would it be weird to name our baby Margaret, but call her Molly?

No, not weird, but it does have some implications you might not be aware of.

My parents named me one thing, and called me another, and the main benefit is that if somebody calls and asks "is legalname fuzzybutt there?" I know immediately that I do not know this person.

It's also very handy for obfuscating google searches - I have my legal name on my resume, but all my internet shenanigans are done by my unrelated nickname.

However, it causes confusion, especially in school or work, or other quasi-legal situations. It's sort of a pain in the butt in those cases.

Personally, I don't feel like the positives outweigh the negatives and if I could go back in time, my parents would have just named me Nickname Fuzzybutt. That having been said, none of the negatives go beyond annoying, and aren't some super terrible burden to be saddled with - After all, I haven't been arsed enough to go and change it legally.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 12:14 PM on September 6, 2014

Another vote in the "name the child what you want to call her" column. I'm Caren legally/professionally and Carrie to my pals; my parents wanted to call me the latter but were afraid it would be too informal for Serious Business. In my experience this arrangement has led to a fair bit of needless hassle.
posted by GrammarMoses at 12:15 PM on September 6, 2014

Just name her Molly. My goddaughter is simply named Molly.
posted by Thorzdad at 12:41 PM on September 6, 2014

Also, if you want to get fancy - I had a friend in HS named Amalia (uh-MOLL-ee-uh) who went by Molly...
posted by kythuen at 12:59 PM on September 6, 2014

I met a guy named Gary once who was named after his aunt Margaret. Apparently everyone called her Gary, and I don't think Molly would be any weirder of a nickname than Gary.
posted by Enchanting Grasshopper at 2:02 PM on September 6, 2014

Molly is totally on my baby name list! I love the name, it's so...spirited. But it can absolutely be a nickname for Margaret. In the Maeve Binchy novel "Echoes," there is a character named Molly whose given name is Margaret. (Kind of an antagonistic character, but still.)

Either way would not be weird.
posted by Aquifer at 2:29 PM on September 6, 2014

If Jack can be a nickname for Jonathan, I don't see why not.
posted by AppleTurnover at 3:08 PM on September 6, 2014

My grandmother was a Margaret but everyone called her Maxine. The reasons why are completely lost to time but members of our family have used both Margaret and Maxine in naming grandchildren and great-grandchildren of hers because she was a delightful mix of both names.
posted by Merinda at 4:11 PM on September 6, 2014

Ours is Margaret Jane, intended to be Jenny, but within a few weeks she was Maggie. I like a long name because they're good for slowly and sternly pronouncing when the child is naughty.

My husband and his brothers are short nicknames legally and it is a bit confusing when people use the full name and they have to correct them, but no big deal either way.

I would do Margaret because you don't know if she will be a Meg, Peggy or Molly - gives you options.
posted by viggorlijah at 7:09 PM on September 6, 2014

Nthing mochapickle: my father's given name is Aaron, but he's been called Andy by his family and closest friends since he was in utero and he always knows it's a solicitation when the caller uses Aaron.
posted by brujita at 7:38 PM on September 6, 2014

Should our next baby be of the girl variety, she'll be Molly-For-Margaret (after my great aunt Margaret, who goes by Jackie, and my husband's great aunt, who goes by Margie.) I say go for it!
posted by ThatSomething at 9:59 PM on September 6, 2014

My niece is a Molly, and my daughter is Molly, and so are a couple of friends and plenty of friend's kids. You like the name, then go for it!
posted by wenestvedt at 8:28 AM on September 7, 2014

My husband's legal name is totally different from his use-name because he's a Jr and his mother insisted that he and his father be called by different names. They picked the name of one of their favorite baseball players to use on a daily basis.

He's never found it to be a problem, and we can tell immediately when telemarketers call because they use his legal name.
posted by telophase at 11:29 AM on September 8, 2014

When she's a rebellious teenager she can be Mauly.
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:25 AM on September 9, 2014