Catherine / Kate

[SylviaPlath1984]

Help a girl out!

22 weeks pregnant, having a little girl. Already have a lovely 4 year old daughter and used up my name choices all on her... now me and DH are pretty stumped and all we can agree on is Catherine, Kate for short. The only issue is I really don't like the shortened version Katie, I have no idea why...

Anyway, what do we think of Catherine? Too old? Too bland? Are you a Catherine and prefer certain nicknames, do people respect that and not use one you don't like?

I know a Catherine and a Katherine who both like Cat/Kat

If you call her Kate, chances are it will stick. Kit or Kat are also nice.

I know a Kathryn who is a Kate

It's a lovely name.

If you are very particular on the shortened form, I’d tell everyone she’s called Kate but put Catherine on the birth certificate. Then drop it in later on a ‘need to know basis’ - we’ll she’s actually Catherine in full. It might be helpful to use the diminutive and full version with the same letter though. So Cate / Catherine or Kate / Katherine / Kathryn.

If you introduce her to people as Kate, then that will be what people call her until she gets to school when you have no control over what she is called by other dc

If you are going to call her Kate though, I'd go for spelling Catherine with a K too, otherwise it gets annoying that everything will be addressed wrong.

So boring
I prefer Cathy to Kate tbh

I think it’s lovely, and Catherine/Kate is a perfectly common spelling combo (and works for Kate Middleton!)

I love it, but would be tempted to put Kate on the birth certificate if that’s the name you actually like.

Catherine is a timeless classic, so elegant and pretty. Kate is also beautiful x

I love Catherine, I actually took it as my own confirmation name. I agree you should introduce her as Kate or ‘Catherine, Kate for short’ to prime people.

I'm a Catherine and the only downside is you always have to answer the question " is that a C or a K?" Never been shortened by anyone except by one uncle who always called me Katie for some strange reason. I've always liked it as a name, it's lovely for a little girl and you grow into it well too. X

The English spelling is with a K, not a C. That tends to be the French spelling.

The original Greek is with a K.

Aaaaah
I'm a Kathryn, and was a Katie for years until my mid 20s when I worked somewhere who had the same name and surname as me so I changed to Kate. It's stuck ever since. Only passport and banks know me as Kathryn!

I’m a Kate.
Not a Catherine and never a Katie. My full name is Kate.
No one has ever called me Katie.

Thank you so much everyone, you've all really put my mind at ease and I really appreciate the advice on Introducing her as Kate so we can avoid the Katie situation! Thanks again ❤️

We named our daughter Katherine and we and everyone call her Kate. She hates the name Katie and would glare at anyone who accidentally calls her that!

Love this combination. I know a Kate who is never called Katie and a Catherine who is never called C/Kate. Great choice, @SylviaPlath1984

I’m a Catherine, go by Cathy. Have never had anyone call me anything other than that!

I'm Katherine and never go by any shortenings. A couple of people have tried to impose Kathy on me during my life but I don't entertain it!

I love Catherine nn Kate.

I like Catherine and Kate very much.

Just name her Kate. It's a lovely name.

Very, very boring. And Kate Middleton manages to make it even more boring!

Catherine is lovely - very classic and underused now (but only left the top 100 about 20 years ago - before then it was a UK top 100 staple for at least a century).

Kate/Cate is the obvious perennial nickname, but one of the benefits of Catherine is the variety of nn's. Katie feels quite 80's/90's (so I doubt she'd get called that), Cathy more 50's/60's/70's (so I doubt she'd get that either) - Kat/Kit/Kitty are the cool versions now.

I do find Catherine very boring. If you like it, it doesn't really matter that some others don't -- it's a nice, normal name that loads of people love.

I wouldn't worry unduly about her getting nicknamed Katie. IamnotwhoyouthinkIam is correct IME -- the nickname du jour for today's little C/Katherines is Kitty/Kit/Cat.