View Message

This is a reply within a larger thread: view the whole thread

[Opinions] Re: Charlie
in reply to a message by Lily
I don't care for Charlene/Charline. To me, they seem more "made up" (because the -leen ending was a fashion in the past, when these names were popular) than Charla and Charlize. -leen/-line/-lene was like, the -leigh of the 50s.Charla seems to me like an obvious feminine form of Charles in English. I can't help thinking it does have a slightly "trashy" image - the same vibe people get from Charlene and Charmaine - but that doesn't stop me from liking it. The only thing negative about Charlize, to me, is the strength of the association with the actress. I don't think that will matter for girls named Charlize now, though. It's already being used frequently enough to break into the top 1000, which means more than it used to because a greater variety of names are being used overall.Carla & Carlotta - well, I don't think Charlie is a natural nickname. i.e. it seems artificial and affected to me, to call a Carla or Carlotta "Charlie." I like Carla, though I would not want to be named it this year. Too dated.Charmaine and Charlida are GPs of mine (Charlida is a rare made-up name that was probably used at the same time as Charlene & Charmaine and suffers the same "trashy"/old-trendy vibe problem, I know, but it doesn't really bother me much). Oh, and there is Charleigh (pronounced with a SH sound) ... if you don't mind the "trashy"/new-trendy vibe problem! I've known one or two Charlottes and Charlenes, a Charmaine, a Charlaine, and several Carlas. I have never met a female Charlie. All the Char- women and girls I've known have gone by their full names or sometimes were familiarly addressed as Char. I've met several male Charleses who go by Charlie and Charley, though. Including a 9-month-old baby, and almost, my own son. So I think Charlie with a CH sound is very masculine, and on a woman it sounds like a total tomboy name, with a self-consciously gender-ironic vibe, like Johnnie or Davie. And it reminds me of the drugstore perfume and the TV ad jingle. CHAAAR-leee! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Sn8H42FZcIIf a female nicknamed Charlie pronounced it with a SH, I think it'd be a good nickname for any feminine Charl-name. I don't consider it normal, but I think people would get used to it, no problem at all. I don't think I'd want it as a full name though. Too confusing. I wonder if that's why people settle on Charleigh (I see Charleigh as sort of abominable, but it might be because of my age).I went through a phase when I was interested in Charlotte's Charl-sound but didn't want to use Charlotte itself. I came up with tons, including Charlou. lol. I guess that is about as "trashy" as they come, huh? But I kinda like it. There are many possible mashups, if you don't mind mashups. Seems like you probably do mind, though.

This message was edited 2/11/2011, 9:24 AM

Archived Thread - replies disabled
vote up1

No replies