I have been researching my family genealogy and have this spelling [name]Catharine[/name], on my mother’s side. This side is strongly [name]German[/name], “Pennsylvania Dutch”. [name]How[/name] do you feel about this spelling?. I wondered if this was a regional/ethnic spelling, or popular durfing the 185early 1900’s.
I think [name]Catharine[/name] is probably an Americanized/Anglicized form of [name]Catharina[/name]. My some of my father’s ancestors were also [name]German[/name] “Pennsylvania Dutch” and the family who first emigrated to [name]America[/name] back in the 1700s had a little [name]Catharina[/name]. I think it was a common [name]German[/name] name in that era.
Personally the spelling doesn’t make a difference to me. It still pronounced the same way as [name]Catherine[/name]. But I think a person named [name]Catharine[/name] would have her name misspelled a lot. But if that’s not a big deal to you then I think its fine.
I have a [name]Catharine[/name] too from the 1800’s. She was English though. I’d imagine it’s still said like [name]Catherine[/name] as the above suggested.
I smiled when I saw your post title. My mother is [name]Katharine[/name], and the name (with a ‘c’ or ‘k’) feels more special for me with the second ‘a’.
I have several [name]German[/name] ancestors (including both Pennsylvania Dutch and non-PA Dutch) with the name spelled [name]Catharina[/name] and/or [name]Catharine[/name]. By 1900, as the name was passed down in the family in the U.S., the spelling would become [name]Catherine[/name]. I have one [name]German[/name] ancestor who spelled the name with a K. She immigrated to the U.S. in the 1880s. [name]German[/name] records spelled her name [name]Katharina[/name], but she used the spelling [name]Katherine[/name] in the U.S.
I consider this spelling difference (A vs. E) to be more a matter of the time period. In early census records (especially pre-1900), the census takers typically spelled the name [name]Catharine[/name], whereas later the spelling [name]Catherine[/name] became the norm in census records.
In the old days, spelling was not the big deal that it is today. If I was naming a daughter after one of my [name]Catharine[/name] ancestors, I would use expected spelling of [name]Catherine[/name] so that she would not have to spell her name all the time. I consider both spellings to represent the same name.
Its a legit spelling but it isn’t my favorite.
I was on my phone when I made the original post. I was going to add the comment that [name]Katharine[/name] was very upset when someone called themselves a fan of hers but spelled her name [name]Katherine[/name]. I find [name]Catharine[/name] charmingly old fashioned and would use it as a middle name. I find misspelling less annoying than mispronounciation which is the problem with my middle name.
I like it, even though I prefer [name]Katharine[/name].
I think the a instead of an e makes it much more sophisticated.
Because it’s not a familiar spelling of the name, it doesn’t feel right to me. I wouldn’t use it, because I think most people would think it was misspelled (or selected by parents who didn’t know the ‘proper’ spelling of the name), taking away from the beauty of the name in all its spellings.
I prefer [name]Katharine[/name] personally. So people may think its made up though