Opinions Please!

[aliceg1989]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum :-)

My little girl is just over a week old and we are due to register her on Monday (two days away).

To us, she is Lottie Mae G (my surname). However I am undecided whether to put Lottie on her birth certificate or put Charlotte.

I like Charlotte but I love Lottie. We will continue to call her Lottie however it has crossed my mind that we should perhaps place Charlotte on her birth certificate to give her more freedom when she is older. I know people will say that with a name like Lottie, she will not be taken seriously when applying for a high court judge position etc when she's older, but is this really the case given that these days, we are surrounded by babies being called all sorts of unusual names?

Can Lottie be a name in its own right?

If I name her Charlotte, will I forever be correcting people - ie. when the time comes to register her at nursery, school, dentist, doctors etc?

I really cannot decide what to do!

Thank you xx

Lottie is a name that you could use, but I would use Charlotte but thats just my prefrence. I have known Lotties that are just Lottie.

Dd2 has a longer name and a shorter name. I don't bother telling the doctor that she goes by the shorter version because you don't see them very much so it doesn't matter. Schools and nursery I just filled in the form with her name as the known as name and thats what she was called. But I love her full name and the short version, the long name is just an more grown up name rather than a babys name, but the short version suits both.

I'm afraid the only people who can make that decision are you and your partner (not helpful, sorry).
There seems little point in calling her Charlotte if you want her to be Lottie, but I do see your point.
Bear in mind when she's older she can call herself anything she likes without officially changing her name (apart from on official documents). Although speaking from personal experience it's quite easy to change your name. You're right there are lots of Lotties. I wouldn't worry too much to be honest.

I'd say charlotte

I'd go for Charlotte, just to give her the option when she's older. I love Lottie though, it's very pretty.
I said on a similar post that it's like Edward/Teddy. I love Teddy but I'd go for Edward as I don't think of Teddy as a grown up name.

I think people are likely to assume she is a Charlotte regardless, so why not give her more options for when she is older by going for Charlotte but introduce her/call her Lottie day to day.

I'd say Charlotte for the certificate and Lottie in everyday life.

Personally I'd go with Charlotte on the birth certificate but introduce her to people as Lottie.

I'd go for Charlotte on the BC. I don't think there will be a problem with her being called Lottie on a day to day basis with family, friends, school etc. You'll probably get Charlotte at the doctor, dentist etc but that's only occasionally.

Charlotte.

I love Lottie too, but I'd put Charlotte on the BC.

Though I do think Lottie will be taken seriously. There's a Bliss and a Sapphire (among other completely bizarre names) at my DC's primary school.

Beautiful name not that I'm biased or anything

My DD is Lottie with Charlotte on the birth certificate. She's always been Lottie at school/nursery with no hassle.

My younger DD has the same longer "official" name and nickname.

When I shout the long name they know they are in bother as well which is an added bonus.

Definitely Charlotte.

Don't short-change a child with a shortening, give her a complete name so that she has some options. You can still call her Lottie, so nothing lost.

What else could Lottie be short for?
Carlotta maybe?

Definitely charlotte - just call her Lottie as you've been doing. When she starts nursery/school etc just ask them to call her Lottie too.

I have a Lottie too . She's Charlotte on her BC, to give her the option when she's older. Charlotte is such a versatile name and we liked the fact that if she wants to change her nickname when she's older she'll have lots to choose from (she usually goes by Lots anyway).

On her school forms we were given a known by choice and She is usually only called Charlotte by a supply teacher!

Congratulations on your new baby.

Yes Charlotte on the birth certificate and Lottie in every day life

I would go for Lottie as that is what you want to call her. I don't really understand why people put a different name in the birth certificate to the one they actually want their child to be known by. Congratulations on your lovely little girl!

Cats are nice - because some nicknames are lovely but you don't want to limit your child. Prime minister lottie? Princess Lottie? Dr Lottie? Charlotte much more suitable for all these

Charlotte, Charlotta or Carlotta on the BC.

Upabove I really don't see how it would limit them. Perhaps it's because I previously worked for a woman called Lottie so for me the name conjures up images of a very savvy business woman!!

Please use Charlotte. As an adult, having a dignified name is very important.

My friend had this exact dilemma and went for Charlotte on the birth certificate. She actually really wished she'd stuck with Lottie as she has to explain that her child is named X but known as Y on a regular basis.

Having said that, my sister has a long name but has always been known by the shorter version. Now as an adult, she uses the longer version in her professional life (though shorter version is maybe less cutesy than Lottie). So can be nice to have the choice!

My DD had the long name from birth but we called her a shortened version from about 9 months.
She is known by the short name everywhere but I would say be aware that the two names have a different initial. This bothers my DD as she says she will never be the long version as its just not her.

I love Charlotte, but you could have Loretta.

I'd always go for a longer more formal name on the birth certificate. You may love Lottie, and y9ou may always call your dd Lottie too, but she may want to have some other options as she grows up.

Both me and my middle sister have a family diminutive but I always use my full name and my sister uses a different shortening of her name. If we'd only been given the short form our parents like we'd not have those choices. Of course you can always deed poll, but why not make options easy for your daughter?

My ds never uses the long form of his name and it's never been an issue. He gives his name as the short form and that's what is used everywhere. I expect the long form will be used when/if he gets married, but that's no big deal. My dd started by using a diminutive, but now that's her family name, she uses her full name for school and other formal stuff and her friends call her a different shortening. It's nice to have options :)