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Charles and Robert
How do you feel about Charles and Robert? Are they too old-fashioned to be used on babies born these days? As far as nicknames go, I don't like Chuck or Bob. I like Charlie or Chas and Robbie or Rob. What about you? Any combination idea to freshen them up or any that you adore?

This message was edited 11/7/2011, 12:09 PM

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I love Charles. Robert is nice, too, although not a favorite. I consider them timeless classics and think they're completely fine/usable on babies. (Heck, in 2010, Robert was #54 and Charles was at #63 on the SSA lists in the US.)I love Charlie as a nickname for Charles and like Rob and Robbie for Robert.My favorite Charles combos are Charles Elliot, Charles Leander, Charles Leo, Charles Leopold, Charles Rupert, and Charles Theodore.
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My 26 year old son is named Robert, so of course I love it. He gets the nn Rob.With Charles, all I think of is Prince Charles. That's enough to turn me off the name.
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I love Charles with the nickname Charlie! I really dislike Chuck and Chuckie, they sound too American to me. I don't think they're very common around here - people certinately wouldn't assume he was Charles "Chuck". Robert is OK, but I don't love it as much as Charles. I would use Bertie as a nickname for Robert, and maybe Rob when he was older. Bob sounds like an old man to me.

This message was edited 11/7/2011, 2:39 PM

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Where I'm from in the US, people wouldn't assume Chuck either. I think most people would think Charlie first or call him Charles until he provided a short form.
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My cousin's son is Charles nn Charlie- I don't think anyone has called him Charles yet. Robert is a good name too.
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I love Charles, and it's definitely not too old-fashioned. It's in the top 100 and probably has been for like ever. It's such a nice guy name. It's always been at the top of our boy's name list, although now there are 2 names that have overtaken it. But it would still be considered if we ever had another boy. My whole life I've loved the nn Charlie, but lately I've been bored by it. I actually just started liking the nn Chuck since meeting a guy my age who goes by that. It seems very down-to-earth, friendly, and usable. I really dislike Chas.Robert is basically the same story as Charles usability-wise. It's timeless and still quite in use for babies. Robbie and Rob are fine for nns, although I prefer it with none. I don't like Bob or Bobby. I like Robin, but that would take a certain kind of guy.My favorte Charles combos are Charles Ignace, Charles Llewellyn, and Charles Owen. I'm really loving that last one lately. I don't have any Robert-as-a-fn combos, although for some reason I love Sean Robert. It's plain, but I don't know, it struck me one day when I saw it on a sign. It doesn't really work for me the other way around though.

This message was edited 11/7/2011, 2:02 PM

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I really like the look of Charles Llewellyn, and Charles Owen has a very nice sound.Chuck isn't bad - it's my uncle's nickname - but it seems a little dated to me. Chas is old school...my grandma used it for my grandfather.
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I thought Chuck was dated too until encountering this guy.My problem with Chas is mostly association. I think of Chaz from Rugrats, and I think of this not so great person I know named Chastity, but called Chas for short.

This message was edited 11/8/2011, 4:15 AM

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I think Charles is fine on a baby-- it sounds young enough and Charlie is a young-sounding nickname. I don't like Chuck either; it's very dated and hickish to me.My dad's name is Robert (Bob), so I think of an old-ish person when I hear this. I also don't like the "bert" sound. I think Rob is fine as a nn, but Robbie The only Rob- name I like on young people is Robin.
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Do you like Robin on boys or girls?
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Boys. I like it on girls too, but I definitely prefer it on boys. I also think it's more timeless on boys.
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You cant go wrong with these names, my husbands name is Robert and he's never had a problem with it. We're in our late 20s so I dont think its too old fashioned.
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Totally not too old-fashioned, and lovely names. My father is a Charles who hates all nicknames, so I've been brainwashed into not really liking any either. I definitely prefer Rob for Robert over Bob.Charles Augustus
Charles Anselm
Charles Rupert
Charles Solomon
Charles Gwilym
Charles Dunstan
Charles CorneliusRobert Edwin
Robert Kenelm
Robert Magnus
Robert Cassius
Robert Alasdair
Robert Francis
Robert Cameron
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Oooh...I like the combos.Charles Augustus - nice and strong, good saints names too.
Charles Anselm -really neat. Another good saint name, but not one I think about a lot. I really like this one.
Charles Rupert - now I'm not normally big on Rupert, but I like the shape of it here.
Charles Solomon - A little lispy in the middle, but gives the impression of a very dignified and wise person
Charles Gwilym - I don't have a drop of Welsh in me, so I don't know if a son of mine could ever pull this off, but it sure looks nice. I like Charles William, too.
Charles Dunstan - Whoa. I like the colors of this one very much, and the meaning too. I don't know how I feel about the "duns" sound though.
Charles Cornelius - Alliterative but dignified. Very nice.Robert Edwin - This is a nice sounding name and it would even let my inner nerd show through. I love astronaut names.
Robert Kenelm -I'm adding Kenelm to my PNL...I like this very much. It looks great, too!
Robert Magnus - Not overly fond of Magnus, and Agnes is a recurring name in my family so it might look like I was trying to rhyme.
Robert Cassius - I like the sounds in this one.
Robert Alasdair - Ooh...nice and shiny and sturdy
Robert Francis - My great-grandfather's name actually
Robert Cameron - My cousin is Cameron Robert, the names work well together
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Hehe, Charles and Robert are each of my G'pas names so I've considered them myself.
I like Charlie WAY better than Charles but am still not sure whether I'd use it on its own or not. Chas is cool too. As for Robert the ONLY version of it I like is Robbie. I would personally only use them as MNs but that doesn't mean I don't think they'd work fine as FN these days.Robert Julian
Charles Angus
Robert Avery
Charles Elton
Robert Emmerich
Charles Damian
Robert Nolan
Charles Iagan
Robert Kelly
Charles Theriot (TEAR-ee-oh)

This message was edited 11/7/2011, 12:42 PM

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Robert and Charles are my grandfathers' names as well. Chas is what my grandmother shortened my grandfather's name to in all of her notes in the family photo albums. Robbie is by far my favorite.I like Robert Julian and Charles Damian best out of the ones you suggested, but Theriot piques my interest, too. What's the background on that?
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To tell you the truth I have no idea, haha. It's a name that just popped into my head while trying to come up with some combos. It's a surname that I'm not even sure where I got - was just thinking for some reason that a "Th" name would look nice following Charles. I had Charles Theobald in mind also

This message was edited 11/7/2011, 8:05 PM

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Of course they are not too old-fashioned to use! They are totally usable, if you like classics. I know a little 1-year-old Charles who goes by Charlie. Personally, I wouldn't use it, but it is pretty cute.
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Too old fashioned? I would have put them under "timeless / classic." These names are as fresh today as they were in the Middle Ages. That's the whole point of them. :-)My favorite nns for Robert are Robin and Bertie, and Charlie for Charles.
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I think they're timeless, too, but some of my peers have been telling me that the names I like are all too old-fashioned so I thought I'd get some other opinions.Robin! That's a good one...such a nice image.
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