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HelpOpions on Hattie?
I looked up the popularity of the name and it is exclusively used in the deep south, especially Mississippi and Tennessee. Why?
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I know a little girl (UK) called Hattie. Her initials are HAT.
Harriet Anna T______
I wouldn't use it myself but I think it's cute as a nickname. Perhaps that's why it isn't popular, as it is a diminutive.
Harriet Anna T______
I wouldn't use it myself but I think it's cute as a nickname. Perhaps that's why it isn't popular, as it is a diminutive.
I'm very sorry, but I personally don't like Hattie. But if you think it's worth using, please do that!
I don't really like nicknames as full names.
yup, im in the south and know 2 young hatties (even a Hatley). dont like the name, i can only think of hats and british people. dont like harriet either, because it sounds like hairy and reminds me of british people.
why: not sure. but like other commenters noted, we pronounce it Haddie. which is pretty similar to other popular names here, like Hadley, Maddie, Addie, etc.
and in general, 2 syllable nicknames that end with -ie are the thing right now.
why: not sure. but like other commenters noted, we pronounce it Haddie. which is pretty similar to other popular names here, like Hadley, Maddie, Addie, etc.
and in general, 2 syllable nicknames that end with -ie are the thing right now.
For the record, I speak British English and when Harriet sounds like Hairy-et, it sounds American to me. We use a short a sound, as in snap.
No idea, though I would like to know where you got that info. I doubt any name is "exclusively" used in any particular state.
I think Hattie fits in with names like Elsie and Millie and Josie. Old-fashioned nicknames used as full names. I'd expect to see Hattie used in upper-middle-class families or higher, just because that's the kind of names that demographic seems to go for.
To me, Hattie is very much an "old black lady" name. Like Bessie or Beulah (full disclosure: my stepfather's grandmother was named Beulah and she was white as the driven snow.)
I think Hattie fits in with names like Elsie and Millie and Josie. Old-fashioned nicknames used as full names. I'd expect to see Hattie used in upper-middle-class families or higher, just because that's the kind of names that demographic seems to go for.
To me, Hattie is very much an "old black lady" name. Like Bessie or Beulah (full disclosure: my stepfather's grandmother was named Beulah and she was white as the driven snow.)
I love Harriet, and regard Hattie as a very feeble version. If I had a Harriet and wanted a nn, I'd rather use Harry, or maybe Harrie. No clue about the naming habits of the Deep South - sorry!
I actually quite love Hattie and I think it's a lovely name for what it's worth. But as it is because everyone and their brother would pronounce it as "Haddie" which isn't as appealing to me... it would still be fairly low on the possible use list unless I was living in another part of the world.
I'm willing to wager it's because Americans have difficulty pronouncing Ts mid-word. Katie becomes Kadie, Peter becomes Peder. Etc. Hattie turns into Haddie. It doesn't sound as pretty as it does in say, Britian. But unlike Katie or peter, it's not beloved enough to fight over it. I think the reason it's only popular in the Deep South is possibly because it's being recycled by granddaughters there. Baby Hattie is probably named after Grandma Harriet, and honoring names are a little bit more popular in the south.
This message was edited 4/20/2025, 12:03 PM
Yeah, people prefer Maddie to Mattie even though Mattie is antique. Hadley is very popular in Tennessee (it's a bit more popular in the southeast/midwest/Utah than it is nationally, but doubly or triply so in Tennessee), so that could influence the popularity of Hattie there maybe.
This message was edited 4/20/2025, 12:25 PM
I once had a coworker whose teenage daughter was a Mattie. I'm fairly certain it's the only one I've come across. People have misspelled it, and asked "Are you a Madison or a Madeline?" all her life. But it's just Mattie, not short for Matilda or likewise. Another honoring granddaughter named after a great grandma. I like Mattie too but do prefer it as a NN to Matilda or Matthew. As opposed to Hattie where I still prefer it as a stand-alone since I dislike Harriet and Henrietta. Like 6 years ago I was REALLY into the combo Hattie Matilda for a while and now I just think the rhyming prefixes are a sin, lol.
I was surprised to see that Hattie is so far up in the charts - #112 in England and Wales, and #383 in the US in 2023. Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott named one of their daughter Hattie Margaret. It's a great combo and gives a nod to Gone With the Wind. Hattie McDaniel was the first black actor to win an Oscar and Margaret was the first name of the author Margaret Mitchell. Maybe folks are looking in their family trees more for inspiration. Online genealogy sites make it easier to find those interesting names. Hattie was #27 in 1880 in the US making it likely to appear in many family trees.
Huh, I didn't know that. It must have a high percentage of use in Mississippi and Tennessee to be ranking nationally. I've never heard it IRL and live in the southeast US.
My guess would be that it still seems old-fashioned (it's also informal), and maybe people in the south mind that less.
I don't like it. I imagine a loud busybody, and it reminds me too much of millinery. But, I don't mind Hettie, Hennie, or Hallie; Hallie seems the most contemporary, of those, and I like it.
ETA: Where did you look up the popularity? It doesn't show as being in the top 100 in Tennessee or Mississippi on the social security website (and I would have thought it'd have to, to be ranking in the 300s nationally without use outside of the deep south).
My guess would be that it still seems old-fashioned (it's also informal), and maybe people in the south mind that less.
I don't like it. I imagine a loud busybody, and it reminds me too much of millinery. But, I don't mind Hettie, Hennie, or Hallie; Hallie seems the most contemporary, of those, and I like it.
ETA: Where did you look up the popularity? It doesn't show as being in the top 100 in Tennessee or Mississippi on the social security website (and I would have thought it'd have to, to be ranking in the 300s nationally without use outside of the deep south).
This message was edited 4/20/2025, 2:31 PM
I like Harriet, and Hattie's a fun nickname for it, but I don't think it fits as a full name.