Ok so I’m not planning on having kids yet but I have very recently fallen for the name [name_f]Carolina[/name_f]. my issue is [name_f]Carol[/name_f]- names seem pretty old fashioned in the UK, more suited to grandma than baby in fact one of my cousins’ relatives has always been known as [name_f]Nanny[/name_f] [name_f]Carol[/name_f] and she’s the first person who comes to mind when I hear the name (but shes not close enough for it ever work as an honour name) [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] stands a good chance of going on my future names list but is it just too old for a baby? Would you be put off from using a name that your family would consider too old for a child? Are there any other names you guys like/love but still feel too old for a newborn?
I can see your reservations about [name_f]Carol[/name_f]. [name_f]Carol[/name_f] does sound pretty dated, but [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] is a separate name in my mind. I think it sounds beautiful, and it doesn’t have the same out of style feeling that [name_f]Carol[/name_f] does.
I love [name_f]Carolina[/name_f], I think it sounds elegant and timeless instead of dated. I agree [name_f]Carol[/name_f] is dated, but it’s a bit like [name_f]Susan[/name_f]/[name_f]Susannah[/name_f], where [name_f]Susan[/name_f] sounds dated but [name_f]Susannah[/name_f] isn’t as much.
My name is actually [name_f]Caroline[/name_f], and I’m 23. I don’t really think of it as a very ‘old’ name (though I do know a number of Carols who are 60+). One of the best things about my name was that everyone knows it, but it’s never really been popular enough that I’ve ever had to share it (my sister is [name_f]Frances[/name_f] and reports the same thing). I think [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] is lovely, it feels much fresher than [name_f]Carol[/name_f] and I think it will endure until you have children.
I know I am a tad biased, but even so, I don’t think it’s too old for a baby. Besides there are plenty of nickname options.
I agree that [name_f]Carol[/name_f] is a bit dated, but I don’t think [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] or [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] are particularly. I am British and I have met a few Carolines my sort of age (late 20s). I’m not sure whether these names are being used on new babies but I think [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] is a classic and [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] sounds even fresher. Girl names ending in ‘a’ are pretty popular right now. And the short version doesn’t have to be [name_f]Carol[/name_f], I think something like [name_f]Carrie[/name_f] would be more natural these days.
I can understand the thought that a name might be “too old” for a child, but honestly, I don’t think it is something to worry about. We don’t name babies; we name future adults. The Winifreds, Carols, Oscars, and Walters won’t be pint-sized for long! You aren’t damning your child to teasing or a lifetime with a ‘older’ name
Now, about the names themselves. Is [name_f]Carol[/name_f] a bit dated? Eh, perhaps. I’m American and I know one [name_f]Carol[/name_f] my age (early 20s), but the rest are well into their 50s or 60s. I guess the named just faded from popularity after awhile. However, as @jackal said, [name_f]Carol[/name_f] doesn’t necessarily have to be the short form of [name_f]Carolina[/name_f]…[name_f]Carrie[/name_f] would be a bit more common to use and certainly something you could ask people to call her, should they feel the need to give her a nickname.
As for [name_f]Carolina[/name_f], I like it! It doesn’t share the ‘dated’ connotation that [name_f]Carol[/name_f] sort of does! The length of the name, the spelling, the “a” at the end…it has an elegant feel to it. I could picture the name on any type of child or for any profession she might choose…it has a flexible quality to it that fits many description (artsy, bookish, reserved, outgoing, friendly, etc).
Not at all! [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] is popular in the US right now – I’d expect her to have sisters named [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], [name_f]Catherine[/name_f], [name_f]Anna[/name_f], [name_f]Rachel[/name_f], etc (not [name_f]Sharon[/name_f], [name_f]Donna[/name_f], [name_f]Debbie[/name_f], etc).
[name_f]Carolina[/name_f] sounds even fresher. To borrow a close “name family,” [name_f]Carol[/name_f] -> [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] -> [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] is similar to [name_f]Charlene[/name_f] -> [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]->[name_f]Carlotta[/name_f]. [name_f]Carol[/name_f] (/[name_f]Charlene[/name_f]) are more common on an older person and may be surprising on a baby. [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] (/[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]) are the established, popular classics that would fit in to a nursery school class but grow up nicely. [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] (/[name_f]Carlotta[/name_f]) are more continental variations that don’t really have any kind of age stereotype tied to them.
Short answer: just because [name_f]Carol[/name_f] makes a great granny name doesn’t mean [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] doesn’t make a gorgeous baby name! If you want a nickname you can call her [name_u]Caro[/name_u], [name_f]Lina[/name_f], [name_f]Cara[/name_f], [name_f]Carly[/name_f] or [name_f]Carrie[/name_f] instead of [name_f]Carol[/name_f].
[name_f]Carolina[/name_f] isn’t too old for a baby at all! It feels fresh and international, unusual but familiar. [name_f]Carol[/name_f] does sound dated to me, but definitely not [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] or [name_f]Caroline[/name_f]. I’ve never met a [name_f]Carolina[/name_f], and the two Carolines I’ve known, one would be in her teens now and one is in her late 20s. [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] could be nicknamed [name_f]Cara[/name_f], [name_f]Carly[/name_f], [name_f]Callie[/name_f] or [name_f]Lina[/name_f] which sound a lot more modern than [name_u]Caro[/name_u] or [name_f]Carol[/name_f], but neither [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] I knew used a nickname.
in fact one of my cousins’ relatives has always been known as [name_f]Nanny[/name_f] [name_f]Carol[/name_f] and she’s the first person who comes to mind when I hear the name (but shes not close enough for it ever work as an honour name) [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] stands a good chance of going on my future names list but is it just too old for a baby? Would you be put off from using a name that your family would consider too old for a child? Are there any other names you guys like/love but still feel too old for a newborn?