Lottie or Dottie

[mymindislikeamarshmallow]

Which one do you prefer? I don't want to use the traditional longer names Charlotte or Dorothy. Be kind, baby here (nearly 2 weeks old, she needs a name!) thanks.

Of the two without using a longer name, Lottie.
Dorothy and Charlotte are both nice

There’s absolutely nothing inherently better about using ‘Charlotte’ or ‘Dorothy’ and there’s no issue with a prime minister or high court judge being called lottie. Let’s face it if you are born into such a privileged family that you could consider those careers your name is unlikely to make an ounce of difference! I do think Dottie has slightly unfortunate connotations and personally much prefer Lottie.

Please don't call her Dottie.
Lottie is fine, but remember, as pp have said, she's not always going to be tiny and cute.

I have a Dorothy nn Dottie and have had nothing but compliments on her name! I absolutely love it!

@BungleandGeorge , I didn't say they were better, just that I like both.
Most people don't become PM or HCJ.
We've had PMs with names like Tony and Liz, but they had longer BC names.

Please don't saddle her with either of these childish nicknames as her actual name. Put Charlotte on the birth certificate so she has something to fall back on later in life if she wants to be taken seriously.

Lottie, if you must. Although regardless of you not wanting to use the longer name, i imagine most will assume that she is a Charlotte.

@Christmascracker25 , there's a Radio 5 broadcaster called Dot Davies. I don't know if she's a Dorothy.

I like Dorothy, Dot and Dolly

Dotty means a bit eccentric I wouldn’t use it.

The only Dottie I know (late 30s) is officially Dorothy. I really wouldn't put Dottie on a birth certificate.

Lottie out of the two if you have to but I think it's still better short for Charlotte.

Yes, but she’s not stuck with Dottie when she’s old enough not to want to be ‘cute’.

Kate, Lisa, Mary, Liam, Katie, Ryan, Lee, Lewie, Anna, Sandra, Ian, Ella, Frank.... A selection of names that once started off as "shortened names". I would find it far more annoying to be registered everywhere as Charlotte (doctors, school, passport and ticket hassle) and have to say "I actually go by Lottie" than to correct the handful of dickheads you'd meet in your life who would say "oh what's Lottie short for? What do you mean it's just Lottie? How horrendous you weren't given a longer name, the horror! Guess you can never become a judge or a doctor now".

Charlotte known as Lottie, by a country mile.

Mary has been a name in its own right for at least 2000 years. What the heck is it meant to be short for?

I can concur! Potentially outing but I'm Marissa on my birth certificate but I've been known as Mari my whole life, ever since I was a baby. I've never been called Marissa other than on official forms and you are correct, it is a pain in the bum having to constantly explain to people that yes that's still me I'm just never known as that etc. I wish I'd not been given the sensible version on my BC because it's been nothing but a pain.

@AnOrdinaryWoman, Mary, Lee, Ryan, Anna and Ian aren't short for anything.

I like both but prefer Lottie, congratulations on your baby girl

It's nice to give options for shorter names if you can though and Charlotte is lovely for that. Lottie/lotty, Charlie, Chaz. Then she can decide for herself.

What are you thinking Ryan or Ian are short for?

Definitely Lottie (Charlotte)

I know a Lottie short for Loretta.

Dorothy and Dottie remind me of my mum and grans friends.

Both awful. Dorothy and Dorothea are lovely. Charlotte ok but too popular.

I would personally hate to answer the phone at work and say “Dottie speaking” as a 43 year old woman… that could just be me.

They are young and cute for maybe 12 years… the rest of the time they (likely) won’t thank you for a cutesy name.

I’d say use the longer versions 🎅

Congrats and merry Xmas to you

I would say NO.

But Lottie if these are your favs.

Mari is an actual name. It’s Welsh.

Most of those names are not the short form of anything. What’s “Mary” supposed to be short for? It’s the Anglicized form of Marie, which is the French form of Maria.

The idea of “Charlotte” on the BC is not so that she can spend her whole life saying “Charlotte but I go by Lottie,” but so that she has the option of dropping Lottie and just going by Charlotte once she’s fed up with being called Lottie (which will probably happen before she’s a teenager; sorry, OP, but it’s a really babyish sounding name).