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Baby names

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

Original poster

Name after a Scottish Loch

86 replies

TheletterZ · 12/02/2023 16:19

What is everyone’s opinions on Katrine as a name.

It is a very beautiful loch in Scotland (DH is Scottish, I’m English). Sir Walter Scott used it to write his lady of the lake poem. But it is also a ‘proper’ name in its own right, which I know is important for mners.

It is pronounced Catrin (which is the Welsh version of the name). Would you pronounce Katrine this way.

Do you like it, love it or loath it?

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BitOutOfPractice · 13/02/2023 08:45

It’s lovely!

as I was opening this thread I was thinking that Lomond would make a lovely name for a boy

Scirocco · 13/02/2023 08:43

For people thinking 'latrine', I wonder if it's a geographical thing, as that genuinely didn't register as an issue for me and I don't think it would be on the radar of most people near me - I think most people here would have the loch as our first association with the name, so would pronounce it as intended (or check if the Gaelic pronunciation was preferred).

BridieConvert · 13/02/2023 08:41

It's a lovely name! but even though I'm Scottish I would still pronounce it Ka-treen on sight,
(Maybe because I'm Katrina so that's just where my mind goes 😂)

Scirocco · 13/02/2023 08:39

I think it's lovely. Slightly unusual and with some gorgeous associations. Go for it!

Twoinapod · 13/02/2023 08:01

@TheletterZ I assume because Katrin is already a well known name, having the e on the end people will assume it’s said different. Also it looks similar to latrine so it’s the way most people will read it.

Original poster
TheletterZ · 13/02/2023 07:54

Interesting how many pronounce it reene at the end.

It has the same ending as Kathrine, which always has the rin sound. Only difference is a missing h in the middle.

As is is named after a place I think we will keep the spelling and hope we don't have to correct that many people. 🤪

OP posts:
Reindear · 12/02/2023 17:41

I would pronounce it as Kat-treen but it looks pretty

Christmascracker0 · 12/02/2023 17:39

I really like Katrine, with or without the E!

Here’s a curveball - in Gaelic it’s Loch Ceiteirein so you could go with Ceit? Pronounced the same as Kate. Gaelic names can be tricky if you live in England but it’s a really pretty name

nameXname · 12/02/2023 17:36

Sorry for typos - more haste less speed.

nameXname · 12/02/2023 17:35

Catriona (pronounced KatREEnah or Katree-uh-nah, with the 'ee' and the 'uh' run together) is a long established Scottish name. A version of the European-wide name 'Catherine', which has numerous spellings. And means 'pure'.

Loch Katrine (KAT-rin) is said to be the English language version of a Gaelic name that means dark and gloomy. Either that, or it's derived from a Gaelic name (English very roughly 'cateran' ) that means 'cattle thief'. The area and near by - RobRoy etc - was indeed the home of cattle raiders.

KAT-rin sounds nice and I'm not at all saying don't use it. It's a lovely loch in a beaurtiful setting that provides drinking water for a lot of Glasgow. But I fear people will try to say Kat-REEN etc etc. So long as you have a plan to cope with that, then good luck.

mauvish · 12/02/2023 17:34

I like it, I'd say Kat-Reen and I wouldn't even think of Latrine.

(Thank god you didn't say Lubnaig!!)

ChesterCheetah · 12/02/2023 17:32

Never in all my life has my mind thought 'latrine' when I've spoken to a Katrine.

Katrine or Katrin are both lovely.

AnotherNameChangeYes · 12/02/2023 17:29

I would pronounce Katrine as Ka-treen. Because it has an ‘e’ on the end.

Catrin would be Ca-trin.

ClosedAuraOpenMind · 12/02/2023 17:28

it's my name ☺️ (slightly outing)
I've always pronounced it to rhyme with latrine - and only one person has ever called me this, fortunately
it does get mispronounced and misspelled quite a lot - which can be a pain with emails etc
but I like that it's unusual, it's pretty rare to come across someone with the same name

thefinaltwist · 12/02/2023 17:28

@Eastereggsboxedupready

Nessie isn't a loch in Scotland anyway

DuchessOfSausage · 12/02/2023 17:25

Awe?

Spanielsarepainless · 12/02/2023 17:25

I love geographical names and this one is so evocative. Really beautiful
Give her a brother called Rannoch perhaps.

Cottagecheeseisnotcheese · 12/02/2023 17:21

it is fine so long as it's not Loch Long or Loch lochy

caringcarer · 12/02/2023 17:19

My dd is called Catrine. She has never had issues with people mispronouncing it. Her friends call her Cat

Slouch · 12/02/2023 17:18

Katrine is way too close to latrine.

TheOriginalEmu · 12/02/2023 17:17

Butterflywing · 12/02/2023 17:11

Too close to Latrine sorry, not a good idea.

However Lokatrine is nice. Loch Katrine 😊

Loch isn’t pronounced lock.

TheOriginalEmu · 12/02/2023 17:16

I love it. I would mispronounce it once, but after that if would be fine. As someone with 5 very welsh names for my kids and my own name being unusual, it’s something you get used to!

Butterflywing · 12/02/2023 17:11

Too close to Latrine sorry, not a good idea.

However Lokatrine is nice. Loch Katrine 😊

ErrolTheDragon · 12/02/2023 17:04

Hedjwitch · 12/02/2023 16:56

Lovely but I would have pronounced it Kah treen.

So would I, but it's easy very to get right once you've been told as it rhymes with Katherine

Twoinapod · 12/02/2023 17:00

I would pronounce it to rhyme with latrine