Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Is this a terribly boring girls name?

61 replies

BarbieLovesKen · 03/02/2011 09:46

As I've mentioned on here before, we are definate on Kate if this LO is a girl.

We've started on middle names and for a while were going to go with Kate Gabrielle/a (as Gabrielle/a was a close second), which I think is beautiful.

DH has now suggested that we use my mother's name as a middle name. This really is very ..well fitting I suppose, as my mother is a massive part of our lives - we are both very close to her. She has no other DC other than myself and my dad and her divorced when I was very young and its just been us two ever since.

Our DC and her have an unusually close relationship. She adores them and vice versa. She is extremely helpful and supportive and although she drives us crazy at times, we both dont know what we'd do without her.

I know that if we told her we were naming this baby after her it would really mean the absolute world to her and so, for these reasons everything points to using her name over Gabrielle/a.

Thing is, Kate - albeit beautiful imo, is very plain and simple imo and my mothers name is Anne.

Kate Anne. Both one syllable names, both lovely but is not very, very boring and... meh???

Would love to hear any thoughts

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
diddl · 04/02/2011 09:14

I think that Kate Anne is boring & dioesn´t flow.

Rather Catherine Anne

Or Anna or Hannah as a first name after your mum.

Anna Kate?

Hannah Kate?

mannicmummyhavinaiccy · 04/02/2011 08:50

I think Kate Anne is very pretty, but why no use all three names? All my family have 2 MN :)
I just started a similar thread, re my mum,aren't Mums great! :)

Katz · 04/02/2011 08:11

Id personally go for kathryn as the full name and call her Kate. I'm not keen on nn as full names.

I really like Kathryn Anne as a name.

Dreya · 04/02/2011 08:00

Another vote for using all 3 names. Kate Gabriella Anne. I love the name Gabrielle/a and it is on my list for DD1 (3 days overdue now!) Lovely idea to include your Mums name too. I bet she will be thrilled. :)

JoanofArgos · 03/02/2011 12:08

Depends if you like Katie better than Kate! Which I don't. But I still think you should have Katharine on the birth certificate, even if you never ever use it, cos that's the actual name!

Original poster
BarbieLovesKen · 03/02/2011 12:08

oops X posts shouldnotbehere thank you Grin you kind of answered that!!

OP posts:
Original poster
BarbieLovesKen · 03/02/2011 12:07

Thanks everyone for the replies - finding them very helpful and taking all on board. I love Gabrielle/a but also love Kate. DH isnt crazy about Gabrielle but loves Kate so that was the decider and I think its fair plus its much more suited to our other dc's names imo.

I really was beginning to sway towards Kate Gabriella Anne for a minute there as some of you had suggested as it really is lovely but am now also taking the point that she'll be known as Kate. Anne/ Gabriella just isnt going to be used on a day to day basis so it really doesnt matter.

Glittershoes, although we are definate on Kate for birth cert we were intending on using Katie while shes little - do people think that sounds better?

OP posts:
shouldnotbehere · 03/02/2011 12:03

I love Katie Anne together. Perhaps with Kate as nn.

glittershoes · 03/02/2011 11:59

Personally I would use all three but I understand why you are reluctant.

Kate Anne is very classic but if you are worried about the abruptness, perhaps you could lengthen one of the names?

Katie/Katy Anne
Kate Annie

LiquoriceLila · 03/02/2011 11:54

kate is a boring name imo, Gabriella is much much nicer

NotJustKangaskhan · 03/02/2011 11:42

I'd talk to your mum about it, possibly discuss using names with Anne in it like:

Annora, Annabel, Annette, Brianne (kinda mix of the two names), Orianne, Rosanne, Vivianne.

I think Kate Anne sounds fine, but it depends on your naming style (I typically prefer long names - the more syllables to shout, the more satisfying Grin )

I agree with others that having all three would also be nice, even with a fourth confirmation name. I come from a family where two middle names is traditional, and mine also have Hebrew names on top of that and they've never had a problem having 4-5 names as they never really use all of them. My eldest actually likes having so many names and announces tham proudly.

JamieLeeCurtis · 03/02/2011 10:57

prefer

JamieLeeCurtis · 03/02/2011 10:57

And I refer Catherine/Katherine to Kate

JamieLeeCurtis · 03/02/2011 10:55

Kate Anne is not a problem IMO - you don't go around saying both names at the same time anyway

But (I know I'm being cheeky), Gabriella is a much nicer first name

1234ThumbWar · 03/02/2011 10:41

I agree with everyone else, go for KGA. My ds has three names for similar reasons, two are single syllable names and didn't sound good together. Then we threw in my step father's name and it sounds lovely and step father is very happy.

BlessedAssurance · 03/02/2011 10:38

Kate Gabriella Anne is beautiful.

Original poster
BarbieLovesKen · 03/02/2011 10:36

Just seen allyle's post too - I think although I like Gabrielle more, the reasons behind Anne make so much more sense.

OP posts:
Original poster
BarbieLovesKen · 03/02/2011 10:33

Actually thats a really good point RufousBartleby. Its a good timeless name really and I know its not going to date/ go out of fashion. Smile

Thanks thirtysomething and noddyholder - our surname is two syllables so it does kind of work.

Charlieboo, its a good point regarding confirmation name (I havent used mine since either) but I cant help but take it into consideration. Btw, I think Felicity is lovely.

OP posts:
ThatllDoPig · 03/02/2011 10:31

I think Kate Anne is lovely. Both classic beautiful names, and it would mean a lot to the mum. Go for it.

My dd has one syllable names for first and middle, and it's never even crossed my mind about them being too short.

RufousBartleby · 03/02/2011 10:28

Love the name Kate Anne or Kathryn Anne - really pretty. I keep hearing so many complicated and supposedly 'unusual' names around at the moment that a simple name like this really would be...er...unusual :)

thirtysomething · 03/02/2011 10:25

I think Kate Anne is lovely, and whilst both are short names you don't really use them together all that much - I guess as long as your surname isn't mega-short it scans fine.

Another alternative if you are really against using two short names might be to use a name which is close to Anne? So Anna or Annabel spring to mind.

Am a massive fan of classic names that suit the person at all ages and you really, really can't go wrong with Kate!

CharlieBoo · 03/02/2011 10:23

Yeah I'd use all three names. Kate Anne Gabriella. Kate and Gabriella are wildly different names. I love Gabriella. Kate for me is dull, but a lot of people like it.

Also, I am RC and your confirmation name is not a formal part of your name...I have never used mine on anything since my confirmation day...thank god! I picked Felicity...God knows why!

noddyholder · 03/02/2011 10:20

I prefer it too

Original poster
BarbieLovesKen · 03/02/2011 10:18

Ooh good Wigglesrock (re confirmation issue) so Im not the only one whos worrying about this!! (What were you thinking of?)

Thanks Hedwig, I do like the sound of Kate Gabrielle Anne though. Am just worrying that it looks like an after thought (use of Anne) as my other 2 dc have "just" the two name and having more isnt really the done thing around here (not that that bothers me in the least, I just want the proper sentiment put forward - not for my mother to think I really just stuck her name in there as an after thought)

noteven you arent being negative at all! its a good point. Yes, the confirmation name generally is the last one. I also thought that about Diana (which is a lovely name imo)...

OP posts:
allyfe · 03/02/2011 10:17

I think Kate Anne is lovely because I love Kate and your reasons for Anne are perfect. And you dd is lucky - we used my husbands grandmothers name because we knew it would mean so much to her. But I'm not at all keen on her name which is Eileen. Go for it.

Swipe left for the next trending thread