Is Alfie really a no no for a birth certificate?

[bytheMoonlight]

Because I really like it but really dislike Alfred?

I don't know any Alfie's
If you like it then go with it
I think it is ridiculous to put a longer version of a name on the birth certificate if you have no intention of using it yourself. Giving the child options later is nonsensical. Its like saying you need to come up with lots of names n the birth certificatw in case they don't like their name at all. If they don't like the name you have given them they can shorten it, 'Alf' or go with a longer version, 'Alfred', or a derivative, 'Al/Ali' whether or not it's on their birth certificate.
The reality is they may well get a nickname at school which then replaces the name you have given them for the rest of their life.

Alfie is the name of choice for teenage mums in my home town.

Personally I prefer longer names on BCs but that's just me....it does give more options when the child is older...I wouldn't go with a "full" name I didn't like though...so think it's better you go with Alfie rather than Alfred in this case...Alfred does give more NNS though - Alf/Alfie/Fred/Freddie...

I do agree with some other posters though in that Alfie has become more of a name than a nn...a la Charlie/Freddie/Archie etc...

Good luck!

Not entirely sure how you can REALLY like Alfie but REALLY dislike Alfred. They're practically the same so I can't really see why you would have such strong feelings about one.

My Son is Oliver Alfie he was going to be Alfie not a family name just one I liked but we do call him ollie half the time!

I much prefer Alfred over Alfie.

But thankfully we all have different tastes .

I initially registered my ds with his nn which he is always called but it just didn't feel right. I then re-registered him with the full name which he is sometimes called at school (and when I'm cross with him for effect!).

I'm pleased I gave him the full name in the end - it does give him options when he's older.

FWIW I like Alfie although I agree, Alfred isn't quite so appealing!

I think you do what you like, to be honest most people know are using so called nicknames and full names on birth certificates and i think it much more moden to do so. For instance my son is called Herbie and thats what i put on the birth certificate not "herbert" because to be honest i don't like it, sound too old fashioned. At DS nursery there is a Lottie, Charlie, Rosie, Lily etc and none of them have the full names on birth certificate. The names have been shortened and adapted to make them modern, so unless you like your children to have very traditional names then stick with the modern version Alfie (it's not a nick-name).

Well it wasn't a no no for the 5478 parent/s who put Alfie on the birth certificate in 2010 alone!

I prefer Alfie to Alfred.

Well that just shows you how little imagination and forethought 5478 people had in 2010 when lumbering a child with such a common and awful name

Full name every time. Alfie is too cutesy and doggy too. Alfred is the name of a great king, and he can go by Fred or Freddy if he hates Alfie himself.

But I'll just throw in another option:

Alphonse

Oh, and by the way, there is nothing "modern" about shortening names.

I think it's fine though may be biased as DD as nn as a name.
I can't see the point of putting one name when you'll only ever call them something else.
I don't think it gives options as I've never known anyone that goes by another name than the one that is was used by their parents all the time at home as they grew up (apart from pet names of course!)
I also think that someone who doesn't like their name probably won't like another version of it either so for me if Alfie doesn't like Alfie then he's unlikely to go with Alfred.
I agree Alfred is horrible - don't name your child something you dislike just because you're second guessing what he's think 25 years down the line

Are you sure that an adult man would like to be called Alfie? Sure?

I don?t really like Alfie. I think it?s the Wayne of its day.

And I don?t really like diminutives as official names.

Having said that I HATE when people say ?oh I can?t imagine a barrister/CEO/scientist/economist called Alfie/Kai/Jayden/Poppy/Ella-Boo?

The fact is that names are chosen form a far wider pool of names then even twenty years ago. So while you may have an idea of a Jayden?s socio-economic background that doesn?t mean that Jayden can?t go on to become a QC or whatever else he damn well pleases.

These days posh people give their kids ridiculous names, middle class people give their kids ridiculous names and working class people give their kids ridiculous names. I guarantee that 40 years from now there will be an array of highly successful people in high profile positions called things like Alfie/Jayden/Kitty/Poppy etc. Now, none of these names would fit with my personal taste but I wouldn?t dream of assuming that because a child is called Daisy and not Beatrice that a low brow life awaits her.

And who knows, maybe Bear will be Prime Minister!

I feel better now. :)

Don't see why not. Two of my friends have brothers, now in their 60s and 70s, who, regardless of what they were registered, have always just been called Alfie. I think it is just one of those names where you would normally shorten even if you had the full version on your birth certificate; Frederick and Leonard also spring to mind.

Have to say that even I would draw the line at Ellie-Boo.

I would like to think that, squoosh. But I don't think it's true. My dd went from a very socially mixed primary school to a grammar school. And much though I hate it, the grammar school is more likely to produce lawyers, surgeons and prime ministers than the high school. And painful though it is to tell you, the grammar school is wall to wall Charlottes and Emilys and Emmas. Not a Ellie-Boo or Kylie in sight. Not sure which is cause qnd which is effect, though!

squoosh - nobody's saying Alfie, Kai and Jayden can't become barristers and prime ministers; there's no law in place to stop them.

But rightly or (more likely very) wrongly, there are glass ceilings and social mores in place which make it far easier for people with certain names to glide through life, application and interview processes, and to basically just get their foot in the door.

Not read Freakanomics? Their theories aren't hard science of course, but do seem to pan out a lot of the time, unfortunately. Especially in places like the UK which is so much more class-ridden than other, more meritocratic, societies...

I know three Alfies. Two are dogs and one has just been expelled from his third school. So personally it's not a name I could use!

I'm not keen on nicknames as full names so I'd go for Alfred with Alfie for short.

Not many other options for shortening to Alfred... unless you like Alfonso, Alford etc.

I knew someone called Bob. He was tall and sort of burly and it absolutely suited him. Turns out his given name was Bobbie .

I've just realised my post doesn't really make sense My point being, Bobbie seemed both infantile and feminine. Also agree that Alfie will date badly and has been SO popular over the last 8-10 years.

I wouldn't have Alfie either, it reminds me of the 1950's in a bad way.

I'd say...if you don't like the full name don't use the nn. But that's just me.

I know several Alfie's who are just Alfie! But I only know 1 Alfred! Why is it any different from Archie, Charlie or Harry?

Good Luck.