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Not cruel, but quite possible it wouldn't be everyone's favorite you encounter and she may end up not being a huge fan of it, at least until she's older. If I enunciate the pronunciation of Mildred so it sounds like MIL-dred, I don't really like it because of the "dread" part. But if I say it quickly it sounds more like MIL-drit (or maybe more like -drih), which I think sounds much prettier.

It's my second favourite way of getting to Millie (other than it being a full first name) - the first being Millicent.
I don't understand what it's percieved as ugly, old and dated maybe, but not ugly. I think there is something charming about it, and Millie is very cute ;)

No, not cruel I don't think. Personally I think Millicent has more charm than Mildred, but that's just taste. I also know an Amelia who goes by Millie. Millie certainly is cute. Plus have you seen "Thoroughly Modern Millie? Pretty awesome!

I wouldn't say cruel, no. But, in thinking about the bearer in this day and age, most people she meets will probably hear "-dred" and think "dread" and thus not like her name, even if they don't say anything to her about it. Once they get to know her, though, they may come to like it. Personally, I can see Mildred as sweet and charming even though I don't care for the name myself but my brain does sort of put it in the same category with Dorcas...names that *shouldn't* be any big deal to use, and weren't not so long ago when people seem to have been more mature about these things.

I adore Mildred! Her rich firmness is irresistibly appealing for me.

Cruel, no. Number 16 Bus Shelter is cruel. Mildred is just...*whispers* ugly. It's so redolent of mildrew and dread, and it feels so cemented in its place as the "go-to" ugly name, just perfect for that bit character who is supposed to repel everyone.

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If my mother had named me Mildred, I doubt I would think she was cruel, but I bet I would want to know what the heck she was thinking, especially if she was aware ahead of time how Mildred is often perceived. I'd rather see just Millie than Mildred, or I'd rather see it as a nn for Camilla, Camille, Romilly, Milena, Milana, Milla, Emilie, Emilia, Amelia, and so on. There are so many Millie options beyond Mildred and Millicent.

I don't think it'd be cruel to use.

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It's a nice name and I completely agree about the calm quality. But it just doesn't appeal to me personally for use. I would be pretty thrilled to meet a little Mildred "Millie" though!

It's not unusable. I knew a Hispanic girl with this name in junior high, and she was never teased for it (that I'm aware of). I also met another Mildred in college who graduated two years ago, who goes by Mimi.

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I also know another girl whose full name is Fae Mildred _____.

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I personally don't care much for it, but I'm not against other people using it.

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I don't think it would be cruel. My cousins' grandma is Mildred, so I'd assume they were honoring a grandparent or greatgrandparent. I'd probably use Millicent before Mildred, though.

I think it would be fine as a middle name, but I gotta tell ya, I was never too crazy about it. The "dread" sound makes it heavy and awful, IMO.

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I never liked Millie much, either. Sounds kind of wussy to me.

This message was edited 2/11/2013, 2:27 PM

I think if you want to use Millie, you should just use it as the full name or maybe have it be short for Amelia or Romilly or something rather than use Mildred. Mildred has a harsh, ugly, sour sound, and if I heard of a child today (or even a young woman) being named Mildred, I'd feel sorry for her.

I love me some old lady names, even some that might be considered ugly. But Mildred is not one I can get on board with...it reminds me of mildew, plus the -dred sound is, well, dreadful. I want to like Millicent, but it reminds me of militant. I do prefer Millicent to Mildred though. I love Millie too, so I can see your dilemma, but I'd go for maybe Camilla, or even Amelia if I really wanted Millie. Or maybe Mila? In any event, I don't think it would be cruel to name a child Mildred, but it certainly would fall into the category of "character building" ;p I think of my daughter's kindergarten class, where several little girls do have old fashioned names, but poor little Mildred would really stand out...and not in a way that I can imagine my 6 year old being happy about if it were her name to bear. One thing I tried to do when naming my kids was to think of it being my name, and think of how I would like to have had it throughout the stages of my life.

I have always disliked this name. I find it drab and don't like how the "dred" sounds like "dread". Then I had the unfortunate experience of working for possibly the worst boss of all time who was, you guessed it, named Mildred. That experience drove the final nail in the coffin for me, killing any hope of eventually warming up to the name.

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I do love Millie however. What about using Matilda, nn Millie? (A variation on the more common Tilly.)

Millie is cute, but Mildred is dowdy and unattractive. I used to know a Camilla who went by Millie.

I don't like the "dred" part of Mildred - because of the word "dread", which is much worse than "cent" in my opinion! It sounds kind of frumpy and old fashioned, though.

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Millie is cute. I would use Millie as a nickname for Emilia or Amelie.

Sorry, but I don't like it at all. It's not awful, but it's too oldish. And I can't get over the "dred" part. Sounds like "miles of dread" or something.
If you want to use Millie (which I find cute), what about:
Milana

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Milena
Melisande
Emily
Emilia
Melanie
Matilda
Miranda
Amelia
Melina
Melinda
Emmeline
or even Millaray, if you're feeling brave?

This message was edited 2/12/2013, 12:09 PM