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Original poster

Polly or Pauline?

80 replies

MommaAddie · 25/12/2024 21:21

Really struggling because meaning is important to me and Pauline means humble whereas Polly traditionally is a nickname for Mary which means bitter. I will call her Polly anyway but I love both so much can't decide.

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ByQuaintAzureWasp · 26/12/2024 12:06

Polly

hattie43 · 26/12/2024 12:07

Pauline is a horrible name , Polly is so much nicer .

janfebmar87 · 26/12/2024 12:27

My friend Pauline but goes by Pauly. It's a lovely name

BugsyMaroon · 26/12/2024 12:29

IMO Pauline is an awful name.

Paulina is slightly better, but not by much.

HonestCrab · 26/12/2024 15:22

Pauline is very of an era as another person commented and not an attractive name. Paula is marginally better but makes me think of Paula Yates. The only young-ish (20s) Paula I know goes by a nickname unrelated to the name. Polly is very much a nick name to me. It's acceptable but leaves her without options if she dislikes it. I would look for other names with meanings you like.

Waterboatlass · 26/12/2024 15:24

Pauline!!! I love mid century names and you'll be ahead of the curve. Polly for short.

SoySaucy · 26/12/2024 15:24

Pauline is a hideous name. Polly is lovely but growing in popularity (don’t know wether that bothers you particularly)

BettyBardMacDonald · 26/12/2024 15:27

Mum2jenny · 25/12/2024 21:53

I prefer Pauline, Polly is a name for a parrot. Pauline is a proper name for a child, Polly is a nickname.

Exactly this.

Give her options for when she's an adult.

MrsCarson · 26/12/2024 16:02

Pauline means small, still not a good name, nor is Polly.

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 26/12/2024 21:26

Pauline is very dated and has a slightly unpleasant sound to boot imo.Unfortunately it’s up there with Doreen and Maureen in style, rather than the bit more classic Kathleen, Christine and Jacqueline of the 50’s/60’s names. Paula isn’t that much better - the sound is slightly nicer, but it’s still quite dated (just to a decade or two later than Pauline).

I’d at least go for something like Appoline or even Paulina (the A makes all the difference) - they are still used by younger women elsewhere in Europe so don’t sound quite as dated to me, more “Euro Chic” (at least from a UK perspective)

Nothing wrong with Polly, just not my personal taste as I can’t get past the parrot and children’s nursery rhymes. It’s probably a popular hipster type name though - I’m not very trendy 🤣

Brodpit · 28/12/2024 21:35

Polly all the way.

BootballJoy · 29/12/2024 13:21

Polly for sure. Paulina if you need a longer version, like the character in Villette.

VenusClapTrap · 29/12/2024 15:39

Polly is a great name.

Plus you could wind her up endlessly as a teenager by saying “Polly put the kettle on” to her when she’s a teenager, and watch those eyes roll while you laugh like a drain at your own joke, every single morning.

Alleycat321 · 29/12/2024 15:58

My great-grandmother was named Polina.

moonshinepoursthroughmywindow · 31/12/2024 22:00

I like Polly a lot. If anyone doesn't think it sounds like a complete, adult name, I will just tell you that I used to know someone with that name who was adult enough to have a responsible, professional job, get married, have children and run marathons! (And I know it was her full name because I saw the wedding invitations.)

I don't dislike Pauline, but it feels a bit nothingy to me. For some reason Paulina looks and sounds much more interesting - international and free of associations with any one particular age group. Polly has been used as a short form of Paulina (including in the novel Villette by Charlotte Brontë) so don't let anyone tell you it can't be. But I also think Polly makes a perfectly good name in its own right. I wouldn't worry too much about the meanings as they haven't stopped people from using Mary and Paul (maybe not so much the feminine forms of Paul until more recently) a lot for hundreds of years.

OrchardBlack · 02/01/2025 17:16

My names Polly and I'm a bad ass.

Original poster
MommaAddie · 03/01/2025 23:04

FloofPaws · 25/12/2024 22:14

Polly for sure, Pauline isn't going to make a come back - Pollyanna maybe if you want something longer?

I actually seriously considered Pollyanna But thought the Pollyanna novel persona would be too hard for her to live with. What do you think?

OP posts:
Emanwenym · 03/01/2025 23:06

She'll be glad you didn't

saltandvinegarchipsticks · 03/01/2025 23:07

I hate my old lady name but my god it’s not as bad as Pauline. You can’t do that to a baby in 2025.

Polly isn’t my cup of tea but it’s nowhere near as awful as Pauline. I do absolutely hate Pollyanna though, so twee.

pollypocket90 · 03/01/2025 23:09

My middle name is Pauline as it's my grandmothers name and I've always hated it and used to tell people I didn't have a middle name! All family called me Polly though!

hideawayforever · 03/01/2025 23:10

I don't think Pauline is ready for a comeback yet, it's awful. Definitely go with Polly

BESTAUNTB · 03/01/2025 23:12

Polly or Paulina. Or Mary.

Moreteaandchocolate · 03/01/2025 23:23

Do you like Penelope nn Polly?

Pipsquiggle · 04/01/2025 18:41

MommaAddie · 03/01/2025 23:04

I actually seriously considered Pollyanna But thought the Pollyanna novel persona would be too hard for her to live with. What do you think?

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@MommaAddie

Why are you focussing on all these 'P' mawkish names?

There are hundreds if not thousands of beautiful girls names but you seem fixated on these 'P' names - why?

Emanwenym · 04/01/2025 18:56

Moreteaandchocolate · 03/01/2025 23:23

Do you like Penelope nn Polly?

But why do that?

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