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Baby names

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Original poster

Boys name - Cato - ??

52 replies

camerafairy · 04/07/2011 16:33

My OH and I have chosen Cato for our little boy, nothing to do with pink panther, green hornet etc etc, thats Kato - honest thoughts please don't worry you won't offend me i'm just curious.

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SootySweepandSue · 04/07/2011 16:34

It is Spanish for cat you realise?

Original poster
camerafairy · 04/07/2011 16:37

I speak Spanish, and spanish for cat is Gato but thanks

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Original poster
camerafairy · 04/07/2011 16:37

and its pronounced Cayto.... its Latin

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SootySweepandSue · 04/07/2011 16:44

Yes love it with the right pronunciation.

Unfortunately our only Spanish is from my Baby Einstein activity centre which does animal names in foreign languages in a very dodgy electronic voice !

Original poster
camerafairy · 04/07/2011 16:48

Aw thanks, we haven't had good feedback really... but we love it and don't think its TOO weird...but we do get funny reactions from people specifically my dad...haha

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Original poster
camerafairy · 04/07/2011 16:49

as a cat lover i was concerned friends might say 'yeah ok, your love of cats has gone too far now' as its not clear how its pronounced but then its going into that whole changing the spelling territory and i don't know if thats a bit 'chav' arghh!

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Gilberte · 04/07/2011 19:57

I like it a lot but then I'm a fan of Roman names like Cassius,
Octavian etc

SloganLogan · 04/07/2011 20:04

Some boys' names are given an "o" on the end as a nickname.... Tommo, Johnno etc.

It sounds like a nickname for Kate... Kate-o.

joydivisionovengloves · 04/07/2011 20:19

I would just think of Cato the Younger who always came across as a bit of a knobber but then I'm a geek so you should probably ignore me

Original poster
camerafairy · 04/07/2011 20:26

thank you, yeah i'm a geek too then as i was thinking of cato the elder... and he came out with some cool quotes (don't get me wrong i'm not saying slavery is ok as he was a big advocate for) and i like it 'cause its different. thanks Gilberte, I like roman names too, i'm a bit bored of the traditional english names all my friends call their babies

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SpangledPandemonium · 04/07/2011 20:55

I did call my cat Cato (may he rest in peace)

But he was lovely and it is a great name

smartyparts · 04/07/2011 21:02

It does make me think of the Pink Panther, but only old gimmers would make that association!

bonkers20 · 04/07/2011 21:15

My gut reaction was that is sounded like a Japanese commandant or something like that. Boggle. Not sure where that came from.

My concern would be that people pronounce it cat-oh which rhymes with gateaux.

tammy234 · 04/07/2011 21:36

Cato \c(a)-to\ is a boy's name of Latin origin, and the meaning of Cato is "all-knowing". Cato was a high-minded Roman statesman of the time of Julius Caesar.

Lovely name with a great meaning. And not already used by thousand other little boys. Great choice imo!

But then I love latin names - our ds is Quentin.

LieInsAreRarerThanTigers · 04/07/2011 21:43

It is a nice name. I don't think the spelling makes much difference when you tell someone your name you don't generally spell it out (that would be tiresome - my maiden name was bad enough!). I would always think "Not NOW, Kato!" but as smartyparts said younger people, especially other children, will not be aware of the PP connection!

Original poster
camerafairy · 04/07/2011 21:43

thanks tammy :) we like it a lot, the meaning clinched it. Quentin is a nice name too and not common either

bonkers - we do worry a bit peopel will call him cat-oh which is why we toyed withe the spelling but we really like it in the original latin form, so lets just hope people work it out!

we have a cat called quito, pronounced keetoh and the poor boy gets called quit-oh by the vets... quito and cato.....best of friends i'm sure :)

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Original poster
camerafairy · 04/07/2011 21:45

must admit i didn't know it and i'm 29, but some people have mentioned it, and the green hornet.... but its different because its with a C i tell them...!

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Tigertoes · 04/07/2011 23:12

We had Cato, Dogo and Fishoes when I was a kid. Really. But did love them dearly. We now have Cato 2

Original poster
camerafairy · 04/07/2011 23:22

but its not cat-oh its CAYTO! I have a feeling I will be saying that a lot but I cannot go back to the naming board, I will not! Not this far in!

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singersgirl · 04/07/2011 23:28

Where I grew up Cato was the name of a chain of hardware shops (West London). I think they were bought by Robert Dyas some years ago.

MmeLindor. · 04/07/2011 23:34

You will be saying that a lot - CAYTO, not Cat-oh because that is how almost everyone will pronounce it.

I would not have known the correct pronunciation. It made me think of Italian swearwords.

ilovemydogandMrObama · 04/07/2011 23:43

Think it's really cute for a little boy, but would it work for a teenager/man? I don't know, but quite like it.

Bunbaker · 04/07/2011 23:47

"It does make me think of the Pink Panther, but only old gimmers would make that association!"

Yes indeed! That was my first thought as well. I think MmeLindor is right though, and you might spend a lifetime correcting people on the pronunciation.

lottiejenkins · 04/07/2011 23:52

Im afraid i also had visions of Peter Sellers, Burt Kwok and a very rickety four poster bed!! Wink

cupnoodle · 04/07/2011 23:52

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