I’ll be settling in US or [name]Canada[/name], depending on where I can find work. [name]Alfie[/name]/[name]Alfred[/name] aren’t exactly as hip over here as they are in the UK, so I’m wondering… [name]Alfred[/name], is it wearable for a boy in [name]North[/name] [name]America[/name]? Or should I relegate it to the middle name slot instead?
Any thoughts / explanations of thoughts are appreciated.
My thoughts are that if names like [name]Frederick[/name] and [name]Felix[/name] and [name]Henry[/name] are coming back into style, I don’t see why [name]Alfred[/name] wouldn’t be accepted. Plus, [name]Alfie[/name] is such a cute nn! I think the people who meet your little [name]Alfred[/name] would think it was a refreshing alternative to some of the other old fashioned names coming back.
I think it’s totally usable! The Brits are often ahead of us on names.
Thanks for the thoughts so far 
I actually am wondering the same thing about [name]Arthur[/name], but unfortunately, my gut tells me that neither [name]Alfred[/name] nor [name]Arthur[/name] has lost its wrinkly bald man feel yet. 
I’m not planning to have kids for a while, so I’m hoping that within the next few years, parents braver than I will begin reversing the trend. Let’s hope the British love for [name]Alfie[/name] catches on here!
Hey I’m a [name]Brit[/name] so probably not much help…
But I think go for it! You know if American’s are hatching onto names like [name]Henry[/name], [name]Frederick[/name], [name]Felix[/name] and [name]Theodore[/name] why not [name]Alfred[/name]. [name]Alfred[/name] is a great name and I really love it. I prefer [name]Alfred[/name] to just [name]Alfie[/name] (which as you probably know is very common in the UK) and I like the retro-ness of the name. [name]Alfred[/name] is lovely! You could always use a ‘j’ middle name like [name]Alfred[/name] [name]James[/name] or [name]Alfred[/name] [name]Joshua[/name] so you can have ‘AJ’ as a potential nickname if [name]Alfred[/name]/[name]Alfie[/name] is too [name]OTT[/name] in [name]America[/name].
I hate to say I think both [name]Alfred[/name] and nn [name]Alfie[/name] are either a bit too British or too old man for main stream American right now.
Also I keep thinking of Big [name]Al[/name] and [name]Little[/name] [name]Al[/name] when I hear [name]Alfred[/name] which are really neither nn’s that I am crazy about.
I’m in [name]Canada[/name], and old-fashioned names are very popular here. Here are the top 100 names from 2012 in [name]Canada[/name]: http://www.todaysparent.com/top-baby-names-2012 (please note this list includes both English and French names)
[name]Alfred[/name] is definitely wearable among the other baby names I encounter here, and has the feel of a name that’s going to grow in popularity over time. However, I doubt the nickname version, [name]Alfie[/name], will take off here as a fn. I would say nicknames with -ie endings sound a bit too cute to be seen as sufficiently masculine here.
I absolutely love the nn [name]Alfie[/name]! While there will certainly be parents of Bentleys and Gauges who think [name]Alfred[/name] is out of date, on a wider scale it would definitely be an acceptable first name.
Thanks for the feedback everyone, good or bad This is really a concern I have with a few favorite names. What can I say, I love those old man names for boys.
Like the others have said, I don’t see any reason why [name]Alfred[/name] and [name]Arthur[/name] can’t come back in the US and [name]Canada[/name]. Especially if a lot of other vintage-feeling names are being drudged up.
There are so many old-fashioned names coming back ([name]Frederick[/name], [name]Arthur[/name], [name]Henry[/name]) I don’t see why [name]Alfred[/name] can’t be! I adore [name]Alfie[/name] and I think it will catch on soon in [name]North[/name] [name]America[/name].
[name]Alfred[/name] is definitely usable! I’m not sure about in [name]America[/name], but here (in Australia) it’s popular (especially [name]Alfie[/name]). I think it’s so cute! I love old man names, too.
Thanks all!
I adore [name]Alfred[/name]! USE IT!
[name]Alfred[/name]'s great!
I am crushing on [name]Albert[/name] right now, especially for the nicknames [name]Albie[/name] and [name]Abe[/name]
I think [name]Alfred[/name] is awesome-big time.
The nn [name]Alfie[/name] is a popular name in [name]England[/name] at the moment. So I’ll ask the question: if the nickname is usable, why isn’t the more formal version of [name]Alfred[/name] not an option? [name]Alfred[/name] is a more flexible name as it gives the choice of reverting back to a more grown-up moniker when a boy matures and embarks on a career (eg. [name]Al[/name], [name]Fred[/name] or the full name [name]Alfred[/name]). [name]Alfie[/name] is a great nickname for a boy when he’s young but it sounds so juvenile that I don’t think it ages well. We do need more grown-up names in the world. [name]King[/name] [name]Alfred[/name] the Great is a strong and noble namesake. I think [name]Alfred[/name] is on par with [name]Arthur[/name] and if you love it, I would encourage you to choose it for a future son.
I personally think [name]Alfred[/name] is a little old-fashioned to use. I really like [name]Alfie[/name] though.
Its a great name but with Batman being so big recently that’s all I can think of when I hear it. I think a lot of little American boys might tease him because of this too. Or they could go just the opposite and love it because of the Batman connection. Its hard to say for sure.