I noticed on nameberry there are like twenty spellings for [name]Charlotte[/name]. What is your opinion of spelling it differently.
I think I would hate it, but all nicknames for [name]Charlotte[/name] I really hate. Could spelling it differently discourage nicknames? Or will just end up looking dumb?
Nicknames are more based on sound than spelling. And sound is also about familiarity. [name]Even[/name] if you made it [name]Charlette[/name] to avoid [name]Lottie[/name], say, people would probably both say it [name]Charlotte[/name] in the end AND call her [name]Lottie[/name] (well, I don’t know about the latter, in my experience people are slow to jump to nn’s, especially a lower-frequency one like [name]Lottie[/name]). Sharlotte will still probably be [name]Charlie[/name]. I would definitely always recommend classic spellings, just on general principle.
Honestly I think kids end up with the nicknames you give them. If you never call her [name]Lottie[/name] or [name]Charlie[/name], and her family knows she goes by [name]Charlotte[/name] alone, it will be easy enough to correct the few that slip up. You’d have to correct far more people on the spelling - I know I have to spell my name out to EVERYONE I meet.
Also kids end up with nicknames that have NOTHING to do with their given names, and sometimes that’s more fun 
[name]True[/name]. Thank you. We just love this name but can’t stand the nicknames. And our two year old can’t pronounce it. I told hubby we can be as firm.as.we want about the no nicknames but really she is going to have a mind of her own and if we give her this name we would have to accept it if she told friends to call her [name]Charlie[/name] or lottie…so I dunno…I suggested [name]Scarlett[/name] to my husband but he is not fan. I love [name]Charlotte[/name] but I think the [name]Charlie[/name]/[name]Lottie[/name] might be a deal breaker for me…
I love [name]Charlotte[/name]! I would just keep the spelling as it is. @jesba made some very good points about that. Besides, when someone says “My name is [name]Sharlet[/name],” I really think people will only think of spelling it one way–[name]Charlotte[/name]. And since [name]Charlie[/name] and [name]Lottie[/name] are both fairly well-known nns for it I don’t really think it’s going to matter how it’s spelled because people are instantly going to connect [name]Charlie[/name] or [name]Lottie[/name] or whatever with the full name.
That being said, I think you could totally have a [name]Charlotte[/name] who is just [name]Charlotte[/name]–I know someone whose name is [name]Charlotte[/name] and she has never been [name]Char[/name], [name]Charlie[/name], [name]Lottie[/name], whatever. Her parents introduced her as [name]Charlotte[/name], and if anyone ever tried to call her [name]Charlie[/name] or [name]Lottie[/name] or whatever, her mom politely corrected them. By the time [name]Charlotte[/name] was old enough to decide what she wanted, she knew she was [name]Charlotte[/name] anyway, and didn’t try to press a nickname.
My name is [name]Ashley[/name] and I’ve always wanted a nn… by the time I tried to press the nn [name]Ash[/name] everyone I had grown up with (family, friends, church members, classmates, etc.) all knew me exclusively as [name]Ashley[/name]. It just never took, so the people who have known me forever still know me as [name]Ashley[/name]. My parents always wanted me to be just [name]Ashley[/name] and it didn’t even cross my mind until the last few years that I could have had my own nn! So I definitely think you could get away with [name]Charlotte[/name] with no nn.
Good luck!
I’d just go with [name]Charlotte[/name]. Misspelling a name only causes headaches. “Oh I’m [name]Charlette[/name] but with an E, no O” or “I’m Sharlotte with an S”. FWIW my full name is [name]Jennifer[/name] and my family still calls me that. Only my friends and people I meet now call me [name]Jenni[/name]. Same with my cousin [name]Bradley[/name] - only goes by [name]Brad[/name] with friends. Oh, and one of my managers is [name]Kimberly[/name] and that’s what we call her, not [name]Kim[/name]. [name]Charlotte[/name] is a two syllable name so [name]IMO[/name] it doesn’t need a nn.
[name]Just[/name] go with [name]Charlotte[/name]. It’s a beautiful name; changing the spelling of a classic name is always a mistake, in my opinion. I don’t think a different spelling would discourage NNs. I think you’d regret spelling it differently, as it will be misspelled her entire life and that could get very annoying for her.
DONT SPELL IT DIFFERENTLY.
[name_f]My[/name_f] name is Charliot, pronounced [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] and I can tell you it’s one of the most annoying things about my life and I am constantly questioned how to spell it and why it’s like that. I’ve had people try to change the spelling of my name on records because “its spelt wrong” and honestly just don’t. [name_f]My[/name_f] parents have always given me the option to change it to the normal spelling as its half [name_f]English[/name_f] (char) and half irish (iot). But after coming this far I just go by [name_f]Char[/name_f] instead.
If you can spare your child a life of explanation, do it.
I think it will look like her parents didnt know how to spell [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f].
Unless you go with a legitimate foreign variant (e.g [name_f]Carlotta[/name_f], etc), I say keep [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] as it is. It’s a beautiful, classic name. And if you really, really can’t stand possible nicknames for [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] (you may insist on using the full name, but once [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] grows older she’ll get to decide herself), I say choose a different name completely.