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John Vs. Jonathan
John is my father's first name. John is one syllable, so it sounds a little plain. I adore Jonathan because it is three syllables, and I could use the nn Jon or Johnny.
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Jonathan, but *only* spelled Johnathon.
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JohnJohn, most definately. It has stood the test of time. And I'm really liking it right now.
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My father's name is also John. He has remarked to me on many occasions that he dislikes his own name, deplores how common it is, and would not want his grandson burdened with it. Nonetheless, when I was still in the child-naming business, I thought long and hard about using Johnathan in his honor as a way of getting around his dislike of John. He was neutral toward Johnathan; but I like it to this day, and would be most pleased to have a grandchild of my own named Johnathan. That boy would be his great-grandchild. I think that'd be cool.

This message was edited 7/23/2007, 2:50 AM

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Both are common and boring to me, but I'd use John if you're using it specifically to honor your father.
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John or Jon!I like both.
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I definitely prefer John (a top favorite of mine), though there's nothing wrong with Jonathan. I think it's also a very classy name that has great nickname options. I just, personally, think that John is nicer.
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Jonathan is one of those names that annoys me for no reason, and when it's up against a classy classic like John, it has no chance. Think of Milton! It's a winner.
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Are you thinking of "North and South"? Just wondering!
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JONATHAN!I absolutely loathe John as a full name. Despite that, here is where I would choose a full name over the nn as a full name: With John, you are deciding that your son will be John (maybe Johnny) and that is that. With Jonathan, it opens up the choice that he be Jonathan if he wants (or has 3 other John's in his class), and with Jonathan, he can STILL be Jon/John or Johnny, or any other nn he/others think of.
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John
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By far, I prefer John.%
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Jonathan, 100%.
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I like John better, but I like it when it is combined... I'm not sure if you'll like that, but examples are: John Paul, John Luke, John Oliver, John Stephen... those are a few that I have heard.
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I like Jonathan MUCH better than John. I would definitly use Jonathan.
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John, definitely.
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John is a darling name, and he could be called Johnny or Jack. I don't think it's plain in the least. It is rich in history, has many famous bearers ranging from John the Baptist to John Travolta and Johnny Depp. It also honours your dad directly.Jonathan is nice and all, but if your going to use Jon or Johnny as a nn then I'd go for John.
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Jonathan (with either nn) all the way!
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I much prefer John to Jonathan.I don't know why, but I've always found Jonathan to be annoying, in a whiney sort of way. John, on the other hand, is strong and gentle, not boring in the least. John is a still-waters-run-deep kind of name. Growing up, I thought I'd either have a dh or a son named John.Since you've got Sean and Evan in your top name list, why not use one of those variants of John instead of Jonathan?

This message was edited 7/22/2007, 1:23 PM

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I far prefer John. Jonathan is nms.
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I like them both, depending on whether you're using it as a fn or mn, and what name you're pairing it with. To me they're interchangable (as far as how well I like them), so I generally go by how they flow.In your case, I think Jonathan would be a nice choice to honor your father and still get the sound you like.
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I prefer John. You can still use the name John or Johnny. I'm a Johnny person, myself.
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I far prefer John, especially with the nn Jackie or Johnny. Jonathan's too much for my tastes, and it doesn't have the same kind of strength to it. Array
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