Getting to Charlie, and thoughts on nicknames!

General Name Discussion
1

I’ve always absolutely loved the name [name]Charlie[/name] for a boy. It’s stayed off my top 10 for one reason: I believe in formal names on the birth certificate, and I’m not a fan of [name]Charles[/name]. Any suggestions for other names that could be abbreviated to [name]Charlie[/name]?

Alternatively, what do you think about using [name]Charles[/name] as a middle name ([name]Thaddeus[/name] [name]Charles[/name], or [name]Roscoe[/name] [name]Charles[/name], or [name]Magnus[/name] [name]Charles[/name], for instance) and having [name]Charlie[/name] as an all-purpose nickname? Would it cause too much confusion?

And what are YOUR opinions on nicknames, Berries? [name]Love[/name] them, hate them, avoid them like the plague or plan them ahead of time? [name]Do[/name] you have ‘rules’ for nicknames – only long forms on the birth certificate, or only nicknames that have historically been derived from the long form (no using [name]Teddy[/name] as a nn for [name]Thaddeus[/name], for instance, or [name]Sylvie[/name] for [name]Sylvia[/name])? [name]Do[/name] you go by a nickname? Inquiring minds want to know!

2

I think you should do what you like best. It’s not weird for a child to go by some form of a middle name, although when I was a child for some inexplicable reason it bothered me and I was always grateful that I used my first name. I have a friend with a toddler named [name]Charlie[/name] (she did go with [name]Charles[/name] in the first spot) and he is adorable! I love [name]Charlie[/name]! And [name]Thaddeus[/name] [name]Charles[/name] is my favorite from your list.

3

Thanks, [name]June[/name]! [name]Thaddeus[/name] [name]Charles[/name] is my favorite of the three as well.

4

If you don’t like [name]Charles[/name] and like formal names as first name, then I think it’s better to let go of [name]Charlie[/name]. But if you like it so much you’re willing to use [name]Charles[/name] in the middle then just go with [name]Charles[/name] and get it over with it!

Alternatively you could go with many variatons of [name]Charles[/name]:

  • [name]Carl[/name]
  • [name]Carlos[/name]
  • [name]Carol[/name]
  • [name]Carolus[/name]
  • Carloman
  • Carlman
  • Carloman
  • Charlemagne <3

or a surname:

  • Charlton
  • Charleson
  • Charleston
  • Charlot (rhymes with Margot)
  • Charland
  • Charlick
  • Charlotin
  • Charlow
5

It depends. In this case, yes, I think [name]Charlie[/name] needs a full name because [name]Charlie[/name] sounds too kiddish and won’t look good on job applications, while a [name]Mina[/name] or a [name]Lita[/name] would be fine in my opinion. They don’t need full names since the -a ending is a huge trend ([name]Emma[/name], [name]Luna[/name], [name]Aria[/name])

I personally don’t like nicknames. I feel that if I name my kid something I should use that name, not shorten it, which is why as much as I love [name]Nathaniel[/name], I can’t use it because [name]Nate[/name] or [name]Nathan[/name] would bug me. I’m a little worried about using [name]Caroline[/name], but my fiance’ said that we would only call her [name]Caroline[/name] since he doesn’t like [name]Carol[/name] either… so I’m keeping it on the list for now

6

@sugarplumfairy: Good advice! [name]Charles[/name] actually isn’t that bad. I absolutely love [name]Charles[/name] [name]Wallace[/name] from the ‘Wrinkle in Time’ series and am playing with the idea of using both. I adore [name]Wallace[/name]; it’s been in and out of my top ten, it has a great history ([name]William[/name] [name]Wallace[/name]!), and W is such a distinguished middle initial. [name]Charles[/name] [name]Wallace[/name] Z*****r. [name]Charlie[/name] W. Hmmm…

From your list, I REALLY like Charlemagne. I think I’d be too much of a wimp to actually use it, though – it has a bit of a pretentious ring, sadly.

@catloverd: I agree! Some nicknames definitely stand on their own. [name]Charlie[/name] doesn’t. It’s a little young, like you said, and a bit too informal for, say, a job interview or a presidential debate. Nameberry says it’s the friendliest name, which is totally true, but that also means it doesn’t sound as serious or sophisticated as, say, [name]Mina[/name] or [name]Lita[/name].

I’m a fan of nicknames, personally. I like the possibilities offered by names with multiple short forms – [name]Elizabeth[/name] can be [name]Liz[/name], [name]Liza[/name], [name]Lizzy[/name], [name]Ellie[/name], [name]Eliza[/name], [name]Elsie[/name], [name]Elsa[/name], [name]Beth[/name], [name]Bess[/name], [name]Betsy[/name], and [name]Bette[/name], for instance, with each nickname having a distinct personality of its own. I have a nickname-proof name myself, and while I do like it I’ve often lamented the lack of reinvention it offers.

I adore [name]Caroline[/name]! It’s one of my top love-it-for-someone-else’s-baby names. If it makes you feel better, I’ve known three Carolines. All three were always, always [name]Caroline[/name]. We never even thought of using [name]Carrie[/name].