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Baby names

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

Original poster

Catherine or Kathryn?

85 replies

kardacheyenne · 03/06/2022 22:18

Pros and cons? Is one harder to spell? Is it harder for a Catherine to be Katie? What about Katharine or Katherine or Cathryn even?

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DogsAndGin · 04/06/2022 12:38

Catherine

ivykaty44 · 04/06/2022 12:37

but don't like Kate/Katie/Katy either.

😝

ivykaty44 · 04/06/2022 12:35

I choose the spelling of my 2nd dds name after I had 100 birth cards spelling it one one and two cards spelling it the other way

my theory was, she should go through life with most people spelling her name correctly

WaitinginVain · 04/06/2022 12:32

I like Catherine best but Katharine/Katherine also fine, probably in that order.

Not so keen on Kathryn/Cathryn but don't like Kate/Katie/Katy either.

Hulahihi · 04/06/2022 12:30

Catherine

Starjammer · 04/06/2022 12:29

And yes I was a Katy growing up so the K spelling made sense.

Starjammer · 04/06/2022 12:27

I'm a Katherine but have never had issues with spelling if I just say 'Katherine with a K'. People just seem to spell it like that by default.

pinklavenders · 04/06/2022 12:23

It must be a huge pain to CONSTANTLY spell out the spelling of your name...!

Katharine
Kathryn
Katherine
Catharine
Catherine
Cathryn
ConfusedConfusedConfused

threecupsofteaminimum · 04/06/2022 12:08

Definitely Catherine. It's just classier, K names are a bit faux and American and that dreaded K obsessed family esque for me now, sorry.

KirstenBlest · 04/06/2022 12:07

Cate and Catie look like typos

LadyMonicaBaddingham · 04/06/2022 12:02

Catherine can be Cate or Catie as easily as Cath, Cathy or Cathie.

Her choice 😊

Musicaltheatremum · 04/06/2022 12:00

ancientgran · 04/06/2022 08:44

I like Catherine. Don't know why, just do.

I always have loved Catherine. It's my daughter's name. She is now Cathy from her senior school days when there was a Catherine, Katherine Kathryn and another I forget so they all had to individualise the name. My parents and my brother call her Catherine. Everyone else Cathy.

Mumoftwoinprimary · 04/06/2022 11:55

Depends if you want to shorten it. We always planned to shorten to Kate / Katie so it made sense to us to use a K. We preferred Katie to Katy so Katherine / Katharine made more sense than Kathryn. I then googled and discovered that Katherine was far more popular than Katharine so I went with it.

Needmorelego · 04/06/2022 11:53

I know/knew a Catherine, Catherine (always called Cathy), a Kathy (just Kathy - not short for anything), 2 × Kathryn.
I will always be biased towards Catherine because that's a family member 😂.

DuchessOfSausage · 04/06/2022 11:49

Katharine if shortening to Kate.
Catherine otherwise

Fifthtimelucky · 04/06/2022 11:47

I like Catherine most and Kathryn least.

I pronounce Catherine (or Katharine/Katherine) with 3 syllables, although the middle syllable isn't very long, but Kathryn with 2 syllables.

holdingonforahero · 04/06/2022 10:51

I think Kathryn is the most common Scottish spelling?

LizzieBet14 · 04/06/2022 10:08

Katherine - but if you're going to shorten it I prefer Cate from Catherine.

CloseYourEyesAndSee · 04/06/2022 10:04

Katherine or Catherine
not Kathryn or Cathryn

bluechameleon · 04/06/2022 09:14

I like Katharine best, then Catherine. I'm not keen on Kathryn.

GreenCat44 · 04/06/2022 08:54

My mum is a Catherine and wishes she was nicknamed Cate with a C like Cate Blanchett (she is a Cath)

MrsBertBibby · 04/06/2022 08:54

Katharine is the best. Then
Katherine
Catherine
Kathryn
Cathryn

flowerycurtain · 04/06/2022 08:49

We went Katherine. Same as Katherine of Aragon was my thought process!!

Paddingtonsmarmlade · 04/06/2022 08:49

I prefer Catherine or Katherine rather than Kathryn

how are you intending on pronouncing it cath-er-in or kath-ryn?

3monkeybars · 04/06/2022 08:48

I'm Kathryn and it's lovely but you ALWAYS have to tell people how to spell it, and when I say "Kathryn with a K and Y" they quite often don't get it. That said I prefer it to Catherine 😂