Queenie

59 replies

erinscupcake · 13/01/2015 19:20

I heard this one the other day and quite liked it. What is it short for other than Elizabeth? I read somewhere it can be short for Gwendolyn.

Also do you know any called Queenie, as in that's their real name?

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Notso · 16/01/2015 10:28

I like it. My great Grandmas neighbours were sisters called Queenie and Pearl.

JessieMcJessie · 16/01/2015 10:36

It's very popular name here in Hong Kong, where English names are often chosen by Chinese children when at kindergarten; I think the teachers have a lot to answer for. I was working with a very impressive young barrister called Queenie just the other day.

Other names that would be retro in the UK but are wildly popular in Hong Kong amongst women aged 18-30:

Mabel
Fanny
Ethel
Joyce
Cynthia

JessieMcJessie · 16/01/2015 10:40

Ah yes Zing

Queenie is not short for Elizabeth. it's a name derived from the Old English word "cwen" which means woman

that makes perfect sense as I have been watching Borgen and noticed that the Danish word for woman sounded something like "kveen", which struck a chord with me becuase I knew that in Doric (Aberdeen dialect) they call girls "quines". Fascinating!

pilates · 16/01/2015 15:04

It sounds like a MN username

CruCru · 17/01/2015 14:31

I can imagine a tiny girl and a very old woman called Queenie but not a 45 year old who runs a department, has a husband, kids and a mortgage. I can't imagine a Queenie who can drive.

MamaLazarou · 17/01/2015 18:13

I think it's lovely: cute a strong at the same time.

florascotia · 17/01/2015 18:32

As Jessie says, Queenie comes from 'cwen' , an Anglo-Saxon word for woman.
So it means 'Little Woman' or 'Missie' or 'Girlie' or something similar. The 'ie' ending is a diminutive, meaning something lesser or smaller or less important.

Your baby, your choice of name, absolutely, but it's not a name I'd particularly like to have.

Marmot75 · 18/01/2015 09:11

My Grandma (92) is Queenie. I believe it is her actual real name, not a nickname. I like it but agree it could be difficult to revive. I'd be keen to use it as a middle name but I'm not sure my husband would go for it.

KERALA1 · 18/01/2015 16:49

Naming after relatives is all very well but there are limits. My adored gm had a hideous name. She would have been horrified if any of us had used it!

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