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Is He Name-Flirting?
Filed under: Baby Names, Expert Advice: Just For You
My formal name is Christine. My friends all call me Chris. I like the name Christine, but I'm use to being called Chris. I have a male interest at work who insists on calling me Christine. Is he trying to be formal or is he flirting?
- Chris
Is he trying to be formal, or is he flirting? Both, dear. Isn't that lovely?
Affectionate nicknames can work equally well in both directions -- more casual, or more formal. Ben's wife is just as likely to call him Benjamin as Benjy. In the early flirting stages of an acquaintance, though, formal is the way to go. It's respectful, admiring and a bit mysterious, rather than presumptuous.
That goes double in a workplace setting. If your "male interest" were calling you Chrissy, it would come off as too intimate for the office, even demeaning. But Christine? Ahh. He's showing he notices you, and making you notice him, without stepping an inch outside the boundaries of professional conduct. And I do like a man who appreciates names.
Parents-to-be, this is one of the reasons I like to see a full, formal name on a birth certificate. Go ahead and call her Toni from day one, but give her Antonia as an alter ego. Her future admirers will thank you.
How do you use nicknames? Share your experiences here. And if you have your own question to Ask the Name Lady, drop her a line!
Related: Trend Report: The Hottest Baby Names of 2010
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
4-29-2010 @ 9:41PM
SkyBlue said...Duh.
Reply
4-29-2010 @ 11:52PM
Jack said...Is this a relevant article ? The persons name is Christine
and that's what her "male interest" calls her. Duh.
Perhaps she shouldn't tell people what her name is,
if she doesn't like somebody calling her by that.
This article was a complete waste of time.
Please forgive me, for lengthening the pathetic use of text.
Reply
4-30-2010 @ 2:38AM
Lita said...I find Jack's response incredibly stupid. "Perhaps she shouldn't tell people what her name is, if she doesn't like somebody calling her by that." People take liberties with people's names all the time. I have a friend whose name is Charles, but he goes by Chuck. Yet one of his co-workers would introduce him as "Charlie," a nickname which he has always hated. She claimed that's how he first introduced himself to her. He has chosen not be around her unless it was absolutely necessary. He said it was too much trouble to constantly battle stupidity. I tend to agree.
4-30-2010 @ 12:00AM
fanblade said...Of all the nerve! File a sexual harassment suit,demand he be publicly flogged and put on the sexual predator register list.Jail him if he doesn't notify his neighbors.That will teach him.Pervert.
Reply
4-30-2010 @ 5:35AM
joe sliger said...You can call me Ray.. or you can call me Ray J. but ya doesn't have to call me Mr. Johnson.
4-30-2010 @ 12:35AM
Edward Pruett said...More BS to take up space. The given name is Christine. I personally like the name Christine much more than Chris. Chris sounds like a boy. My grandson is Chris. Really. Get onto something worth reading.
Reply
4-30-2010 @ 2:41AM
Lita said...You read it. And even commented on it. That kind of makes you an idiot. If a woman would rather go by Chris than Christine, then the choice is hers, not some pinhead who wants to get "cute" with her name.
4-30-2010 @ 1:48AM
Deansgrl said...He is just calling you by your given name because that is what your name is. It doesn't mean anything. I hate it when females try to read anything and everything into what a guy does or says. Guys aren't thinking about such things. They don't care enough. So don't make a fool of yourself, and let it ride.
Reply
4-30-2010 @ 1:54AM
Patty said...Really? He is flirting because he used her given name?? Perhaps he likes the name Christine better. Perhaps his brother's name is Chris and he can't see calling her that. There could be a myriad of reasons he calls her Christine rather than Chris (not to mention the obvious reason - that is HER NAME.) I don't think it necessarily means either thing - that he is being formal or that he is flirting.
Why must every action taken by a man be construed or misconstrued by women?? Drives me up the wall and I am woman.
Reply
4-30-2010 @ 2:59AM
KatieCouric'sNemesis said...What ever happened to personal respect? Gentlemen called a lady Miss with her surname unless and until requested to use a first name. In the workplace, that seems to have disappeared with unmarrieds.
I have a surname with a title. I expect it to be used. I do not address my boss by his first name. I accord that same respect to my peers.
Flirting because he calls her Christine? Hardly. He is being as formal as the informal office structure of today allows.
AOL, you've done it again--labored and brought forth...nonsense.
Girls in the workforce need to begin to understand that they are NOT there on a mate-hunt. They are there to WORK. Quit making every little thing the focus of a flirtation. Most times, they aren't even there.
Reply
6-07-2010 @ 6:54PM
radiowench said...Some of us were brought up to never call someone by a shortened version of their name or a nickname until they had been informed it was alright. "Candace" may not care to be called "Candy", Susan might hate "Susie" or "Sue" and Elizabeth might tear your head off for assuming it's alright to call her "Liz". But if this guy keeps doing it, it may be a subtle form of flirting and he may not realize he is being annoying while doing it. Chris should speak with him privately and explain that while she is sure he means no harm, she truly feels more comfortable being called Chris and not Christine. And if he does it again in front of others, then she should loudly say, "What do you not understand about my preferred name being Chris?". That should stop it. Otherwise, avoid the guy if possible. Then he really should get the hint. Signed, Mel - NOT Melinda
Reply