Dh thinks Erin is short for Catherine?

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Just starting to tentatively draw up lists of names.

Dh comes out with, "I really like Erin, and we could always use Catherine on the birth certificate."

He claims that Erin is a perfectly acceptable diminutive of Catherine, and that he knew a few at school. I think he's making it up/remembering wrong/these Erins played a prank on him.

In my books, Catherine can be shortened to Cathy or Katie, but not to Erin??

I've never heard of Erin being short for Catherine but it kind of works.

Never heard of it but it does sound halfway plausible.

Erin is fuck all to do with Catherine. It just contains those letters. It's like shortening Gerald to Al or Jonathan to Nat. No reason why you can't I suppose but it's a bit strange.

Erin is lovely btw.

this made me lol cath'erin! cate, cath is short for catherine but not erin... erin is a great name on its own

It only really works if you pronounce Catherine cath-er-in, surely most people would say cath-rin? I've never heard of anyone who is Erin short for Catherine so perhaps it's only as local thing where your DH grew up.

I know an Erin short for Catherine and a Liam short for William.

What's the thing about having a long name on the birth certificate but never actually using that name??

Erin is a lovely name on its own and doesn't need a long name for the birth certificate!

Erin is a name in its own right. I think it's derived from the Gaelic for Ireland.

Catherine is a completely different name.

The only Erin’s I know are pronounced ‘Air-un’. That doesn’t really fit with the pronunciation of Catherine.

Nope, I think he’s wrong, although can see why he might think that. Erin works fine as a stand-alone name.

Erin is indeed the Gaelic name for the island of Ireland.

Erin is a stand alone name and is the Gaelic name for Ireland (also spelt Eirinn/Eireann). Liam is the Gaelic name for William, not the shortened name.

Actually, that's really clever! Lots of Katherines/Catherines when I was at school in the dark ages and I genuinely thought that I'd heard every possible NN. Clearly not; I think your DH may be some sort of name savant

I've never heard it but I actually think it works! I met an allie the other day that was a nn for Natalie which I'd never even thought of as a nn.

Lol! No it's definitely not .... But I can see how he's worked that out haha

Haven’t heard of it but no reason not to. We get Betty from Elizabeth and it’s no more of a stretch than that.

Bless him.

I guess he is just going by the end of the name Cath-'Erin'(e)

I’m an Erin, definitely not short for Catherine! I can see his train of thought though!

Bless him. Nope! Although I'm glad someone else has these struggles. I wondered out loud what a short form of Eloise could be - DH suggested Louise.

Well he might have a point, although I've never heaRd of Erin being used as a nn for Catherine.
I suppose it does fit as can get Erin out of Catherine

I've never heard Erin shirt for Catherine, but it makes sense, why not?!

Well why not? It actually kind of makes sense, both names are lovely and there are a great many diminutives which make far less sense!

Erin is my dsis name. Its a name in its own right its not short for catherine at all.

It could work I used to work with a Irene that was short for Catherine

A nickname doesn’t have to have any bearing on someone’s ful