i think people say that about the name Meredith because it's an older name with some 'heft' - Margaret, Frances, and Elizabeth have a similar feel to them. someone who has the personality to carry a name like Meredith and not turn it into a nickname, therefore, must be more old-fashioned, and take themselves more seriously. unlike Margaret or Elizabeth, however, it's not easily turned into a nickname that sounds natural. women's names heavily tend to end in the 'ee' sound (and to a lesser extent with the 'uh'/'ah' sound), and i wonder if the terribly strong western association with 'ee'-ending names and femininity plays a role in people's tendencies to make 'ee'-nicknames out of women's names that *don't* already end in a diminutive vowel sound. perhaps an insistence on keeping such a name also sends signals about a more stubborn personality?
i have always liked my name (Melissa) and only very rarely have people tried to use Missy (which i hate) as a nickname for me. however, even before i hung out online, i also tended to pick up nicknames. in my case, i don't think Melissa particularly fits my personality. as mentioned above, it has too many syllables, and people have always been willing to come up with something else, and i have always been willing to answer to nicknames.
eventually, sentiments will change... i predict around the time that all the kayley dalton madison taylor mackenzie morgans grow up and meredith suddenly isn't all that big a deal by comparison.
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Date: 2003-01-04 11:23 am (UTC)i have always liked my name (Melissa) and only very rarely have people tried to use Missy (which i hate) as a nickname for me. however, even before i hung out online, i also tended to pick up nicknames. in my case, i don't think Melissa particularly fits my personality. as mentioned above, it has too many syllables, and people have always been willing to come up with something else, and i have always been willing to answer to nicknames.
eventually, sentiments will change... i predict around the time that all the kayley dalton madison taylor mackenzie morgans grow up and meredith suddenly isn't all that big a deal by comparison.