"pet " "family" Alternative names?

[Trees]

Is there a list anywhere of alternative or pet names?
I have John's known as Jack for example and Edward known as Ned and Richard is Dick Margaret  is Meg and so on.
This week I was stumped with a lady who I had on four censuses as Mary born 1792/3  but the only Marys in the town were baptised in 1787 and 1790 then I found a girl baptised POLLY in 1792 and found deaths for the other two so although she married as Mary I think she was the one baptised POLLY.
I have never seen another Polly in a register. Then to my surprise I found Polly had an aunt baptised Molly in the same church. Has any one else found the "pet" name used at baptism?
What other common use forms have you found

[clayton bradley]

Sofey bap in Macclesfield in 1802 which I think is still on familysearch as Susey after all these years, but on every census and marriage she is Sophia. Others are Ann/Nancy, Betty/Elizabeth, Peggy/Margaret, Fanny/Frances. cb

[Lostris]

Google up 'Name diminutives' - I recall 1 site that lists all the popular versions ...

[suzard]

In our family
Sarah Jane "Sally"
Sarah Ellen "Nellie"
Martha "Pattie"
Bernard "Ben"

Suz

[eadaoin]

I found a girl baptised POLLY in 1792 and found deaths for the other two so although she married as Mary I think she was the one baptised POLLY.
I have never seen another Polly in a register. Then to my surprise I found Polly had an aunt baptised Molly in the same church. Has any one else found the "pet" name used at baptism?

In the early 1880s, one of the Co Wiclow P.R. has Polly, Lizzie, Betty, Will, Bill, Mick .. and many more "pet" names.

Often there were so many cousins with the same "real" name e.g. MARY that they were called Polly, Mollie, May, Mamie, Maisie etc to distinguish them

eadaoin

[Sharon01]

Hi,

When I first started my family tree my mum and nan told me about a Polly Aldridge, took me a long time to realise it was a Mary. She was baptised Mary Anne Annie Aldridge.

Sharon

[Trees]

It is fascinating isn't it the way we use the names In Cornwall Jene is often Jennywhich I had assumed was jeniffer. But has anyone else found the baptism record giving the alternative name then the person reverting to the more formal version for marriage censuses and so on? that really did throw me
Trees

[Seoras]

Agnes/Nancy is my most common, my cousin, aunt, great gran and 3xG gran were all christened Agnes but known as Nancy. For myself, George, I recall one elderly rellie always referred to me as Juddie.

[Melbell]

What about the modern fashion for registering babies with 'pet' names rather than 'real' names?  Think of Alfie, Becky, Archie, etc. etc. who probably in earlier times would have been Alfred, Rebecca and Archibald.

I have an ancestor who appears in early registers as 'Mimi' and I spent a long time trying to prove that she was 'my' Jemima, but I had never come across the pet form.  Then I met a 10-year-old girl called Mimi and discovered to my joy that her full name was Jemima.  Result!

Melbell.