Shortening Names...

[GrownUpSparkler]

AIBU to think that Catherine is Cate or Cat shortened, and not Kate... where's the blooming K come from?

I'm a Kathryn and my name is Katy or Kat shortened, and I would be Kate if I chose to be, but not Cate or Care.

And another thing... I have a Y in my name so it's K...A...T...Y, so where does everyone who spells my name Katie get the letters from?

Am I just bitter after years of having my name wrong on everything?

Okay I know my debate is flimsy give the Cathy/Kathy thing... but really, why so many spellings of one name? Catherine, Katherine, Kathryn... do I have like the eighties version of the change a letter to make the name personalised?

Yeah, things are slow here tonight... anyway...

Nah. Cate is just wrong, if logical

And you forgot Katharine

This annoyed me a lot when the Royal Wedding was on, she is Catherine yet they get called Wills and Kate!

Tell that to Cate Blanchett...

I am an Abi short for Abigail, yet I get:- Abbey, Abby, Abbi, Aby - why add Bs and Ys - surely the obvious shortening of Abigail is Abi?

I'm Katharine. One reason I ask everyone to call me Kate is that it is the most common spelling and I can't bear to be called Kathy.

I've had 50 years of having Katharine spelled incorrectly. I'm bitter too.

If, say, in a totally hypothetical world, I was perhaps, maybe called Catherine I am fairly certain that I would probably be known as Cat. If that was my name you understand. I would hate to be called Kate - it has no relevance to my name. Hypothetically.

And Catherine is the correct spelling

It is personal choice-people can do what they like. If I was Catherine I would choose Kate, I don't like Cate and I hate Cat.

Catherine is the correct spelling. And it shortens nicely to Kathy, if you like that sort of thing. Cate is just silly.

I mean, what next? Citty? :o

YANBU!

I'm Katie and often get my name spelt Katy. Even DP did it when we started dating. Where does the Y come from? I didn't put it there. My parent's didn't put it there.

Other spellings people have used include: Caty, Catie, Katey, Catey and Katiey.

Worst offender was a supply teacher at primary school who was convinced my name was Catherine for the entire 2 days she was teaching, because "Katie is not a proper name."

Cate is just silly. Kate is the usual nickname for Catherine, Katherine etc.

Catherine isn't the 'correct' spelling. Katherine and Catherine both go back to at least 3rd century. They both have a huge number of diminutives.

Shortening names drives me mad anyway unless someone asks you what you prefer. My close friends call me Bronnie or Bron (my name's Bronwyn) but I can't abide when someone I have met 5 minutes previously calls me Bron, it's so over familiar. I'm a miserable old cow though so that may explain my chagrin.

I'm a Katharine too, shortened to Kate, always thought it was the least popular spelling but maybe not given this thread!
It's never spelt properly on anything I haven't written myself.
But I digress ... Always thought of it being shortened to Kate etc., regardless of whether you're a K or a C. I suppose Cate makes sense though, it just looks odd because it's far less common I suppose.

pft

DD is Catherine because it just looked 'right' to me when we were choosing spellings. But I hate Cathy and Cat so I'm hoping she gets Kate or Katie when she's older. I could cope with Cate but gain, Kate just looks more correct.

If it's good enough for the Duchess of Cornwall, it's good enough for my DD

My name is exactly the same as yours OP with the same spelling, and I've had soooooo many spelling variations over the years, which completely irritates me. The worst thing examples are people I email from my work email address where my name is not only in my email address but I sign off with it, and they reply spelling my name wrong, ffs . I tend to use the full version of my name as I'm not keen on any of the diminutives and I hate it when people shorten it, especially if they've only just met me.

DS's name is similar in that it can be shortened. When he was born many people automatically started calling him by a common diminutive, until I pulled them up on it. When he gets older he can choose to shorten it if he wishes but it's the full version for now, if you please.

Cate dosn't look right, but I do think Catherine shortens to Cathy and Katherine shortens to Kathy.

Not all short names contain the exact same letters however.

E.G Rebecca often becomes Becky - There is no B, K or Y in Rebecca but no-one questions that?

DD is Katherine with a K - she is Katie or Kate, but gets really cross to be labelled Kary and I don't blame her.

And the number of people who think I can't spell my own (shortened) name correctly even though it is in my email signature block has to be seen to be believed, though I won't put is here because it is unusual and might out me.

I know how to spell my own name, OK?

Sacre - um... there is a B in ReBecca...

Our daughter is a Catherine. It was always our intention to shorten it to Cat (I'm not a big fan of Cathy) but somehow she's become Kitty-Cat to me and Catherine-Katie to her daddy. For short. Obviously.

[now I've totally outed myself].

How its spelt is largely immaterial since she's not writing yet and we've never written anything other than her proper name. and lets face it, Citty just looks as though its missing an L.

I'm a Catherine but have ALWAYS been a Katie.. I know it doesn't technically go but it's just who I am - why my parents didn't just call me Katie, I'll never know as it comes from them...

Did spend many years at school with a teacher who called me Cathy as just didn't get the whole Katie thing - made me very cross as he KNEW I hated it...

I always seem to get a Y added to - just one of those things I guess...

Due to this, I always ask people if they mind shortenings of names as it can seem very overly familiar...

Nice to see so many of us are on here though - I do know a 1yo called Katherine but that's it... compared to some names, it is definitely not going as strong as when I was smaller

I'm Fullname. Don't shorten it please. I do, and if when I do, you may... but please don't take it upon yourself to do so, especially with a one of your choice as my name isn't naturally given to being shortened.

:o

Cathryn lived operated me as a child Catherine was in my class at school kathryn did my course at collage and with a friend of DDs spelling it katherine. I've now met what I hope is the full set.
Just don't start on Isabel, Isobel, Isabelle, Isabella. DDs ballet lessons have the lot, several in the same group and of course they try and "simplify it" by shortening them to Issy and Izzie as if pulling extra ss and nonexistent zs out of the ether helps confirmed mothers have a clue which one you mean