Hot on HuffPost Parents:
Find Out What Beyonce Will Name Baby No. 2!
Teen Who Died During Her First Solo Drive May Have Been Texting
Can I Name a Baby Charlotte in Charlotte?
Filed under: Baby Names, Expert Advice: Pregnancy
I'm a first-time mom pregnant with a daughter. Our absolute favorite name is Charlotte. It's just so beautiful! Here's the catch. We live in North Carolina. Charlotte is the largest and most well-known city in our state. Is it out for us?
- NC Mom
There's no simple rule for how a place name plays to people from that place. Some city names sound silly on babies to the locals, whereas others sound extra-appealing. And still others just sound like, well, names.
On one end of the spectrum, take Brooklyn. Brooklyn is the 37th most popular girl's name in the U.S. The closer you get to Brooklyn, N.Y., though, the less popular it gets. In New York State and New Jersey, the name has never cracked the top 100. Brooklyn-the-borough has such a powerful image there that namers stay away from it. But far from the Big Apple, where Brooklyn has less daily reality, the pretty sound and vaguely big-city edge make the name extremely popular -- it's top 10 in Utah and South Dakota.
At the other extreme, Savannah is more popular in Georgia than in the U.S. overall. Virginia the name was for several years most popular in the state of Virginia, and Caroline remains especially hot in the Carolinas. (Want to explore this on your own? Try the BabyNameWizard.com NameMapper tool.)
Part of the calculation is whether the image of the place fits the name's style. Brooklyn, N.Y., is many fine things, but sweet and girlish don't top the list. Savannah, in contrast, is just right for Savannah, Georgia's southern charm. In fact, the portrait of the city of Savannah in the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" helped make the baby name popular.
Another factor is the name's associations beyond the place. This is where Charlotte really shines. It's a classic girl's name, linked to centuries of culture from Charlotte Brontë to "Charlotte's Web" to the "Charlotte of Sex and the City." Even a city as strong as Charlotte, N.C., can't dominate the name. As a result, Charlotte remains quite popular in your state. So go ahead and give your child the beautiful gift of your "absolute favorite name." Your fellow North Carolinians should welcome her with open arms.
Have you run into names shared with a map, or a dictionary? Share your experiences here. And if you have your own question to Ask the Name Lady, drop her a line!
Related: Is My Nephew the Spawn of Satan?
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
Recently Asked
- My daughter (14 yrs) was just kicked out of her Girl Scout Cadettes troop. Her offense? Having ADD (not hyperactive) and she wasn't picking up on a tr...
- 3 SHOWS A HOUR 7 HOURS = 21 (10 DAYS = 210) 10 STUDIOS = 2100 20 STUDIOS = 4200 (IN 10 DAYS) 3 (20 MINUTE SHOWS).
- patent or not civil case the inventor will never lose because the people approved and he makes the rules. it did not exist
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
Top 10 Baby Names in 2010
In this episode of The Lab, we learn more about baby names. Daddy Clay talks with Linda Murray of BabyCenter.com to find out what the top baby names for 2010 are. She tells us about the annual Top 10 Baby Name list and reveals what the popular names for girls and boys are. Find out how pop culture, including television shows like Mad Men and Glee, influence parents and their choice of names. Politics and sports stars also lead to trends.
-
Choosing a Name for Your Baby
One of the most exciting parts of pregnancy is choosing a name for your soon-to-be-born baby. What factors should you consider when picking names, and what are some of the most popular baby names around? Find out!
-
The Top Baby Names Of 2012
HuffPost Live host Alyona Minkovski talks about the most popular baby names of 2012 and talks with Carinn Jade, contributor to Mommyish, about names, and Mary Blickhahn, former minister and mother of four, about naming her kids, where she got the names, and why.
-
The Pregnancy Show - Baby Names
Find out how to choose a great baby name for your baby and learn how to appease family members while at the same time getting around the pressure of needing to use a family name.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 3 of 3)
8-19-2010 @ 6:30PM
Sam said...This whole thing is just plain silly.
Reply
8-19-2010 @ 6:55PM
alex smith said...this was a gag right? I mean it is too stupid.
Reply
8-19-2010 @ 6:56PM
Angiebaby said...Dear NC Mom,
I've never in all my borned days heard of anybody needing 5 damn paragraphs to make somebody feel better about so much nothing. I'm trying to think of a stupider question than yours, but none come to mind right at the moment. Yes, you can name your daughter Charlotte, no matter WHICH state you live in. I'm telling you, nobody is ever going to lay awake, tossing & turning, perplexed about whether your daughter was named after Charlotte, NC. Except maybe you.
Signed,
Why don't you write back when you have a REAL problem?
Reply
8-19-2010 @ 7:22PM
Caroll said...You Name that baby the name you picked out .It don't matter where you live My last name is Durham Like Durham North Carolina My son & his wife were expecting their baby He wanted to name the baby Raleigh or Rylee or Rylea . His wife freaked out because of the baby's name he picked out she had the baby it was a boy she named him Jacob Lee and told my son to get over it . Well 22 months later she left him took the baby and told him she was going to change his name again since she don't want to have our last Name He's got his son and he is leaving the name Jacob We call him Jake and is saving the Name Raleigh or Rylee or Rylea for another time . Just be happy you have a healthy baby and many years of happiness . Good Luck and Congrats on the new bundle of joy.
Reply
8-21-2010 @ 6:21PM
Stephanie said...I think Charlotte is a great name and its fine even if you live in NC. I live in Phoenix and I know two people that live here named Phoenix.
Reply
8-19-2010 @ 7:50PM
Heather said...Being from S. Carolina, I've been debating the name Caroline myself.
Reply
8-19-2010 @ 7:46PM
imatarheelgirl said...NC Mom
Please do not hesitate to name your daughter "Charlotte". I am also a resident of NC and have family that live in Charlotte. My first name....Charlotte. The name as never been a problem for me and I get compliments on it all the time. It's a beautiful name. God bless you and your little one.
Reply
8-19-2010 @ 7:46PM
J.E.B. said...Charlotte was also the name of the pregnant elephant in "Smokey and the Bandit II". What if your baby has weight problems when she's older?
Reply
8-19-2010 @ 8:06PM
Badha Madda said...Seriously? This, of all things, is what keeps you up at night? Just name her Asshat Johnson and call it a day.
Reply
8-19-2010 @ 8:29PM
Robin said...I live in Augusta, GA. While I don't run into a lot of little Augustas, there are little girls named Savannah all over the state. It's a lovely city with a lovely name, just like Charlotte. Go ahead and use it!!
Reply
8-20-2010 @ 9:32AM
Heidi said...To the people criticizing the question: I don't think this mom is looking for anyone's permission to name her daughter Charlotte. I think she's looking for outside opinion because she doesn't want to saddle her baby with a name that might be embarrassing later in life. She's showing that she understands the importance of a name, unlike those fools who name their kids all that weird made up crap.
Reply
8-24-2010 @ 1:47PM
L. said...This is an interesting question, and I bet it comes up more as place names become more popular.
Reply
11-29-2010 @ 4:01PM
Charlotte said...As an adult Charlotte I can't tell you how many times I've had to remind people that Charlotte is a major US city. Usually it comes up when giving a food order and they want my name, then write down something like "Sharlet". I say "oh, no, it's like the US city" and they stare at me blankly.
It's a great name, and I love it. It's getting pretty common but I was the only Charlotte in my town growing up.
Reply