One of my earliest (i.e., going all the way back to infant playgroup) friends was a Jenny-not-Jennifer. She ultimately had an easier time convincing people to call her by her full first+middle, than to stop calling her either Jen or Jennifer.

There is no such thing as an un-nickable name in Jamaica, and even so, many of my family nicknames have nothing to do with the sound of the original name. My parents just laid down the law, and as a result nowhere in our childhood did a nickname pop up. It's only since I left the force of their will that people have tried, and it annoys me sorely when people do it because my ire amuses.

You can nick me with something that's not based on my name. I'm good with that. Just don't fuck with the two syllables, three letters of ita.

Honestly, I never abbreviate someone's name if I haven't seen them accept the abbreviation from someone else, and even then only if I consider myself on the same social footing as the person who used it.

I think forced nicknames are arrogant and contemptible, and will therefore never call someone something they've asked me not to call them, even in jest.

A thousand times yes.

My parents deliberately gave us un-nickable names.

Yeah, my parents tried that. It worked until I started at the English-speaking school, where Rachel was immediately shortened to Roach.

No one in my Spanish-speaking world shortened Raquel until I was in high school...and then it stuck like a tongue to a lamppost.

I feel the same way about Stephie. My father, and sometimes my mother may use it. THAT'S IT.

Same here with Juli. My blood family may use it. Z used it, but now may not. Anyone else? Nuh and uh.

My parents deliberately gave us un-nickable names.

There are two syllables in your name. It's nickable. (And, randomly, a differently-spelled version of a name I tried to go by when I was 14 and sick of people mucking up my real name.)

My mother also picked my name so it could not be foreshortened. Only to have my grandmother say "You could call her Ricki." Which I'm glad she didn't. Today sucks...total sucktastic Monday.

Same here with Juli. My blood family may use it. Z used it, but now may not. Anyone else? Nuh and uh.

My oldest and closest friend has pronunciation difficulties with her middle name, but it's just going to happen. It's Kali, but pronounced Kylie. Her parents were trying to synthesize some late-60s hippiness and their Irish heritage.

Yeah, my parents tried that. It worked until I started at the English-speaking school, where Rachel was immediately shortened to Roach.

Hee. The closest we ever came to violating the edict was my sister Rachel being briefly called "Rache," but Mom shot that down as sounding too much like "Roach".

We had various non-name-related nicknames, but that wasn't a problem to the 'rents.

There are no non-nickable names. If it's got more than one syllable, you can drop at least one. If it's only got one syllable, more can be added. I think the best a parent can hope for is that their kids will like their names as adults, and find a variation they can insist on other people using.