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HelpCharlotte?
So i have a question for y'all...
(This is not intended to be a name bashing, just an honest question!)
I have noticed Charlotte is increasingly popular...in the top so many of names, in the polls, and on little girls I hear about. So I'm wondering, why do you all like it?
To me, it is a very dated, clunky and harsh sounding name, and I'm just curious as to what everyone else sees in it.
(This is not intended to be a name bashing, just an honest question!)
I have noticed Charlotte is increasingly popular...in the top so many of names, in the polls, and on little girls I hear about. So I'm wondering, why do you all like it?
To me, it is a very dated, clunky and harsh sounding name, and I'm just curious as to what everyone else sees in it.
Archived Thread - replies disabled
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Replies
I dislike it. Most Charlottes I know (and I knew several at school, it's a common name in my age group in the UK) have been the really prissy, teacher's favourite 'perfect at everything' type, which can get annoying.
This message was edited 3/14/2014, 11:41 AM
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What I see in Charlotte is the word 'harlot', clearly visible and very off-putting. Plus, I agree with you about its clunky harshness and I also rather dislike unisex nns on female people - Sam for Samantha, Toni for Antonia, Jo for Josephine etc etc. And given Charlotte, Charlie is pretty inevitable.
It's got an 18th to 19th century vibe which is fashionable, joining Lydia and Emma, so perhaps some folks see period charm.
It's got an 18th to 19th century vibe which is fashionable, joining Lydia and Emma, so perhaps some folks see period charm.
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I don't think it's dated, clunky, or harsh. It's a little bit doughy, along the lines of Clara or Martha, but otherwise it is just as sophisticated and classic and modest as Julia or Marion or Katherine. The only problem I have with it is the French pronunciation and my own English pronunciation diverge a little too much, so that in order to do it justice I have to say SHAHR LAWT deliberately ... but Sharlet is what comes out naturally. If not for that, I would have named my daughter Charlotte.
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I have known two Charlotte's, probably they are in their 50s, but I think it's very unusual and fresh on a child. I think it's soft and sweet for a child, but will age well. I don't care for Char, Charlie, Lottie nns. I'm not sure if I prefer Charlotte or Charlotta, but like both and would be happy to see either on a child.
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I agree with two of your three adjectives. I usually describe it as dowdy, but I do agree that it is also clunky and harsh sounding. It's not dated, though. It's popular now, and that's the antonym of dated.
It always makes me think of a short, very plain, middle-aged woman with frizzy, unruly mousy brown hair, who wears glasses and orthopedic shoes. That's where the "dowdy" comes in. This in spite of the fact that I have an adorable little five-year-old auburn-haired great-niece named Charlotte. The only other Charlotte I've ever known was a very thin androgynous-looking young woman. Yet the orthopedic-shoe-wearing woman always pops up when I hear the name Charlotte.
It always makes me think of a short, very plain, middle-aged woman with frizzy, unruly mousy brown hair, who wears glasses and orthopedic shoes. That's where the "dowdy" comes in. This in spite of the fact that I have an adorable little five-year-old auburn-haired great-niece named Charlotte. The only other Charlotte I've ever known was a very thin androgynous-looking young woman. Yet the orthopedic-shoe-wearing woman always pops up when I hear the name Charlotte.
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I see this name as a pretty, classic, feminine name currently going through a resurgence. I like it, especially with the nn Lottie and tbh, I would much rather have a name like Charlotte be popular than something like Shaniqua or Malala-Grayce or Peytun!
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I see its appeal - it certainly seems elegant. It's tasteful. It's the name of the best Bronte sister. ;)
But... well, to me it's prim. It's tight lipped. It's got that terrible -tte ending that I associate with names like Jeannette, which I hate. It's prettier written than it sounds. SHARLET.
Not to toot my own horn here, but I think Caroline is the better feminine form of Charles :) hehe
But... well, to me it's prim. It's tight lipped. It's got that terrible -tte ending that I associate with names like Jeannette, which I hate. It's prettier written than it sounds. SHARLET.
Not to toot my own horn here, but I think Caroline is the better feminine form of Charles :) hehe
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Agree with Ora - don't find it dated, clunky or harsh but classic, elegant and pretty. My 7-yr-old niece is a Charlotte.
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I like it in theory, but in practice I'm supremely lukewarm. A while back I was introduced to a baby Charlotte and was pretty underwhelmed.
My grandma haaaates this name though so that's a pretty big selling point for me. I keep teasing her by threatening to name my daughter Charlotte Shirley after her.
I suppose it's gaining popularity because it's following the same trend cycle as Sophia and Isabella and other pretty-pretty princess olden timey names. It's got that same style but it's still considered "fresher" than the super-popular Isabella and stuff. I would not be surprised at all though if it kept rising and landed within the top five in the next five years. I bet Annabelle, another earthy sort of old fashioned name, will rise too.
My grandma haaaates this name though so that's a pretty big selling point for me. I keep teasing her by threatening to name my daughter Charlotte Shirley after her.
I suppose it's gaining popularity because it's following the same trend cycle as Sophia and Isabella and other pretty-pretty princess olden timey names. It's got that same style but it's still considered "fresher" than the super-popular Isabella and stuff. I would not be surprised at all though if it kept rising and landed within the top five in the next five years. I bet Annabelle, another earthy sort of old fashioned name, will rise too.
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I wonder that myself, but I guess they like it for the same reasons they also seem to love Amelia, Lillian and Julia: because they are old-fashioned in a Victorian-dollhouse kind of way.
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Julia is old fashioned? I always thought that was a common-ish name along the lines of like Hannah, Samantha, Allison, Sarah etc How strange to hear it called old fashioned lol
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Well, it is common and always has been to one degree or another. But it is old-fashioned. You could picture a Victorian-dollhouse character named Julia, or for that matter, Hannah or Sarah, but not Allison and only a small chance of Samantha.
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Hannah for sure, that was my paternal grandmother's name.
Julia is ok, though I don't like it much;I prefer Julie, which is quite common here. Sort of a sparkly name, possibly because of a childhood playmate of my daughter's, who was a spark and a half.She grew up to be a fashion model,in Germany. :-)
Julia is ok, though I don't like it much;I prefer Julie, which is quite common here. Sort of a sparkly name, possibly because of a childhood playmate of my daughter's, who was a spark and a half.She grew up to be a fashion model,in Germany. :-)
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Personally, I think it's a pretty, feminine, sophisticated, and classic sounding name and not at all dated, clunky, or harsh. I'm sure the people who like it feel the same way. It's got like a Jane Austen vibe to it.
For me, it's also a family name, last held by my grandmother on my mom's side and a cousin on my dad's so it's special to us cause it reminds us of people we love.
For me, it's also a family name, last held by my grandmother on my mom's side and a cousin on my dad's so it's special to us cause it reminds us of people we love.
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