My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Baby names

Pronouncing Caitlin?

33 replies

Clawdy · 22/03/2013 17:11

We nearly picked Caitlin for DD's name years ago. I thought of it as "Kate-lin" though I knew as it is Irish it was more likely to be pronounced "Cat-lin". Now a friend from Northern Ireland tells me it is pronounced more like "Cash-lin". How do you say it? The two Caitlins I knew were both "Kate-lin"......

OP posts:
Report
SummerInSicilia · 22/03/2013 17:15

I'm from Northern Ireland, "Cash-lin" is news to me, never heard of that. Definitely Kate-lin.

Report
Trills · 22/03/2013 17:16

If you live in England most people will probably say Kate-lin.

Caitlin Moran says Cat-lin.

Report
Mutt · 22/03/2013 17:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

soontobeslendergirl · 22/03/2013 17:21

Generally in Scotland it is pronounced Kate lin, but i think it's supposed to be Kath leen or similar Confused

Report
halecromp · 22/03/2013 17:23

Kate-lin

Report
mrsbungle · 22/03/2013 17:23

I say Kate - Lin. (Scottish)

Report
badtime · 22/03/2013 17:23

I'm from Northern Ireland.
Kate-lin is not an authentic pronunciation, but it is in use among non-Irish-speakers in Ireland. The names has been popularised by Americans. I've heard those buggers pronounce Aisling as 'ase-ling'.
The Irish pronunciation varies between (sort-of) Cotch-leen, Cawtch-leen and indeed Cach-leen (bear in mind, the traditional Anglicisation is Kathleen).

Report
Thewhingingdefective · 22/03/2013 17:24
Report
wedontplaywithelectrics · 22/03/2013 17:58

I'm English and pronounce it Kate-Lin x

Report
MamaBlue4 · 22/03/2013 19:12

My Niece is called Kaitlyn which I guess is the same just different spelling and we pronounce it Kate-lin

Report
MajaBiene · 22/03/2013 19:16

I'm aware it should be pronounced something like Cotchleen, but also that most English speakers use Kate-lin or Cat-lin these days.

Report
ElegantSufficiency · 22/03/2013 19:22

Coythchleen or cotchleen
But unless you're Peig Sayers you can say Caitlin! I'm Irish and I'd raise an eyebrow now if somebody said, this is my daughter cotchleen. Unless maybe they went to a gaelscoil in which case i'd raise my eyebrown again {joke}

Report
Letticetheslug · 22/03/2013 19:32

I've always said Kat-lin, but my friend's daughter is Kate-lin,
...

Report
MTSgroupie · 22/03/2013 19:36

Where were you ladies when I needed you last week? :)

Some (English?) posters insisted that the correct pronunciation for Caitlin was 'Kath-leen'. I fruitlessly tried to make the point that it was an Irish name and however the Irish pronounced it was the 'correct' pronunciation.

Report
Ficidy · 22/03/2013 22:23

I'm Irish too and would pronounce it Coyt-leen. There should actually be a fada (accent) above the 'a' and the last 'i'. This name drives me mad because nobody pronounces it properly nowadays. It's the Irish for Kathleen, but most people don't seem to know that.

I think if you're (by this, I mean the vast number of people who have anglicised the name Caitlin) going to call your child Katelynn, then spell it like that, not a totally different name that should be pronounced differently.

Report
Startail · 22/03/2013 22:32

Kate-Lin here of Welsh extraction I believe.

Report
Haylebop12 · 22/03/2013 22:36

Dds middle name is caitlyn, pronounced Kate-Lin. Few family members couldn't get the hang of it and tried to say cat-a-Lin before being promptly corrected!

Report
ballroomblitz · 22/03/2013 22:37

I say Kate-Linn myself. I'm in NI and have a southern friend who pronounces her name Catch-Linn.

Report
WafflyVersatile · 22/03/2013 22:40

I'm fairly sure the Scottish one I know is Kate-lin.

Report
Iwishiwasasleep · 22/03/2013 22:43

It's like Cotch-leen in Irish in the dialect I learned anyway. I know 2 Katelyns. If you were going to pronounce it Katelyn then why not spell it that way.

Report
simplesusan · 22/03/2013 23:45

I always thought it was Kathleen, pronounced something like Cot ch leen, as there is definately no th sound.

Report
Clawdy · 23/03/2013 08:12

Interesting replies,looks like Caitlin has become an anglicized name in some ways.

OP posts:
Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

MamaBlue4 · 23/03/2013 16:07

MTSgroupie I'm English and I've always pronounced it Kate-lin, like I said my niece is called it. Tbh I've never been heard it called anything else so this is all new to me!

Report
Stokes · 23/03/2013 20:51

Completely agree with Ficidy, I would spell is Cáitlín and pronounce it Coyt-leen. I think Caitlín pronounced Cotchleen is fine too. Caitlin pronounced Katelynn makes my teeth itch.

Report
OkayHazel · 24/03/2013 15:15

Kate-lin at my end!

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.