Natalie vs. Meredith

brooke06

Hi Ladies,  My husband and I are stuck between Natalie Claire or Meredith Claire for our little girl due in January.  Claire is a family name and we're pretty set on using it.  I'd love your opinions on Natalie or Meredith.  I'm leaning more toward Natalie but really don't like the nickname Nat.  Would a nickname stop you from using a name?  Thanks!

ames71

I actually love both names, but I would choose Meredith. I've met several little girls named Natalie in the last couple of years?it seems to be on the rise.

StephCripps

I like Meredith better..

If you don't like the nm Nat. i'd go with Meredith

 

alliejo725

Meredith! I like Natalie, but it seems to be on the upswing. Meredith is so refreshing.

mommybrynn

LOVE Natalie, HATE the nn "Nat", so I would go with Meredith for that reason alone.  

jesssy1204

I really do not like Natalie.. I think Meredith is okay, its just NMS

rubyjem00

I really like them both and don't think that you could go wrong with either one. But I would probably pick Meredith mostly because it is slightly less common than Natalie these days.

EXL311

I prefer Meredith and I would definitely let a nn sway me in a certain direction.

sb9411

I agree that you can't go wrong with either. Both are very pretty names, but can lead to many nn.
Do you like Mer? Merry? Better than Nat or Nattie? If so, I'd go with Meredith. If not I'd stick with Natalie!

LemonBlush

Meredith

Annie984

Definitely Meredith.

panda10

Aww go with Meredith! Mere Bear is a cute nickname.

AlphabetFish

Aww, I like the nickname Nat...

Nonetheless, all the Natalies/Natalias I've known in real life have gone by their full name, and I never heard anyone call them Nat. In this case, the potential nickname wouldn't stop me.

I prefer Natalie over Meredith, but just by a smidge; I like both of these names. 

SunnyD2011

I like Natalie. I dislike Meredith.

HeyJune

I like Natalie best, hands down. It is a classic name with a pretty sound. Meredith is ok, but its not my style (the -th on the end has always reminded me of a lisp). 

It's interesting that so far most people who chose Meredith only chose it because Natalie is more popular, not because they like it better.

slukd79

Love both. Prefer Meredith since its slightly less popular.

LateToTheParty

I'd go with Meredith. I've never liked Natalie.

MrsWindyCity

I love love love Meredith.

Natalie is nice too, but I don't like it as much and it's much more popular (if you care about that sort of thing).

A nn did actually stop me from using a name we both liked (Patrick, I was worried about the nn Pat). 

pinksandbermuda

mommybrynn:

LOVE Natalie, HATE the nn "Nat", so I would go with Meredith for that reason alone.  

me too

JMU_Bride09

I prefer Natalie! And I wouldn't let a nn stop me. DH and I have discussed Alexander for a future boy, and I don't like the nn Alex.

jlsimon56

I like Meredith, it's my sister's name.  I think Natalie sounds 80s to me, not sure why.  Also, I don't usually like names that end in the EE sound, to me it sounds like a nn with that ending.  (I know Natalie isn't a nn.)

kmv68

Meredith!  LOVE this name, so classy!

526SadieSadie

Natalie, for sure.  Whenever I've met someone named Meredith, I've always thought to myself "Aww, that's unfortunate."  I just don't like the way it sounds. 

And DH's ex-gf from high school was named Meredith (Merri) and she told people that DH held her captive at gunpoint for a week - when in reality she ran away from home and was hiding in her friend's basement.  DH nearly got arrested.  She was in a couple classes wih me in college and I found out she's still a compulsive liar and a looney bird, ten years later.

For the record, I disliked the name before I met her.

apc1929

Love both names really..  both sound great with Claire.  But my neice is Natalie and, even though they swore she wouldn't be, is always referred to and called Nat and it drives me nuts..     Meredith is also not as popular right now which is nice

jolynn326

For some reason, I just can't stand the name Meredith. So, by default, I choose Natalie.

sugarpumpkin716

you don't have to use nat. you can use whatever you want. i like natalie way more than meredith.

guilletskichuk

I am the type of person who would be turned off by a nn.

A colleague of mine named her DD Meredith last spring and I wasn't really into it. I thought it was kind of old-fashioned.

But then I heard it a few more times this summer and heard of the nn Meri with it...and started to fall in LOVE with it. It's been on my list for a while now.

I agree with a pp. Natalie sounds kind of 80's to me. :S

kim1989

I like Natalie more

chardonnay24

Love Natalie!