Sadie’s Sisters
I’ll admit it. I would never, in a month of Sundays, put Sadie on my daughter’s birth certificate. It would be Sarah, thanks very much, just in case she grows up to run for office or take up brain surgery or otherwise wants to sound like a mature, serious adult.
I’m not necessarily in the majority. And I’m not necessarily right, either. Plenty of women named Julie and Jodie have turned out just fine. And plenty of Sarah/Sadies are irritated at having to constantly explain that yes, Sadie is a nickname for Sarah.
So for your consideration, I’ve pulled together a list of ends-in-ie-names just might stand on their own.
I’m excluding choices like Katie and Maggie - names easily connected to formal versions, as well as feminizations like Billie and Charlie. And if it more commonly ends in -y, you won’t find it here – so no Mollie, Lillie or Lucie.
That still leaves bunches of names:
- Arlie – Arline started out as a well-born child kidnapped by gypsies in a nineteenth century opera, but today she’s the outdated Arlene. Arlie might be a short form, or she may related to a surname. Either way, she sounds fresher than the -een ending original.
- Birdie – Lady Bird was worn in the White House. Actress Busy Phillips bestowed this avian appellation on her daughter. While there are more subtle ways to evoke the finely feathered, Birdie isn’t quite unthinkable.
- Bonnie – Worn by the ill-fated daughter of Rhett and Scarlett in Gone With the Wind – who was actually named Eugenie Victoria. She means pretty – and she is just that.
- Callie – If Kelly and Kaylee are independent given names for girls, why not Callie? She’s also a possible nickname for classics like Caroline and Charlotte, as well as the less-expected Calla, Calista or Calliope.
- Dessie – In Ireland, Dessie is a nickname for Desmond – and thus, exclusively masculine. In the US, it sounds more like a riff on Bessie.
- Dulcie – She’s sweet – literally, from the Latin dulcis. Longer form Dulcinea conjures up the Judybats, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Don Quixote – though the literary Dulcinea was actually named Aldonza.
- Erie – Eir was a Norse goddess; Éire, a Celtic one – she lent her name to Ireland. Eiry is a Welsh girl’s name – related names abound, all meaning snow. Erie may be linked to any or none of the above, and could rhyme with fairy, or have a totally other pronunciation.
- Hattie – You might put Harriet or Henrietta on the birth certificate, but millinery references aside, Hattie has some style.
- Hettie – Another possibility for Henrietta, as well as Hester or Hestia.
- Lettie – Formal name options include the salad-esque Lettice, or the lacy Letitia. If Victorian valentine isn’t your style, Lettie might appeal.
- Lindie – Lucky Lindy was aviator Charles Lindbergh’s nickname. The Lindy Hop was a swing-era dance craze named in his honor. Linda is a Baby Boomer – as are elaborations like Melinda and Belinda. But today, Lindie might work as a nickname for hippie chic tree name Linden – or on her own.
- Lottie – Charlotte is in the US Top 100 and rising, but it seems as very few Charlottes are answering to this nickname – so far.
- Maisie – Like Maggie, she could be a diminutive form of Margaret, via the Scottish Mairead. But if Daisy stands on her own, maybe Maisie does, too.
- Millie – Mildred might be too dowdy to ever make a comeback, but Millie is Thoroughly Modern. She’s also a spunky nickname for the super-sweet Millicent.
- Minnie – Yes, there’s the mouse. But there’s also the actress – who was actually born Amelia Fiona Driver.
- Tillie – Matilda is ever so fashion forward. Short form Tilda brings to mind the actress. Then there’s Tillie – perhaps a bit too cute, but possibly wearable on her own.
- Trudie – It’s hard to imagine naming a daughter Gertrude. But Trudie seems like a logical sister for Sadie – spunky, retro and not too flimsy to stand on her own.
- Zadie – If Sadie stands along, why not her zippy cousin? The z-to-s switch has worked out just fine for novelist Zadie Smith.
- Zelie – There have definitely been women named Zelie, but her exact origins are unclear, though some link her to the French Zéline and she brings to mind the Yiddish Zelig.
I could go on – there’s Winnie and Elsie, Flossie and Roxie. But I’ll stop here and just ask: would you consider a short, ends-in-ie name for a daughter? And if so, would you put it on her birth certificate or opt for a more formal version?
Filed under: Names for Girls, Nicknames | 24 Comments
Tags: Charlotte, Kaylee, Eugenie, Victoria, Caroline, Calista, Callie, Linda, Maggie, Henrietta, Daisy, Sarah, Sadie, Mairead, Calla, Linden, Millicent, Billie, Minnie, Desmond, Matilda, Hester, Charlie, Kelly, Winnie, Calliope, Amelia, Millie, Katie, Birdie, Flossie, Belinda, Gertrude, Dulcinea, Melina, Elsie, Zéline, Éire, Julie, Jodie, Mollie, Lillie, Lucie, Arlie, Arline, Arlene, Bonnie, Dessie, Bessie, Aldonza, Erie, Eir, Eiry, Hattie, Harriet, Hettie, Hestia, Lettie, Lettice, Letitia, Lindie, Lindy, Lottie, Maisie, Mildred, Tillie, Tilda, Trudie, Zadie, Zelie, Zelig, Roxie
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I wanted to use Maisie for our daughter, back in 2005. But my husband wouldn’t go for it, because it rhymes with “crazy”. DD did turn out to be rather a difficult baby, so we may have ended up calling her “crazy Maisie”. A few years on, Maisie does sound a bit too cutesy and I think I’d rather go for ‘Margaret’ and use ‘Maggie’ or ‘Maisie’ as a nickname.
I think Minnie is cute, but probably wouldn’t use it.
I know a Bonnie, who is 28 and have never really thought of her name as too cute. Her daughter, Elizabeth, goes by Lizzie.
I like ‘Tillie’ as a nickname, but would definitely go with Matilda.
I do like the -ie ending, being a Jennie (full name) myself.
I think some of these names, like Erie, Dulcie, and Zelie, could very well stand on their own. But names that are widely known as a nickname for another name I don’t think could. I can’t imagine a Dr. Minnie Jones or a Tillie Joseph, representing the People of Maryland. Its too cutesy and little girl.. perhaps that’s just been rooted too firmly in my mind, but thats still my perception.
I know a five year old girl who’s name is Millie Rose (full first name). She was named after her mother’s grandmothers, Rose and Millie, which was short for Millicent. But Millie is just Millie. I have a very hard time imagining her as an adult with this name.
Actually, there IS a Hattie Harrison in the Maryland House of Delegates! I didn’t know that when I wrote this, swear.
That said, I agree with you – it’s not my style and I wouldn’t want to be named Millie Rose.
Zadie, though – maybe …
In Jewish families, Zayde (pronounced ZAY-dee) is Grandpa.
I know a Sophie who’s about 5 years old, who has a baby sister named Sadie. I don’t know why their parents gave them nicknames, but that’s how it is!
I would definitely NOT put an -ie ending name on a birth certificate. I’m not sure I would even use an -ie nickname. They’re just too cutesy and diminutive—okay for children, I guess, but not young adults or older women. At least in this country—in French, -ie names (Amélie, Julie, Adelie, etc) manage to sound quite sophisticated and pretty.
I’m going to go and contradict myself here, though, and say that I think ends-in-i names, like Tori, Leilani, Naomi, Suri (yes—even Suri!) are often beautiful.
I could do Sylvie. I love Sylvie!
I also like Amelie, Eulalie and Elodie, but those are all three syllables which makes them less nickname-y
I’m no expert on French names, but it’s my understanding that names like Sylvie, Sophie etc that *sound* like nicknames for Sylvia, Sophia etc. are actually just French *forms* rather than nicknames. Those I could absolutely see putting on a birth certificate. But as a Jodi who has wished her whole life to have something like Johanna on my birth certificate, no. No nicknames on my girls. They deserve better
I started thinking about all of this because a) I have an aunt Sarita, named after her grandmother (my great-grandmother) Sara. So Sadie actually has been on my short list over the years. And then, I realized that I love Trudie – but couldn’t ever call a daughter Gertrude.
And Jodi, you’re right. Head over to http://www.meilleursprenoms.com and you’ll find a wealth of French names that end in -ie – not nicknames, formal names.
Hattie and Hettie are long-time favorites of mine, but I’d use Harriet or Hester. Note that I would. My DH would not. But I’d be thrilled to meet a little Hattie.
My grandmother was Sarah and went by Sally for almost her whole life. It even says Sally on her gravestone. I always thought it was strange that Sally was anickname for Sarah, but no stranger than Sadie, I guess.
Whoops – that was supposed to be in reply to Bewildretix!
Biased of course but I can’t see Bonnie as a traditional nickname for any name. It’s a word/endearment that became used infrequently as a personal name in the late 18th century . In saying that, it, could come from anything informally.
I’m considering Dulcie and Sylvie for this child and again they’re full forms to me. Dulcie is a 19th century re-coinage of the medieval English Duce/Dowse and Sylvie obviously is the French Sylvia.
My great grandmother hated her name Sarah and went by Sal exclusively. I prefer Sadie to Sarah but that’s because I find Sarah strangely heavy considering its meaning and if not a bit plain.
It certainly grates on me to no end to see names like Julie, Lucie and Sophie called diminutives only. It’s incorrect.
The -y/-ie nicknames and ‘cuter’ full names like Daisy/Poppy are so common in Britain (and certainly not uncommon here) I have no trouble picturing a Dr/Lawyer Millie, Tilly or Poppy. There’s going to be a fair few of them in 20+ years and plenty of women have borne them over many hundreds of years without any undue suffering.
Some I can’t get behind, the more nursery forms such as Dolly, Bunty, Tiggy, Topsy, Tuppy etc.. Yes, I have my limits.
Oops, that will teach me to press submit before I’m finished pondering.
I find Juliet/te more informal than some of the names listed here, considering it’s a Julie diminutive. Interesting that
That -EE sound seems unfairly maligned for reasons I will never understand.
I’m a Julie and I always wished my mother had named me Julianne or Julia, so I probably wouldn’t put an “-ie” on a birth certificate. But I have a such a soft spot for Celie, Elodie and Annelie, that I can’t say that’s an absolute.
I love the name Maisie. So cute, but I don’t think I would use Maisie on her own, except I don’t love Margaret. I’ve always loved the name Matilda though, but I don’t like Matty (too many Maddie’s) and Tillie is growing on me, but I’m not there yet so I’m thinking I could call Matilda – Maisie. It’s a stretch, but I’m okay with it.
I’ve seen Matildas go by Millie, I don’t see why Maisie couldn’t work. Non intuitive nicknames can be a hassle sometimes of course but that’s the risk you take.
Growing up, everyone in my house’s name ended with the -ee sound, so it appeals to me. I probably wouldn’t use a name that didn’t have an -ie/y nickname available. That said, I don’t think I would use any of these without a formal version. That’s why I don’t have an Alfie, I just couldn’t put it on the birth certificate and didn’t like Alfred enough.
French names, on the other hand, are a different story. Julie, Sophie and company are not nicknames. One I adore is Nixie, she’s not a nickname for anything but I don’t think I could put it on a birth certificate.
I’m seriously considering using Elsie as a middle name should I ever have another daughter in the future. It was my grandmother’s name, and so because of that, doesn’t seem like a nickname to me. However, Mark and I are trying very hard to ensure that Roseanna doesn’t become Rosie. It will probably be a losing battle, but Rosie is just way too cutsie for me (pun intended).
We have a 4 year old Rose, who doesn’t go by Rosie.
A couple of her friends have tried called her that, but she doesn’t like the nickname at all. “I’m Rose, not Rosie!” So maybe your Roseanna will be the same way.
I think Elsie is a good middle name.
My birth name ends in -ie, and I hate it. A lot of the women in my family have names with an ‘ee’ sound at the end. It’s way too cutesy IMO. I wouldn’t give my daughter a formal name like that.
What? No Josie? That usually ranks alone too, not that I’d use it alone.
From your list, I adore Tillie and would consider it as a nickname for Ottilie or maybe Matilda.I’ve started thinking Tilley alone, as that’s the surname I was trying to honor.
Maisie is sweet and Arlie’s got sass, but I wouldn’t use those as anything but nicknames either. Count me in the nicknames are not full names camp!
To me, names like Julie, Sophie and Lucy could stand very well on their own because they were never really nicknames to begin with. I think Sadie works fine on her own, I think of a Southern Belle, circ.1800s, and not really of a child, so it does not have that childish vibe going on in it for me, same goes with Bonnie, which I find adorable and feels she is badly neglected. I think Hattie is really cute too, but I prefer her more as a nickname for something longer.
My cousin named her daughter Millie Claire. I think its cute on her now…but I don’t know if it will wear well on her in, say, 20 years. (She 1 and a half) I prefer formal names for the birth certificate and resume, if nothing else.
Back to the Sarah-Sadie-Sally conversation:
Personally, I like the name Sarah. I like formal names that also sound cute for little girls and sophisticated for older women, and Sarah is one of those names. But I don’t think I’d put it on the birth certificate.
I know a Sarah (it’s amazing I know only one, you’d expect to know more) and her name really works with her personality .