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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

Concerns with Charles

33 replies

TimTheTalkingClock · 05/09/2020 08:35

Hello, DS2 is due to pop out in a few weeks, and we’ve had Charles picked out for quite a while now - however have one concern with it. Our DS1 has always been James, never Jamie/Jim/Jimmy, so it possible for him not to become Charlie? I find it odd that Charles getting shortened to Charlie, seen as how it’s harder to say anyway. I don’t mind if he calls himself Charlie in future - but whilst young, is it possible for him to stay as a Charles like our other boy, seen as how it’s a really easy to say name anyway. Cheers

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Modestandatinybitsexy · 05/09/2020 08:43

I find Charles harder to say than Charlie. I think it's all the consonant sounds close together at the end.

Charlie is a tempting shortening but I have a DN who was introduced as Danny from birth but then parents decided to go with Daniel and it's not hard to remember. You won't be able to control it at school though!

Shipwrecked2019 · 05/09/2020 08:47

You managed to make everyone stick to your preferred name for your first child so why would the second be an issue?

ivfbeenbusy · 05/09/2020 09:16

Charles is just a bit of a mouthful. EVERYONE will shorten it

You other son is still young - 100% guarantee his name will be shortened as he's older and especially as an adult

micc · 05/09/2020 09:31

My OHs grandfather is Charles and everyone calls him Charlie... but I have a friend who is called Elizabeth and she prefers Elizabeth to any nick name so that's what we all call her! If you dont refer to him as anything else and try to remind family that's what you want no one will. At nursery they asked me what I would prefer to call my DD as her name comes with a couple nick names.

Flynn999 · 05/09/2020 09:45

My brother has a typically shortened name think Matthew/Edward etc, and he has always been the long version, he always introduces himself as such. he’s never been Matt/ed etc. I know quite a lot of people with typically shortened names and some go by longer versions some go for the short versions and they just introduce themselves as what they prefer to be called. I think when he gets to school, teachers may call him Charlie initially but by that age he will know that he’s Charles. When we registered my son for reception they asked for our child’s preferred name, in your case just say Charles.

toria658 · 05/09/2020 09:46

It also gets shortened to Chas.

FelicityPike · 05/09/2020 09:48

If you keep correcting anyone who calls him Charlie or any other names, then he’ll be Charles. Go for it.

Crylittlesister · 05/09/2020 09:50

Last year, I taught a Charles, he was always known by his full name. The shortening of names tends to come later on from friends, but if you always call /refer to him by the full name, others should follow suit.

PuppyPowerPowder · 05/09/2020 09:57

Just correct people. My child has an unusual three-syllable name, and prefers the full thing, so that's what people call him.

I do agree with a pp that Charles is a slightly more complicated name to pronounce that many other similar standard classics the 'rl' closely followed by the 's' ending does (certainly for me) require a bit more active pronunciation than, say, 'Chas' or 'Charlie'. Plus the older generation where I'm from people of 80 or over -- pronounce it 'CHAR-less' with two separate syllables, which is a bit annoying.

SnowdropFox · 05/09/2020 09:57

Another one here who finds Charles a mouthful. Just keep correcting people who shorten it until they get the idea. Some may always shorten it even with correction. Just ignore, its not worth stressing over.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 05/09/2020 09:59

Charles isn’t the easiest word to say, it sounds like a noise.

Thisismytimetoshine · 05/09/2020 10:00

Ds2 (13) has a friend called Charles. He's always been Charles, even amongst his friends.

CountFosco · 05/09/2020 10:07

I have 2 DBros with names that are commonly shortened. Dbro1 has a family NN, his school friends call him another NN but everyone who has met him since he left school calls him by his full name because that is how he introduces himself. Dbro2 is always called his full name by the family but his friends all call him by his NN. Both in their 40s.

It will ultimately be up to your DS what people call him and he will no doubt go by different names over his life.

Prettybluepigeons · 05/09/2020 10:12

I have a Matthew. He's only ever been Matthew to family. Every single person at his school calls him matt.Teachers etc

Orphlids · 05/09/2020 10:18

Charles is the most wonderful name. I love it. I wouldn’t want it to be changed to Charlie either. Just be firm and thorough when correcting people if they get it wrong. I certainly wouldn’t shorten it if I met a little Charles. But maybe think of a shortening you prefer? Chet is certainly better than Charlie.

RuthW · 05/09/2020 10:21

I know a female Charlie (full name) that gets shortened to Charls!

Aragog · 05/09/2020 11:26

My godson is Charles. He's 1w now and much prefers being called Charles in general. He does get called Charlie as well, but more so when he was younger as that's what he liked then. His mum has always called him Charles. We vary between Charlie and Charles (plus another nickname) as for most people.

But it is perfectly possible to ask people to use the full name and they should respect that.

However you also have to accept that people will try to use the pet form and decide whether it is going to bother you enough to be worth it or not.

This will be especially so once he goes to school. Even at 4 years old children often have their own preferences - we ask all our new starters which name they prefer (we ask the child more so than the parent) and respect what they say as teachers, but it's hard to police other children.

Aragog · 05/09/2020 11:29

I don't really understand why people find Charles difficult to say though, and I've never heard anyone use the pronunciation 'char-less' personally. I really don't find it any more difficult to say the s on the end rather than the 'I' sound.

I've taught a number of children names Charles and Charlie with no issues. Never heard a young one called Chas so far yet.

PuppyPowerPowder · 05/09/2020 11:47

and I've never heard anyone use the pronunciation 'char-less' personally.

Well, like I said, it's regional and generational, so unless you live where I do, I'd be surprised if you had.

It's hard to know why some dialects find certain combinations of sounds difficult. A lot of RP speakers seem to struggle with the combination of 'x' and 'th' in 'sixth' and say 'sickth' instead, though I've never found it an issue.

TheChristmasPrincess · 05/09/2020 11:54

Just politely correct people that it’s Charles, not Charlie, if they make that mistake. Even if they are doing it to be spiteful/difficult, they will get sick of you correcting them every single time. You managed to keep DS1 as James, I imagine it would be the same with Charles.

MikeUniformMike · 05/09/2020 12:04

I know a James who is always James and a Charles who is always Charles. Both adults.

ImaSababa · 05/09/2020 18:38

The "Lz" endings is hard to say.

Plus, in a Scottish accent it sounds like "chaddles".

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 05/09/2020 18:43

I think comparing it to James is well, not comparable. James as a name has been popular forever. Charles less so, but it has a huge popularity surge recently where mainly it has been used in the form of Charlie. Therefore Charles is very rare, James isn’t.

daisypond · 05/09/2020 18:47

I think people will tend to try to shorten it, more so than with James. Just nip it in the bud.

PulpHorn · 05/09/2020 21:02

The (adult) Charles I know has always gone by 'Chaz', his choice, his mother hates it! Do you mind Chaz/Chas?

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