Hi Jenni,

I was wonder what you think of the name Skyley for a girl? It’s going to pronounce like skylee it just the spelling is different.

Stephanie V.

Dear Stephanie,

First, my name is Jennifer. And I’m not just correcting you, I’m making a point about diminutive names.  I, personally, don’t believe you should give diminutive names as formal names for a child. I define diminutive names as those that end in “ie” or “ee” for girls or “y” for boys, or names that started out traditionally as nick names.

I believe the child should have a choice in what nickname they choose.  So give them a choice of a formal name, i.e. Skylar, and then call her Skylee if you so choose during her childhood.

I used the nickname “Jenny” up and until I was about ten.  I  love the formal name Jennifer and it was more appropriate as I grew up and became a business owner.

Sincerely,

Jennifer