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Baby names

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

Catherine/Katherine

52 replies

123Dancewithme · 13/08/2020 10:23

Is it dated? Would you be surprised to hear it on a baby born in 2020? I really like it but I’m concerned it’s more of a “mum name”

Also, which spelling do you prefer and which shortening do you like? I think Kitty is quite nice.

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MikeUniformMike · 13/08/2020 13:13

I prefer Katharine if you are going to use Kitty or Kate as a day to day name. Not keen on Kathryn, seems very 1960s.
Cathy must be due a comeback

drspouse · 13/08/2020 14:04

@Caaat I know a few of your vintage - school mums, local prominent people.

I guess aged 30/40/50 you might quite like to have a name that not everyone has. I have an 8 year old who has an unusual name (his grandfather has the name though and he likes that - but he won't meet any dads with that name) and a 6 year old who meets multiple grannies with that name and just seems a bit "meh" about it.

Daisychainsandglitter · 13/08/2020 14:34

My DD's name is Katherine and she was born in 2014.
I think it's very versatile and timeless.

ILoveStickers · 13/08/2020 14:54

I'm one, and it has served me well. Great name (though there are a fair few about). The different spellings thing is just one of those things - everyone knows it has different spellings, so usually people just ask.

The youngest one I know is a baby (family wanted a name that worked in both France and England).

Fishfingersandwichplease · 13/08/2020 15:18

Love it, it is my best friend's name she spells it with a C but personally l prefer it with a K.

weegiemum · 13/08/2020 16:12

I have one who is 20 now and at Art school, though only her grandparents call her by her full name now. She's Kathy to us (has been since she was about 8) and Kat at work/uni.

foxtiger · 13/08/2020 22:16

I prefer the spelling Catherine, but would probably go for Katherine if I was planning to use Kitty for short. If she always goes by Kitty then people will assume her initial is K and it could cause problems with administrative things further down the line.

eldeeno · 13/08/2020 22:49

I have a Katherine, known as Kitty. I prefer the name spelt with a C, but I taught a Catherine known as Kate, when I was pregnant and she said the worst thing about her name was the C/K confusion. It was a nightmare and advised me not to do it. So I have a Katherine with a K.

She was the only Katherine / Kitty at her primary school and there is another Katherine in her year, but she is the only Kitty in her secondary school.

She likes her name, more so than my eldest who had a much more fashionable name. And she never gets comments that "my mum / aunt / gran is called that". I think because Katherine is more like Elizabeth - it's always there as a name, people of all ages are called it, rather than a Helen which is rather dated as name. There's also enough of them that she can occasionally find her name on pens / notelets etc, which pleases her :-)

The one thing that did annoy her was the Hello Kitty phase. For a while, people would always say it and buy her Hello Kitty things for her birthday. She doesn't like Hello Kitty, so that did annoy her. Thankfully that is out of fashion now.

We chose because we couldn't agree on a name, and it had a lot of nickname potential, but actually I really like it - it is a timeless classic.

Toobroody · 13/08/2020 22:58

I love it! But I am biased because I am a Katherine. I am known as Kitty to family but have gone by other names, Kat and Kath as well. It's a really nice versatile name.
I love the nickname Kitty, it is really unique. I did get slight teasing over it in my school years but I was never that bothered.

Kokeshi123 · 14/08/2020 02:26

I like it. It's timeless, not dated. I don't think it's at all the same thing as being called Jennifer or Sandra (overused in the 70s and 80s). And it has a lot of nicknames---Kitty, Kaye, Katy, Kate....

danascully96 · 14/08/2020 04:25

I would've initially said Catherine, but there are some strong point about the nn "Kitty" starting with a K, so therefore the natural assumption would be Katherine. Such a darling name!

keiratwiceknightly · 14/08/2020 05:03

I have a 15yo Catherine, nicknamed Cassie. It's a great name - strong and timeless, and v versatile.

CatteStreet · 14/08/2020 06:08

Lovely name, and I think 'classic' rather than 'dated' (rather like Sarah, Laura, Rachel, Rebecca, Claire et al and indeed Helen, which have been unfairly maligned as '80s names' due to their popularity back then. Proper '80s names', to me, are names like Lisa, Kelly, Joanne).

If that former popularity matters to you, how about a variant, like Katinka or Katharina (the European version, with the th pronounced as t)?

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 14/08/2020 06:15

Lovely name. My son would have been Katherine or Katharine if he'd been a girl. Timeless.

paradyning · 14/08/2020 06:17

Definitely timeless.

emilybrontescorsett · 14/08/2020 06:28

Catherine is a beautiful name. Timeless and strong. I much prefer this spelling too.

Grufallosfriends · 14/08/2020 07:45

The different spellings and need to spell it out put me off the name. Catherine, Katharine, Kathryn etc.

Alwaysundecided · 14/08/2020 08:44

It's a timeless name with so many nickname options. My favourite spelling is Katharine.

MinorArcana · 14/08/2020 09:03

I love it.

Katherine was one of the top names on our girls name shortlist, but we had boys so never got to use it.

CodenameVillanelle · 14/08/2020 09:08

@drspouse

Clearly all current mums were once babies! how is a name a "mum" name?
It means it's dated obviously. Just like Joan is a nanna name.

I am Katherine and I'm 40 and know a fair few my age - It was very popular in the late 70s and early 80s but I don't think it's dated like Sharon or Debbie are dated. I like it, and the nicknames are endless!

totallyyesno · 14/08/2020 09:08

I love it. It doesn't matter if it's popular as it's timeless.

mintich · 14/08/2020 09:09

Catherine with a C, and I like Kate and Kitty as nicknames

BestIsWest · 15/08/2020 08:37

I love the name Kitty. I had great aunts with the name Catherine. One was a Kitty and one was a Cassie which is also lovely.

MissHoney85 · 15/08/2020 21:04

I like it, with the diminutive Kate which I think is very classic and underused at the moment. Unfortunately my DH can't say 'th' very well and I couldn't live with Caffrine!

GnomeoNameo · 16/08/2020 22:17

Katherine - with Kate or Katie or Kitty or Kathy as short names.
Definitely not Kathryn(e) and the origin is from Greek with a 'k' so it doesn't make any sense to have Catherine (esp. if you want to shorten it to Kitty or Katie).

I know a Katherine who has nicknamed as Kathy, Kathers and Katerina across the last few years, as well as still using her full name.

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