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Original poster

How would you pronounce Caitlin?

62 replies

HollyGoHeavily · 12/10/2010 13:48

Top of our list for DD2 is Caitlin but I am now having a slight wobble due to a friend of mine assuming it would be pronounced wrongly differently to me.

How would you pronounce it? Like 'Kate-Lin' or 'Cat-Lin'?

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Rach109 · 12/10/2010 20:19

definitely Kate - lyn
its a gorgeous name but never Katelyn,Kaitlyn got to be Caitlin!

CheeseandGherkins · 12/10/2010 19:03

My Caitlin was named so for our Irish background so definitely no "americanisms"

Faaamily · 12/10/2010 18:54

It's Cat-leen (Gaelic form of Kathleen), but it has been anglicised / Americanised to Kate-lynn, hasn't it?

ValiumSingleton · 12/10/2010 18:50

Cotchleen, what age is your husband?! is he one of Peig Sayers older brothers?

i say kaytlin, and I know its origins are Irish, a form of kathleen, but I think Caitlin has an American feel.

CheeseandGherkins · 12/10/2010 18:46

My dd is called Caitlin and is pronounced kate-lyn, she's the nicest child you could meet. Only had 1 or 2 people ever say kat-lyn.

5DollarShake · 12/10/2010 18:43

Kate-Lin. Friends of ours - both Irish - have just called their DD Caitlin and also pronounce it Kate-Lin.

Hulababy · 12/10/2010 17:58

Kate-lin

HighlandlassinLondonshire · 12/10/2010 17:55

Kate-Lin :)

fayc84 · 12/10/2010 16:47

Kate-lin. I know a couple of people called Kathleen, but it's spelt like that (not Caitlin)

coatgate · 12/10/2010 16:17

Everyone that I have ever known has been Kate - lyn. But sorry, don't like it much. It was very popular 9 - 10 years ago, and every Caitlin that we came across was extremely unpleasant. But don't let me stop you Grin

GnocchiGnocchiWhosThere · 12/10/2010 16:11

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GnocchiGnocchiWhosThere · 12/10/2010 16:09

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PaulineCampbellJones · 12/10/2010 16:01

Kate- lin
But DH would say (Cotchleen) Kathleen

ZombieChickensHaveNoMercy · 12/10/2010 15:57

DH is indeed Irish :)

overthemill · 12/10/2010 15:48

kate - lin

copying my irish friends who called their middle dc this
are we wrong???

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 12/10/2010 15:47

My mother is irish and she would say 'kathleen'

MotherMountainGoat · 12/10/2010 15:42

DD's middle name is Caitlin, and DH's side of the family is Irish. We took her to a favourite aunt in Ireland when she was a year old who told us with delight she had heard that people in England pronounce cotch-leen as cate-lin and could you believe that and wasn't it funny what the English do.

We didn't fess up that that's how we pronounce Caitlin anyway (although as a middle name it's less of an issue day to day anyway).

The 'tch' is so soft it's very similar to the Welsh 'll' sound.

Ivegotmrbitey - I think a lot of people assumed Caitlin is Welsh as well because of Caitlin Thomas (Dylan Thomas's missus), but she was Irish.

DeborahDeborah · 12/10/2010 15:38

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Ivegotmrbitey · 12/10/2010 15:33

Kate-lin in my area (south west Wales).. Actually always thought it was a Welsh name?

Tortington · 12/10/2010 15:21

kate lin

Rockbird · 12/10/2010 15:19

Cotch-leen, it's my mother's name and over here she's Kathleen not Kate-lin.

sharbie · 12/10/2010 15:18

used to be catlin now katelin for some reason

ZENZIZENZIZENZIC · 12/10/2010 15:16

Kate-lin around my parts here (Ireland).

Patsy99 · 12/10/2010 14:13

Kate-lin

Pumpkinbummum · 12/10/2010 14:12

maryz in NI most people would prounce it Kate-lin (except my dd2 who calls ds's friend cakelin)
which is a reason that I really don't like it as it really should be as maryz say Kat(ch)-leen, my irish teacher would have a fit, we had to to call our friend Cathy, Cait (can't do fada) pronounced Kitch if that makes sense
(it does in my head)