Girl names - Katherine, Imogen, Cassandra, Cameron

[TenThousandSpoons00]

Hi everyone,

I posted a while back, and now getting closer to due date I’d love to hear some more opinions on the current list - it’s progressed a bit since my last post. definitely leaning to c/k names and longer names with nickname options.
we have a DD Alexandra already.

• Katherine /Catherine - nn Kate, Kit, at a stretch maybe Cass/Cassie? This has been a front runner for a while. Don’t love Katy or Kathy nn - aware this may happen anyway!
• Cameron - Cam as nn - I know a lot of people really don’t like it for a girl but I guess I enjoy gender neutral nn options (our Alexandra is an Alex)
• Cassandra - this is a recent entry. Love the nn Cass or Cassie. Our kids always go by their nn and I feel like Alex and Cass is fine; but is it too much to have Alexandra and Cassandra?? I don’t love Cassidy/Cassia/Cassiopeia.
• Imogen - also a recent addition to the list. I liked this a lot a few years back then went off it. Really don’t like nn Immy so would prob try do Jean/Jeanie type thing or maybe Mo.

thanks!

My choice would be Katherine. It has a similar feel to Alexandra and both names are giving gravitas. I don’t like any of the others - apologies.

Katherine is perfect with Alexandra - Kate is such a standard nn that you can probably avoid Katie / Kathy at least while she’s young (less easy to control later of course)

I love Imogen but Immy is such a standard nn for Imogen I think it’s a bit of a risk if you don’t like that.

Cassandra I don’t love as a full name (and as you say it’s a bit matchy with Alexandra) but I love Cass / Cassie.

Sorry I don’t like Cameron for a girl. Do you like Camilla nn Cam?

I would pick Katherine (it would be Imogen if you liked Immy)

Katherine

Cassandra is still very much Fools and Horses to me, can't hear it without hearing Rodney's voice. You will also have a real North/South divide with the long or short A in the middle. Would you be OK with both versions?

Katherine /Catherine - nn Kate, Kit, at a stretch maybe Cass/Cassie? This has been a front runner for a while. Don’t love Katy or Kathy nn - aware this may happen anyway!
Katherine if you are going to call her Kate. I don't like Kit.
Catherine if she's going to be Cathy. I don't like Kathy or Kath, or Cat, but I like Cathy.

Cameron - Cam as nn - I know a lot of people really don’t like it for a girl but I guess I enjoy gender neutral nn options (our Alexandra is an Alex)
I don't like it. Alexandra is a girl's name, Cameron is a boy's name and a surname.

Cassandra - this is a recent entry. Love the nn Cass or Cassie. Our kids always go by their nn and I feel like Alex and Cass is fine; but is it too much to have Alexandra and Cassandra??
They'll be Alex and Cassie, both are fine.
I don’t love Cassidy/Cassia/Cassiopeia. Me neither.

Imogen - also a recent addition to the list. I liked this a lot a few years back then went off it. Really don’t like nn Immy so would prob try do Jean/Jeanie type thing or maybe Mo.
Use it as a middle name. The Jean and Mo are contrived.

I'd pick Cassandra.

Catherine goes perfectly with Alexandra. Definitely not Cameron for a girl.

I like Katherine or Catherine. Cameron is v odd for a girl, sorry. I love the name Cassandra and Cassie but don’t like the historical meaning of someone who’ll never be believed, or the idea of ‘being a Cassandra’, so didn’t use it. And I like Imogen but if you really don’t like the obvious nickname I wouldn’t go for it. I liked the name Alastair for one of my boys but so many people said ‘oh lovely, a little Ali’ it put me right off as I hadn’t considered that nickname at all and hated it.

How about Constance, nn Connie?

I am team Catherine all the way. Best name ever! Shorted to Cat obviously.

Cassandra is my favourite! I really like it and I think it goes really well. I wouldn't use any name where you don't like some of the obvious nicknames, so for me this would rule out Catherine and Imogen. Cameron I just think is too different a style, and is basically only given to boys in the UK.

You might also like Cordelia, Claudia, Caroline, Cleo? Or none Cs Vivienne, Penelope, Josephine?

Claire.

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions.
Katherine seems to be the most favoured - it’s also probably my favourite but I do like the idea of having a couple of options and waiting to see what feels right after birth.

Not too surprised Cameron isn’t getting much love here. For more context I am outside the UK, and I think Cameron for a girl probably works better where I am. And also while I’ve seen comments about only fools and horses before, I’d never heard of it until I started looking at the name Cassandra (and reading about it on here!) - assume it’s a UK show? The historical meaning doesn’t bother me too much.

I have one of those names and I can assure you I have every possible variations of the name by various friends over the years and some people call me by my unique surname! The problem with a long name is it invites people to shorten it if they love you! I absolutely love it.

Its only when you're at the Dr's or opticians and they call your real name an you dont respond because you've forgotten that's what you're actually called!

I like Katherine and Cassandra (nicknames Kitty and Cassie) but don’t like Cameron)

Katherine or Imogen

Same

C/Katherine has a super classic feel like Alexandra. I don’t know any under 30 that get Katie, let alone Kathy. It’s usually the full Katherine or Kit/Kitty these days with the occasional Kate. I don’t think Cassie is that strange a nickname though, because Catherine to Cathy to Cassie (just like Elizabeth to Bess to Tess - rare but not unknown). You’d probably have to introduce her by Cassie from day 1 though.

Cassandra would also be fine too imo. Having the matching “andra” ending isn’t that different in principle to matching ia, ie or ah endings and lots of sibsets have those. Plus you say you’d be calling them Alex and Cassie most of the time anyway.

No to Imogen, only because you don’t like Immy, and many more seem to get that than Mo/Gen/Ginny. And even if you push one of those, there’s a strong possibility she still might get Immy when older imo.

Definite no to Cameron. It’s a bit downmarket for a girl imo as it’s a celeb led name (only really became used for girls after Cameron Diaz became famous and later one of the characters on the TV show House). It’s a very different style of name to Alexandra/Alex. I’d be jealous if my sister got Alexandra and I was a Cameron, especially if I could have been Catherine, Cassandra or Imogen instead 🤣

• Katherine /Catherine - I really like this and both your nn options. Definitely think you can avoid Cathy. Some might go with Katie if you introduce her as Kate. Don't think they would if introduced as Kit though. I was surprised to see how little it is being used as a name in the most recent name statistics as I view it as a classic. Prefer Katherine spelling.

• Cameron - not a fan, but love on a boy. Sorry
• Cassandra - not a fan, it sounds overly fussy and dated to me
• Imogen - I like Imogen but not your nn options. I prefer Katherine

I have an Imogen and we also don't like Immy. We just don't shorten it to anything - at home she's always Imogen (her sister has a name that doesnt have a natural nickname either so they both just get their full names). Our position is that if she or her friends use Immy when older, then that's totally fine with us, but we'll always just stick with Imogen.

Cameron is great - I'm watching the Sarah Connor Chronicles at the moment :)

Cassandra makes me think of Only Fools & Horses, and Cassie unfortunately reminds me of poor Cassie Ventura.

Imogen and Katherine are okay but a bit dull.

Why does there have to be a shortened version? Imogen is lovely, so call her that.
And I know at least 3 women called Catherine (Katherine), who are exactly that..... Catherine, and don't answer to any variations.
Jane Austen's sister was always called Cassandra.

So, if you like a name...... just use it!

Once the child is grown up, she can use whatever she likes, or change to something completely different.

@Cynic17 , because they usually get shortened whether you like it or not.
You might insist that your Imogen always get called Imogen, but she might shorten it when at school or at work.

As a middle name it won't get shortened.

Thanks again everyone it’s so useful to see all these takes on things.

@Cynic17 there definitely will be a shortening in my family - essentially we like to use a shorter name day to day but with the option of a longer name for more formal occasions, or to allow other nickname choices if she wants to be something different. I find it too fussy to use the long name all the time - I only use “Alexandra” when she’s in trouble!! I know a lot of people would prefer to only use the short name on the birth certificate in this case (ie Kate instead of Katherine), but that’s not for me!

Katherine