I’ve also bounced back and forth to [name]Carolyn[/name]. Maybe [name]Carolyn[/name] [name]McKenna[/name]. WDYT?
[name]Caroline[/name] or [name]Carolyn[/name]
[name]McKenna[/name] as mn instead??
[name]Caroline[/name] [name]McKenna[/name]
[name]Carolyn[/name] [name]McKenna[/name]
What are you thoughts about [name]Carolyn[/name]/[name]Caroline[/name]?
I love [name]Caroline[/name], but [name]Carolyn[/name] seems really dated. I think [name]Caroline[/name] will age better into adulthood, since [name]McKenna[/name] is part of the McK- surname trend and [name]Caroline[/name] is a timeless classic. Definitely go for [name]Caroline[/name] [name]McKenna[/name] (which, by the way, flows really well as a combo)!
Here’s what [name]Pam[/name] and [name]Linda[/name] wrote about [name]Carolyn[/name]:
“The phonetic [name]Carolyn[/name] spelling, popular a handful of decades ago, has been steadily on the wane while [name]Caroline[/name] herself has stayed strong. And that, we think, is how it should be.”
I completely agree with them, preferring [name]Caroline[/name] over [name]Carolyn[/name]. I don’t think that [name]Carolyn[/name] is awful by any means, but it just doesn’t feel as classic, timeless, and elegant to me.
I saw that you’re considering [name]McKenna[/name] on another thread, and while I can see the appeal of the “Mc” names, I do think they’re a passing trend that will forever date a baby to the late 1990s and first decade of the 2000s. I guess it reminds me of the [name]McKayla[/name]/[name]Makayla[/name]/McKaila names, but feels a bit fresher.
I think there are a lot of more timeless names like [name]Caroline[/name] that have [name]McKenna[/name]'s sound or feel, such as:
[name]Miranda[/name]
[name]Matilda[/name]
[name]Mariana[/name]
[name]Anna[/name]
[name]Corinna[/name]
[name]Camille[/name]/[name]Camilla[/name]
[name]Cora[/name]
[name]Diana[/name]
[name]Fiona[/name]
[name]Helena[/name]
[name]Juliana[/name]
[name]Susannah[/name]
[name]Veronica[/name]
[name]Victoria[/name] (popular)
The styles of [name]Caroline[/name] and [name]McKenna[/name] are polar opposites (not necessarily a bad thing), but between [name]Carolyn[/name] [name]McKenna[/name] and [name]Carolyn[/name] [name]McKenna[/name], I’m voting for [name]Caroline[/name] [name]McKenna[/name]. I think the sound is great!
[name]Edit[/name]: Not all of the above names work as a middle name with [name]Caroline[/name], but I thought I’d just put them out there in case you were open to ideas for first names.
Good luck! 
Me oh my this is my hobby horse.
Stick with the [name]Caroline[/name] spelling but say it as [name]Carolyn[/name] which imo has a sweeter sound.
I would love a [name]Caroline[/name] [name]Matilda[/name].
I like either name [name]Carolyn[/name] or [name]Caroline[/name], but I am not too crazy with the Mc names.
[name]Rollo[/name] - I thought [name]Caroline[/name] [name]Matilda[/name] sounded pretty - so I googled it and found out that it was actually the name of a princess:
Kind of interesting!!
Loved reading about the princess. Her parents had good such good taste in names!
Can [name]Caroline[/name] be pronounced as [name]Carolyn[/name]? If so that’s great. I love the sound of [name]Carolyn[/name] too but worried it looked a little “made up”. That’s just me. [name]Caroline[/name] is definitely classic but I thought everyone pronounced it with the leen or line ending. I have an aunt [name]Carol[/name] and and aunt [name]Lynn[/name]. I think I’m going to write to [name]Caroline[/name] down on my list of middles if it comes back officially being able to be pronounced like [name]Carolyn[/name].
[name]Caroline[/name] [name]McKenna[/name] is nice kind of reminds me of [name]Caroline[/name] [name]Kennedy[/name].
I love the princess tie to [name]Caroline[/name] [name]Matilda[/name]!
[name]Rania[/name] [name]Queen[/name] of [name]Jordan[/name] and she is just gorgeous. The [name]Rania[/name]'s tie to royalty and a beautiful woman really appeals to me.
Affecting the “zippy” -lyn to names that ended in -ine, like [name]Cathryn[/name] and [name]Jaclyn[/name] was the style at one time. That really, for some, might make it more current or stylish now, like [name]Brooklyn[/name] (there is a Brookline, Massachusetts, but it’s pronounced line, not lin, and I haven’t heard any babies named after it - it’s just a completely different sort of imagery!) or [name]Katelyn[/name] or [name]Madelyn[/name] and such. So many. That’s sort of the weak end of the trend. Real names like [name]Marilyn[/name] and [name]Jocelyn[/name] and [name]Evelyn[/name] have probably not become as popular, as these are the standard spellings but camp it in with this kind of unsophisticated trend. Names like [name]Josephine[/name] and others with a long een sound naturally avoid being spelled with a -yn, but some names that might be -een or -ine depending on preference, might spell ine as yne.
I think for the most part, the classic name with the classic spelling wins. Jazzed up spellings, even if they are historically legitimate variants, come off a lot less classy right now. There are people who think it is part of the process to wring a name they like into a yooneek spelling and [name]Carolyn[/name] is quite a mild example of it. Then there is the one-true-spelling group (happily predominant at nameberry), which favors a classic, original spelling, which will hold up over time, which people will not be confused by or tend to misspell, which just looks nicer, no reinvention necessary.
And yes, you can say [name]Caroline[/name] as [name]Caro[/name]-lyn or -line, you choose. [name]Bear[/name] in mind this is not the case with all names - sometimes there’s really a correct way and the wrong way. I like [name]Caro[/name]-line myself, but they’re both nice.
I love [name]Caroline[/name] [name]Matilda[/name]!
[name]Caroline[/name] can be and DEFINITELY is pronounced as [name]Carolyn[/name].
The name [name]Carolyn[/name] peaked between 1930’s to 1970’s and the name [name]Caroline[/name] dipped in popularity between 1940 - 1960.
My parents put [name]Caroline[/name] on the birth certificate and [name]Carolyn[/name] on everything else! Not fair but of course there has been no difference in the pronunciation, and there were more Carolyns in my day than Carolines, not so now.
[name]Caroline[/name] has started rising in popularity since 2000 but in general it has been a beautiful classic over all the ages.
I spell my name the traditiional way now and I am thrilled to find out that I have family who share my name.
We (in Australia) don’t generally differentiate between a [name]Caroline[/name] and a [name]Carolyn[/name] pronunciation wise and if people choose to say ‘line’ (I have never heard ‘leen’) then that is fine as is the ‘lyn’ sound. They are interchangeable.
I love [name]Caroline[/name]! [name]Carolyn[/name] is ok, but I personally prefer [name]Caroline[/name]. My debate is usually between [name]Caroline[/name] and [name]Carolina[/name]. To me, [name]Carolina[/name] and [name]Caroline[/name] feel more sophisticated.
[name]Caroline[/name] can be and DEFINITELY is pronounced as [name]Carolyn[/name].
The name [name]Carolyn[/name] peaked between 1930’s to 1970’s and the name [name]Caroline[/name] dipped in popularity between 1940 - 1960.
My parents put [name]Caroline[/name] on the birth certificate and [name]Carolyn[/name] on everything else! Not fair but of course there has been no difference in the pronunciation, and there were more Carolyns in my day than Carolines, not so now.
[name]Caroline[/name] has started rising in popularity since 2000 but in general it has been a beautiful classic over all the ages.
I spell my name the traditiional way now and I am thrilled to find out that I have family who share my name.
We (in Australia) don’t generally differentiate between a [name]Caroline[/name] and a [name]Carolyn[/name] pronunciation wise and if people choose to say ‘line’ (I have never heard ‘leen’) then that is fine as is the ‘lyn’ sound. They are interchangeable.[/quote]
Thanks [name]Rollo[/name] 
I guess I always thought [name]Caroline[/name] would either be a leen or line sound at the end. I [name]LOVE[/name] that it can be pronounced like lynn at the end. I might have to play around with this one. It honors two of my aunts at the same time.
I love and use the [name]Caro[/name]-line (like the word line) pronunciation myself, but think they’re all pretty.
Speaking of the varying pronunciations, I never understood why on the TV show [name]Little[/name] House on the [name]Prairie[/name], [name]Caroline[/name] Ingalls was called [name]Caro[/name]-line by her mother (in a flashback episode) and others, yet was always called [name]Caro[/name]-linn by her husband, [name]Charles[/name]. Did [name]Charles[/name] not get the memo or something?
Hmm…
The pronunciation of [name]Caroline[/name] (Ingalls) seemed to vary from person to person. I think almost everyone called her [name]Caro[/name]-line, actually. [name]May[/name] be attributed to dialect, I like to think, of the characters and their upbringings, social status and/or aspirations, and that it wasn’t that important to correct (considering they nearly lost the crop every year) rather than lack of continuity.
I think of the lin pronunciation as either closer to French or more drawly and familiar, and -line as a formal yet American corruption. This is my perception and may not be accurate. In the case of [name]Carolina[/name], however, I like it [name]Caroleena[/name] not [name]Carol[/name]-eye-na.
As a [name]Caroline[/name], I have to chime in here. There is a definite difference between [name]Caroline[/name] and [name]Carolyn[/name]. I am often called [name]Carolyn[/name] by people, and I respond to it, but I don’t consider it correct. Sometimes I will correct them, usually I don’t bother. There are some people who just don’t get the -ine/-lyn difference, but it is quite obvious to me. The -een pronunciation is French. I believe [name]Carolyn[/name] and [name]Caroline[/name] are two distinct names (albeit, very close), and not interchangeable. [name]Caroline[/name] seems more classic than [name]Carolyn[/name]. I really don’t understand how people can think that it can be pronounced both ways (yes, I can get a bit heated up over this, having dealt with it my whole life:)
As for nicknames (I’ve seen some discussion of [name]Caroline[/name] nn’s on other threads) I have had a variety, from different people. My family sometimes calls me [name]Cal[/name]/[name]Callie[/name]. A grandfather called me [name]Carrie[/name]. Friends have called me: [name]Caro[/name], C, Car, Caz (English). I didn’t love my name growing up, but now I love it and think it’s sophisticated and timeless. So I would highly recommend to anyone considering using it for their baby girl!
Isn’t it interesting that two Carolines can have totally different opinions? We both love our names though and both of us would love to see more little Carolines.
I have found that some parents explicitly want a ‘line’ pronunciation and will make a point of it, but as I said before most go for the either/ or pronunciation (at least in my experience).
I had forgotten [name]Cas[/name]/Caz which is the nn I get the most; if I had my pick I would go for [name]Carrie[/name] and then [name]Cas[/name].