Luke:
1. If you're in the US,
Luke is popular. It was ranked 28th in 2014 (2015 data hasn't been released just yet), and it has been climbing slowly but surely.
2. I think
Luke can stand on its own. It doesn't sound overly cutesy or anything. It works on a small child as well as an adult.
3.
Luke William,
Luke Daniel,
Luke Anthony. I don't know. This is tough.
Luke is a short name and it just sort of cuts off with the hard sound of the K, making things sound a bit choppy or awkward that follow it. My cousin is
Luke Ryan, but I just remember my dad joking and calling him "
Lou cryin'" as an infant. Also, I thought of
Luke Oliver, but that was immediately followed by "puke all over." :\
4. Nope.
Lucy Kate:
1.
Lucy is ranked 62. I don't know where your line is for "too popular," but it only represents 0.220% of the total female births for 2014.
2.
Louisa =
Lucy is a bit of a stretch, but it could be done and
Louisa Kate sounds okay. I don't care for
Lucia Kate. I think
Lucy Kate is super cute and youthful without being cutesy or juvenile, if that makes sense.
Lucy can work on many ages, and if she doesn't like
Lucy, she can be Lu /
Lou or
Elle, although that second one is probably as much a stretch as
Lucy for
Louisa!
3. I'll tell you something, I'm usually anti nickname as legal name, even in the middle slot, unless it's something that is a diminutive that has become sort of a name in it's own right. Like, I'm okay if people name their kids
Molly instead of
Mary nickname
Molly, or
Lucy instead of Lucinda/Lucia/Lucille nn
Lucy. But like,
Tommy instead of Thomas...welly,
Tommy just sounds like a nickname, and it isn't very grown up and professional sounding. I mean, obviously people can do what they want, but it's just not for me. To me,
Kate could stand on it's own, but it still seems like an obvious short form of Katherine/Kathleen. THAT SAID, I actually really love the combo Imogen Kate (and feel duly conflicted on whether that makes me hypocritical. ha!), and I think Lucy Kate is kind of great too.
4. Um...Lucy from the Peanuts? She wasn't too nice. I can't think of anything too negative.
Honoring Question:
See above for my rambling and complicated answer. Simply put, I think Kate can work in this case.
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Current favorites:
Ephraim /
Tristram /
Benedict /
HamishCordelia /
Winifred /
Edith /
Margaret
Vote on my PNL:
http://www.behindthename.com/pnl/114016