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Baby names

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

Original poster

Help convince me this name is nice please!

57 replies

thistlemuncher · 13/01/2012 09:11

I just can't get excited about the name that "we" have chosen for our baby. Catherine (pronounced Catrine as DH is French native language).

It's the only name that DH suggested that was acceptable, but I'm not a great fan. Which is stupid as it fits my criteria of being Greek roots and multi-lingual. Except that all of my family will pronounce it wrong... I think my main dislike is that I know so many, it's the most common name in my year group so I went to school/uni with loads and find it, well, boring. DH always refers to bump by name now, so it's a bit late to change it. He's also adamant that we have to have the French spelling and pronunciation.

I'm trying to come up with nicknames that I can use, but I know so many people called Kate, Katie, Kat, Cat, Kitty that I can't imagine using any of them for a baby.

Please tell me a nice thing about this name and any other suggestions for nicknames?

(I'm also well aware people are going to say we've given the name because I'm British and constantly ask if it's because of the Royal family)

OP posts:
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catrin · 14/01/2012 10:44

Clearly biased, but great name!

Rikalaily · 14/01/2012 10:50

My name is Catherine Grin I don't like the French pronounciation though, it sounds too old for a baby/little girl.

katykuns · 14/01/2012 10:53

Hehe Catherine or actually Kathryn would be a name on our list... however, I am Caitriona and referred to as Kate! So would be a bit... inappropriate lol.

I will say, have a 5 year old, and since she has been born, I haven't come across one Catherine (or other version of the name) in anything I have done with my daughter, so my instinct would be that its not incredibly common anymore... which would be a bonus.

But seriously, if you don't like it, in my experience, you never really warm to it. Try talking to your partner carefully about it, you could have Catherine made into a middle name so not to lose it altogether?

perplexedpirate · 14/01/2012 10:54

I'm afraid it reminds me of latrine too.

Kayano · 14/01/2012 10:55

I'm in the same position with DH pleading to call our baby 'Sophie'

I just can't get excited about
Such a 'meh' name

ragged · 14/01/2012 10:57

I love Katrina (& most versions of Katherine, although not Caitlin).
Katya is a Russian name in my mind, not a NN for something else.

DD & DS3 have "acceptable" names. Sometimes it's a matter of compromise. DH loves DD's name & we wrangled so much over DS2's name I didn't have energy to wrangle over DS3. :)

zipzap · 14/01/2012 12:01

Just start calling your bump something different that you want.

Calling the bump Catherine now is fairly territorial and staking his claim on the name and fixing it now so it can't be changed later on. Even if it's a 'bump' name rather than a baby name, if you are both calling it different names then when it is born there is no fixed name, you can see what seems right.

If you didn't like any other of his choices and he didn't like yours, I would sit down and make another list each and see if anything else crops up.

At least it will show him that as far as you are concerned you haven't chosen a name for your dd yet - the more he calls the bump and you don't say anything then it will happen by default.

As someone who ended up with a second name for ds2 (3) that was because dh didn't like any of my choices and we were there at the registrars and it had to be done and I still think 'how on earth did I end up with a child with a second name of xxx?' and it still upsets me so I can imagine it would be a whole lot worse for the first name to be one that you feel very unexcited by.

I'd exploit your pg hormones and just get cross at dh for continually calling the bump 'his' name and say that you are not going to call your dd a name you don't like (time to get decisive that you don't like it - doesn't sound like you like it from your op) and if you're around others who say anything about the name or hear dh using Catherine then just say that the collective 'we' haven't decided on a name yet and that dh is trying to influence you but that the more you hear it the less you like it and the only thing he is doing is confirming that you know you don't want to call your dd Catherine.

Good luck - start looking at new names (trawl through the mn names, find lists of scottish, celtic, welsh, spanish, russian, etc etc names for inspiration) and name books and see if you can find something you both love!

mathanxiety · 14/01/2012 15:55

I think you need to have a talk with your DH. If you can't get excited about it and he won't hear of anything else then you should both back away from it. He can't expect to dictate on this matter and have you just go along despite your feelings. This is more of a relationship dynamics thing than a naming process. I agree with ZipZap's assessment and I don't like what he is doing.

How about
Leonie
Anouk
Theoni
Laura
Manon
Marguerite

EightiesChick · 14/01/2012 16:35

Well, if your DH got to veto Charlotte, I think it's time to exercise your veto for Catherine and go back to the drawing board. Agree with the two posts above. Though also as katykuns suggests, you could go with the compromise of Cat(he)rine as a middle name. But you need to come up with a first name you are both at peace with.

bemybebe · 14/01/2012 16:42

There is no "russian" name Katya. There is a shortened/NN Katya or Katia from Ekaterina.

Catherine, whichever way you pronounce it is fab.

vitaminC · 14/01/2012 16:56

Why would you have to pronounce it the French way when speaking English?
My kids are bilingual and answer to both pronunciations of their names. They use the French version to introduce themselves when speaking French and the English version when speaking English. It's never been a problem. Same with my name, actually.

I would say, however, that Catherine is very dated here in France. I know many, many Catherines here, but all are aged 45-55! It was one of those extremely trendy names that peaked in the 1960s and very specifically "labels" its wearers as belonging to that generation (like Nathalie, Stéphanie, Christine...).
I don't know about Switzerland, but here in France (and I'm close to the Swiss border) it would certainly seem a strange choice of name for a baby in 2012...

vitaminC · 14/01/2012 17:00

If you're looking for a Greek-origin name, that's multi-lingual, how about Mélanie or Alexandra?

Onion1968 · 14/01/2012 22:23

The name Catherine is lovely BUT if you spell it like that your daughter will spend her life saying "no it's Catrine, not Catherine" or "it's spelt C.A....etc"

You are making a HUUUUUGE decision - it needs to be the right one for all of you, not just a half hearted attempt by you to go along with your husband's wishes.
What about Celine?
I agree with the previous poster who said you and your man need to make a new list.

mathanxiety · 15/01/2012 04:12

Ariane? (originally Ariadne)

sashh · 15/01/2012 07:17

Nice things? Er it means trouble, sometimes mistranslated as pure - so pure trouble.

You could use Catrina or Catriona or even Caitlin for nn.

BettyBedlam · 15/01/2012 12:33

Why do you have to agree with a name you are not really pleased with, rather than your husband agreeing to a name HE is not really pleased with? Who's going to be going through labour here? Grin.

I would insist on coming up with a name you both love if you can.

BettyBedlam · 15/01/2012 12:36

Also, if it bugs you now, just wait until you are a hormonal, sleep deprived mother three months in and it will annoy you a hell of a lot more then when you've been up all night and he is asleep beside you!

kelly2000 · 16/01/2012 11:31

Well unless DH is the first pregnant man, it is not really up to him and him alone what you call the baby. It should be a joint decision. If you have to ask strangers to help you like a name, you obviously do nto like it, so just veto it.
what area of Switzerland do you live in, the french part? because apart from the fact it is pronounced differently there is the accent issue. pronouncing something the french way with a British, italian, or german accent might make the name sound odd and unnatural in speech.

kelly2000 · 16/01/2012 11:36

and you will get fed up with people asking if you are a royalist naming her after prince williams wife.

shouldnotbehere · 16/01/2012 12:58

It's a beautiful classic name. Perhaps Cate as a shortening for your English family.

My friend is married to a French man and they have Isabelle, which works for both English and French family.

Original poster
thistlemuncher · 17/01/2012 08:26

Helen is too close to my sister's name, Isabelle is a version of mine, DH did suggest it, but we decided it would be weird. DS is Alexander, but I'm not sure I've ever called him that more than a handful of times. Sorry Louplet, but the names on your list are too French for me. I don't want an obviously French name, I want a name of Greek origin and it has to work in German as well (DH's other native language) and we live in a bilingual French/German city.

Kayano - DH also came up with Sophie and I think the same as you!

There will be no middle name as DS doesn't have one.

I think I might suggest Melanie, that's growing on me! Thanks for your comments

OP posts:
AllThreeWays · 17/01/2012 08:46

How about Trinny as a nn

AllThreeWays · 17/01/2012 08:46

Or does Stephanie fit the bill?

TinkerMaloo · 17/01/2012 11:06

My name is Catherine and I love my name! (thanks mam)

People tend to call me either Cat or Catherine.

Kitty/Katie is really cute for a baby! However it kind of irks me that people spell derivatives with a K when it should be with a C...

Katya is cool too!

Heatherhills · 17/01/2012 14:58

what about Catriona, pronounced Catrina?