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I'm in the middle. I don't love it, because I think it sounds super harsh. I don't hate it though, because it does have some charm to it for some reason. I like Gertrude more, because I absolutely adore the nickname Gertie. I can't think of any good nicknames for Gretchen except maybe Greta.

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Gretchen Christabel to give it some more elegance and beauty

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Gretchen and her sister Harriet and her brother Neville

I find it so strange that some people use it as a full name. Maybe it’s because I speak German but it’s incredibly nicknamey and diminutive in my ears with the -chen ending.

I'm one of the people who consider Gretchen ugly, old lady-ish, and completely unappealing, and I definitely consider myself a Gretchen hater.
I'd go with Gretchen Amabel, sister to Ludo and Inge.

Yes, totally agree; the top name of the fairy tale names, next to original true Loreley.
Pretty nice, friendly & ageless.
And if you are able to pronounce the -chen, go for it and if not, all know you give the best.
For me, as a native German speaker, it's easy and familiar.
So, all in all I'm a Gretchen supporter.

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Gretchen Lorelei with Hagen Sebastian & Mariele
Heidi.

Horrible name. Charmingly includes the word "retch."

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The only one I've ever known was a really tall girl in sixth grade. She went to my school a very short time.

Huge fan

I love it. It was quite a common name in my school as a kid. Not as popular as Jessica, Melissa, or Amanda, but there were several.

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I like Gretchen Laura as a name. As for siblings, I'd say...Chloe Diana and Jonah Paul.

I think the name Gretchen is a meh name. I don't hate it neither do I like it. I dont like the hard "Gretch" sound in the beginning but it sounds youthful and fun and it is better than Gertrude so I guess im a Gretchen Supporter.

I like Gretchen. It makes me think of a classmate I had in high school, who was a neat, softspoken, cool person. Also she was young and cute at the time. So Gretchen seems cool, young and cute in my mind (Rachael / Rachel also seems young and cute and friendly to me, for the same reasons). It's not even ugly at all ... I guess I can see how the sound of it is a little prickly, but to me it's prickly in a simpatico way, not a grumpy repellent way. It's prickly the way Rebecca and Bridget are prickly. Gretchen absolutely buries Margaret in the coolness department, btw. Margaret seems like a hag next to Gretchen.

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Gretchen Demetria, Gretchen Lark
Real life I might name her sister Ada or Claudia, brother Conrad.
Fictional sister might be Annika, Kristin, Katia, Janine. Brother - I dunno, Gilbert, Daniel?

I like it; I like a lot of German names, but I prefer Gretchen to Gretel. If I wanted a Gretchen, I wouldn't use Margarete and then shorten it.

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I knew a Gretchen at school. She was a hockey goalkeeper, blonde and cheerful and fearless. She could have Conrad and Elise (that would be ehLEEza) as siblings.

I wouldn't use it or want it for my name, but it's got a very friendly, cheerful feel about it. I picture Gretchen blonde and sturdy with rosy cheeks, hiking up a flowery hill with her friend Heidi. Probably with a nice doggie for company. And when they get home Gretchen will fix a good chicken dinner and have homemade gingerbread.

I absolutely love Gretchen. It's a beautiful name.

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For middle names, maybe something along the lines of:

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Gretchen Augusta
Gretchen Brigitte
Gretchen Colette
Gretchen Corinne
Gretchen Eloise
Gretchen Estelle
Gretchen Laverne
Gretchen Lavinia
Gretchen Mae or May -- I know this is technically a filler middle name, but I like it with Gretchen
Gretchen Mathilde
Gretchen Melisande
Gretchen Ophelia
Gretchen Rosamund
Gretchen Rosemarie -- Probably my favorite
Gretchen Venetia

It sounds really cutesy to me. I would use it, but as a nickname for Margarete.

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Middle names: Gretchen Maria, Gretchen Eulalia, Gretchen Olivia. Bettina, Ursule or Therese for a sister name, and Peter for a brother.

It's ok, but I prefer Greta

I don’t hate it but I don’t like it that much either. It feels very, very nicknamey and inconsistent. I like Greta better, though I don’t love it either.

I don't mind Gretchen at all. It's one of those names that started as a diminutive but due to steady use and visual dissimilarity has become its own name, separate from Margarete / Margaret. It fits in with the aesthetic of "un-pretty," strong, capable feminine names: Rachel, Sloane, Taylor, etc.

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^ I actually think those could be her sisters. Brothers would likely be Hugo, Derek (or Drake), maybe Richard. Something else that's short and packs a punch.

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While it's doubtful I'd ever use it myself, I don't mind seeing it in real life.

I like Gretchen! Probably mostly because I know a lovely Gretchen, and I do prefer Greta, but I wouldn't hesitate to use Gretchen if it was like, future SO's fave girl name for some reason.

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Gretchen Elise
Gretchen Elisabeth
Gretchen Ophelia
Gretchen Rosalie
Gretchen Emmeline
Gretchen Willow
Gretchen Madeleine
Gretchen Alisa
Gretchen Eliza
Gretchen Adeline
Gretchen Isabelle

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Gretchen, Helena "Lena", and Magnus

I don't think it's an old lady name at all. I think of a German twentysomething in the 70s/80s, for some reason.

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It's cute, but there are names considered ugly that I love far more (e.g. Gertrude, Agatha, Hortense, Prunella, etc.).

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I much prefer Margareta.

I'm a Gretchen-hater. Sorry. If I had to use it, MN for sure.

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Anabella Gretchen
Ellery Gretchen
Briar Gretchen
Madeleine Gretchen
Kira Gretchen

Gretchen is cute. It gives off a similar vibe as Gretel (without the witch in the oven) or Liesel.

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The description of "ugly, old lady-ish, and completely unappealing" sounds like Gertrude or Agatha.

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For a middle name, something soft that smooths the stronger sounds of the first name.
Gretchen Anneliese
Gretchen Leonore
Gretchen Violet
Gretchen Rosalie
Gretchen Isolde
Gretchen Mneme

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For Gretchen's brother Peter or Nathaniel. A sister might be Lucinda "Lucy", Henrietta, Alice, or Beatrix.

I love it. Gretchen from Donnie Darko was such a cool character. I thought I was the only one who likes her!

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Gretchen Lois, Gretchen Adalmina, Gretchen Rose, Gretchen Magdalena, Gretchen Fantine.

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Gretchen, Rose, and David.
Gretchen, Vance, and Shannah.

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https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/214161

This message was edited 9/2/2020, 9:57 AM

I like this name, it's vintage and sweet, I see it making a comeback. I would use the combo Gretchen Rose, or use another short name (like Luna). I would name a brother Garrett, Gregory or Graham.

Well, I like it. I think it's ugly in a charming way. I think of a blonde girl dressed in old-timey German clothing, going out to gather the eggs. I wouldn't even mind being named Gretchen.

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There was a Gretchen in my neighborhood when I was growing up. She was a few years older than I was, so we were never great friends, but I do remember going to her house a couple of times. My older sister used to babysit for Gretchen and her sister and brother. Her sister and brother were named Jill and Scott. I remember Gretchen as a really nice girl and a peacemaker during childish squabbles. Maybe that's one reason I like it.

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I knew a Heidi who said she was glad that her parents hadn't named her the name they almost did, which was Gretchen. I didn't say so, but I thought Gretchen would have been the better choice.

Gretchen is more kitsch than ugly. It also makes me think of Mean Girls and Recess, as they are the only Gretchen's I've ever known.

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Gretchen Lisa (go full retro!)
Gretchen Michaela
Gretchen Lucy
Gretchen Lily
Gretchen Maria
Gretchen Suzanne

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Siblings ideas:

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Zachary
Angus
Arnold
Otis

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Georgia
Romilda
Hilda
Marian
Vera

I don't hate it but I think it's sort of weird and a bit unattractive and also slightly dated.

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Why?

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1. No one will ever be able to pronounce it the original way (the German pronunciation includes a sound that only a Native German speaker can produce and maybe a French speaker but not someone who grew up speaking only English. It is the CH and I can't even begin to explain how it sounds in German, but it is much softer than the English pronunciation). If this doesn't bother you that's fine, of course. Not all names need to be pronounced in the original way. I just find the English pronunciation to be very harsh.

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2. No one uses this in Germany as a full name. Maybe 100 or 200 years ago you would have met some women named Gretchen but these days it is not used at all, not even as a nickname. And even hundreds of years ago it was usually short for Margarethe (Margarete) or Margaretha (Margareta) (all of these variants were used).

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3. I think of Faust which features a main character named Gretchen (who has a rather horrible fate and whose full name is Margarethe). The term Gretchenfrage stems from this. Pretty much every German student has to read this in high school and it gives the name a sad association.

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4. Greta is hugely common in Germany and people would always think it was a nickname. Also all Gret-names bore me because of Greta's immense popularity. Also Germans would be weirded out to meet a Gretchen, it is just not something people use and very much associated with Faust. I guess they'd get used to it, though, so that doesn't matter too much.

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So yes, not a fan. But not the worst name in the world. You probably considered Greta nn Gretchen? Margareta?