too much like the dance?!

[lenoraflannery]

hello! my husband and i are expecting a boy in September, and we've decided on a name we both adore: charleston. but we worry the name is too closely associated with the dance; my mother in law told me it was right silly to name the boy after a dance craze. personally, i see the dance as part of the appeal! any thoughts?! thanks!

Are you from South Carolina?

I would assume you had named him after the place rather than the dance.

But either way I think it’s a difficult name to pull off. And my instinct was that you were talking about a girl’s name until you clarified.

Not fussed on the name itself, but unless your baby is going to be massively into ballroom dancing or attend a number of murder-mystery weekends set in a 1920s country house, I wouldnt worry about it!

Would have thought of the dance, yup.

How about ‘cha cha cha’ for short?

I’ve heard of Charleton or Charles, but never heard of the name Charleston being used. Have you any association with the place? I would think of the city rather than the dance, so that aspect wouldn’t put me off. I’d imagine it’d get shortened to Charlie, so as long as you’re happy with that nickname and if you both love it, go for it! There’s far more unusual names out there!

Gangnam is better imho for children named after places and dances or Electric-Boogaloo for just a dance.

I’d assume you were from or had roots in South Carolina before I’d think of the dance.
It’s not really a great name for a person, tbh.

Charlton, on the other hand, is a name you could use.

What about Charlton ? I know one. Was a teenage friend of mine going way back to the 80's

Charles with 'ton' stuck on the end?

I've heard of Charlton as a name (Heston) but Charleston is a place, not a person.

Dreadful.

Could it just be a nickname for Charles if you love it that much?

Sorry, I just associate it with the Charleston massacre.

Charlton - after Charlton Athletic - would also be considered daft, in case you consider that too.

I think if you name your son Charleston he will be embarrassed and change it.

I associate it with the place first, the dance second. I don't like it as a first name, sorry.

Charles is better, I think

I'm with your MiL

I think it's fine and everyone will call him Charlie.

I would think of the dance.

Ditto Namechangednow - I like it!

Just call him Charles ffs. Speaking as a teacher, dance - including the charleston - is now a standard part of most schools' PE curriculums.

So unless your child becomes a hugely laddy, super popular boy who no one would dare to tease, that situation could entail a lot of teasing. Your child would need to be very thick skinned.

A lot of children just want to blend in at school - they don't want to stand out, for example by their ridiculous name being read out on the register, triggering sniggers.

Give your child a normal name that will allow him to blend in, should he want to. If he wants to stand out, he will be able to choose to do so himself through his personality and actions, rather than as a result of the ridiculous moniker his parents forced on him.

I quite like it

I think it sounds a bit daft. Why don't you just use Charles?

Id associate it strongly with the dance but it also carries very strong associations with slavery for me so I'd also avoid it for that reason.

Around 40% of slaves who were forcibly taken to North America were brought to Charleston, and the slave population often vastly outnumbered the number of 'citizens' so I can't help thinking of slavery when I think of Charleston.

I’d think of both. It’s odd to name a boy after a dance.

What’s wrong with Charles?