Opinions on Katherine?

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We have a Theodore, who goes by Teddy.

We like Katherine, with the NN Katie.

Does it 'go'?

General opinions on Katherine?

Dull, average, overused, plain.

Absolutely lovely !

Only 187 in the U.K last year- hardly overused!

Lovely, and so many nn. The spelling is a bit of a thing, but I think people will usually ask "Is that a C or a K?" and she can correct them from there.

Lovely name.

I LOVE IT. I never like the names on MN :) but I love Theodore/Teddy/Ted and I LOVE Katherine. I'm totally biased though, as I'm a Katherine, and I love the name and the spelling.

I was a Katie from 0-11, then my Mum suggested I change it to Kate when we moved and I started secondary. That's a bit controlling of her, looking back on it, but I love being a Kate. I love my name.

Kates are never sensible, though. Be warned. Every other Kate I've met has been slightly off the wall. :)

Oh, and the spelling has never been an issue. Everyone can spell Kate, and I very, very rarely use the full version.

Katherine is a lovely, timeless, and classic name, with lots of nn choices as she grows up.

It's a lovely name but personally I'd avoid because I hate Kath.

Lovely name and definitely not overused - surprisingly low down on the ONS statistics - as PP said, only 187 born last year

I love Katherine

Genuinely shocked at how much love there is for this name. To me it sounds plain, average, ordinary, run of the mill, boring. Not offensive- as its not interesting or exciting enough to be so, but definitely not particularly pretty/feminine or elegant sounding either.

Lovely but prefer nn Kate to Katie.

Scatty.... that's because it's a beautiful name!!

Beautiful, classic, strong, feminine name.

I think there are a few 40 year old Katie's, Catherine's about so feels more common?

I've a Katherine (Kate). I banned the use of Katie but inevitably it slips in.

Lovely name, but looks stronger and more refined with a C

It's a really boring name. And will be frequently misspelled but I suppose it's not a name she'll ever be embarrassed by.

I don't like Katie though, it's very twee even for a chubby newborn. Kate is a much better choice.

Also, Teddy and Katie? Sounds a bit Forever Friends.

Boooooring. So many Katherine's and Kate's in their 30s. Must know at least a dozen in my social circle. Even if I didn't it's just so deeply underwhelming and ordinary, nothing stands out about it at all. Is that what you want for your daughter?

I think it's lovely. Yes I know quite a few in their 30s but so what. I also know lots of 30 something Alices, Eleanors, Emilys, Sophies, Elizabeths and plenty of other names still popular today. Some names are just classic, that's why they get reused in every generation.

I'm surprised how on some threads people advise against a name based on constantly spelling it out. But not many seem bothered about having to spell out Kathryn, Katharine, Katherine, Catherine, Catharine.... That would bother me personally.

Very few names don't need spelling out.

Except maybe Jayne. Jayne has it really easy, lucky girl.

Jayne would certainly not have it easy as I would assume she was Jane!

I think there's a difference between some of the names/pronunciations people consider and Katherine (or any other classic name with a common variant spelling).

'My name is Katherine.'
'Which spelling of Katherine is it?'
'Starts with a K and erine at the end.'

Job done.

'My name is [something the other person has never heard before but sounds like Cerise].'
'Spelled C-e-r-i-s-e?'
'No, C-h-r-y-s-e-i-s.'
'Sorry, I thought you said your name was Cerise?'
'Yes, that's right.'
'But Chryseis is pronounced Krisayis, I thought.'
'I pronounce it Cerise.'
'OK...'

[One of my children was at school with a Chryseis pronounced Cerise. I would imagine it has caused her a fair amount of annoyance over the years.]

I was joking about Jayne having it easy. Point is, almost every name has a stupid, "creative" variant that means even the most basic name could be confusing to someone who went to school with Jayne, Haylee, Laireesa, etc.