Margaret or Charlotte?

[cashmerexcat]

Which name sounds better?

Love Margaret, not keen on Charlotte.
I have an elderly Aunty Margaret who was a stunner in her youth and is still very glamorous. She is a highly intelligent and strong woman, basically my role model! I think the name is underused which is a bonus!

I like both. If I had to choose, I'd pick Margaret and use the full name.

I'm rather deflated that many here have inferred that Charlotte is too common now... My daughter's name (or son's, if my first was a boy!) was decided on 11 years ago already, long before Princess Charlotte caused the name to be popular again 😔

It was the 20th most common girls name in England & Wales in 2012 so pretty popular then too. I don't see anything wrong with having a popular name though.

In England and Wales Charlotte has been on the decline long before Princess Charlotte was born, and though there was a small bump after her birth, it continued its decline in the same way after. It was way more popular in the nineties than it is now. Charlotte was still incredibly popular 11 years ago without the royal family's input. That's why people are saying Charlotte is done to death; they went to school with countless Charlottes and there are still loads of young Charlottes around. Not sure why you clicked on a thread asking for opinions on Charlotte if negative opinions would upset you.

popular again?

it's been uber popular since the 80s.

For me it would completely depend on your position on nicknames.

Charlotte was on our shortlist and we loved both Charlotte and Charlie (I wanted to steer away from Lottie).

Margaret is a very strong name and great on an adult but I think I'd want something softer on a little one. Meg is probably my favourite but Maggie is cute too.

Also worth considering if popularity of name matters to you. I know many young Charlotte's!

My mum's a Margaret and has never liked her name. So I'm not really into either of the choices.

Definitely Margaret. Due a revival and so many more nickname options than Charlotte.
I do get the association with Thatcher wincing but that will be far less of an issue for your daughter and her peers.

Margaret was the name of my sly and nasty piece of work mil so a no from me. Love Charlotte.

Charlotte is a great name.

Charlotte is prettier than Margaret. But I would love to be able to give a baby the nickname Peggy which I think is adorable.

Charlotte is lovely in all resepcts.
Margaret I prefer as a middle name with history and good meaning because I dislike Marg.
I like Maggie, Meg, Peggie and Margaret.
I like Charlotte, Char, Lottie and Charlotta.

Exactly this!

I love the sound of Charlotte as a full name but Charlie is ‘meh’ and Lottie overdone.

I REALLY wish I liked Margaret more (I’m trying to make myself like it but not quite there yet) because the nicknames are amazing. If I was braver I think I’d use Margaret for the nicknames but as I’m a coward I’d probably go with Charlotte.

Margaret. Imo Charlotte is dull and safe.

Are you kidding me with that last sentence, @toastofthetown? How rude you are!

I'm clearly not THAT upset, otherwise I'd be far more aggressively defending my daughter's name, and certainly not using any emojis in my post!

I'm not sure if you're aware of how Mumsnet works, but it features (mostly) light-hearted forums where (mostly) women write about whatever's on their mind, comment on what others have said, and occasionally ask serious questions. You seem to he taking it far too seriously!

I doubt many around town do, in fact, toast you that often...

@SilentParrot It did slump in popularity significantly for a while, though, especially when my friends first started having kids (and mine were a distant dream), what with all those Graces, Mias, Olivias, Amelias, Rubys, etc...

I love Charlotte - but there are four in my DD’s class. But things are popular because people like them!

Margaret was “the” name of its day and is due a comeback, I think. It has a rather glamorous ring to it and, for me, conjures up images of Princess Margaret in her Dior dress. So it would be my choice of the two, I think.

Personally, I prefer Charlotte.

Charlotte is timeless!

How about Margeaux? Beautiful name

@watermeloncougar , it's not even a name, never mind beautiful.

The e would cause the g to have a j or zh sound

Margaret. I can’t think of a diminutive I don’t like. I even have a soft spot for Madge. Charlotte is a very safe choice and it really depends whether or not you think that’s a good thing.

I suspect there’s likely to be a generational influence on attitudes to Margaret, even more so than with most names.

Margaret is a harsh sounding name, sorry.

I know a primary school Margot though, and I think that is much nicer sounding and up to date and you still get all the cool nicknames

Gosh, I could never name a child Margaret. My children possibly could but my 80s/90s were full of middle aged shouty ones. Usually running a jumble sale. Ditto Mary.

Margot is a great name but only that spelling. I don't like the "Margaux" spelling - not for a family in the UK, anyway, it's too French. Margot is easier for English speakers. And looks better IMO.