So, I’ve been thinking a lot about the name [name]Catherine[/name] as a middle name choice (I can’t believe I never realized before how perfect it would be…so many important women in my life have the name [name]Catherine[/name], [name]Kathryn[/name] or [name]Katherine[/name] as a first or middle name, AND it shares the meaning “pure” with my own name, [name]Claire[/name]…I’m truly amazed I’ve never made this connection before). I’m really excited about this revalation…I’ve had a boys’ mn picked out for years, but I’ve been struggling to come up with a girls’ mn that is equally meaningful to me and my partner.
So, my first question is, which [name]Catherine[/name], [name]Katherine[/name], [name]Kathryn[/name] variation do you like best? Or, which do you like best for me (my mother’s middle name is [name]Kathryn[/name], though she prefers the [name]Catherine[/name] spelling)?
What first names would you pair with [name]Catherine[/name]/[name]Kathryn[/name] etc? AND, do any names in my signature stand out as a perfect fn for mn [name]Catherine[/name]?
I look forward to your imput (and thanks again to all who replied to my last post “Wanted: Critiques and Combinations”…I’d still love more suggestions there too!).
I prefer [name]Katherine[/name] but I can’t seem to like any of your fn’s with it. I don’t know why because I love them?-especially [name]Calla[/name], [name]Rowan[/name], [name]Felicity[/name] and [name]Eleanor[/name]! I think maybe it is because a lot of your suggestions already have c’s as first letters? I’m confused with my brain!!!Aaaargh! [name]Lovely[/name] choices though.
My neice is [name]Audrey[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] which I think is beautiful. If my second son had been a girl he would have been [name]Grace[/name] [name]Catherine[/name]. I ended up going with [name]Katharine[/name] as a first name for my 2nd daughter (my first is [name]Clare[/name]). I never noticed until recently the similarity in meaning betwen [name]Claire[/name] and [name]Catherine[/name]. [name]Lucy[/name] is also similar to [name]Claire[/name] in meaning. Maybe [name]Lucy[/name] [name]Catherine[/name]?
I love the classic [name]Catherine[/name] spelling. The only time I prefer it spelled with a K is if you plan on shortening it to [name]Katie[/name]/[name]Katy[/name]. Since it’s in the middle, I’d go with the C spelling. It just looks more elegant.
I like the spelling [name]Kathryn[/name]. In my signature, you’ll see that I paired it with [name]Joanna[/name] - [name]Joanna[/name] [name]Kathryn[/name]. But I really like [name]Norah[/name] - it’s close to [name]Nola[/name], one of my favorite names ever - and I really like [name]Norah[/name] [name]Kathryn[/name]! Good luck!
@ lo - [name]Lucy[/name] was on my list forever, I only recently took it off, because of my soon to be [name]MIL[/name]'s hugely annoying obsession with “I love [name]Lucy[/name]”. Unless I want my future daughter drowning in memorabilia and I love [name]Lucy[/name] jokes, (which I don’t) I had to let the name go. Sigh. [name]Audrey[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] is beautiful. Also, I love the wonderfully classic choices you made for your children’s names!
@ catloverd - I think I agree that [name]Catherine[/name] IS the most elegant, and I’d definitely only be using it as a middle, so there’s no chance of [name]Catie[/name]/[name]Katie[/name].
@ heytherepigeon - [name]Norah[/name] [name]Catherine[/name]/[name]Kathryn[/name] is one of my “most likely to use” combinations, at the moment anyway. Who knows how things will change in the next fews years…but [name]Norah[/name] has been on my short list since I was a teenager. Plus, my boyfriend LOVES it (probably more than I do…he also adores [name]Eleanor[/name]!). And, it’s nice to meet another [name]Nola[/name] fan! I really like [name]Nola[/name].
Can’t wait to see more ideas from you brilliant Berries!
Again, just wanted to mention the last name is 1 syllable, and starts with a P, if that helps with generating ideas. I’d love some fresh new favourites to add to my signature.
I think [name]Eleanor[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] is a great combination, and [name]Nola[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] works well too.
I prefer the [name]Katherine[/name] spelling myself - it’s spunky and fresh without being trendy, which is how I see the [name]Kathryn[/name] spelling, and lends itself easier to the [name]Kate[/name]/[name]Katy[/name] nicknames than [name]Catherine[/name] does.
I think any two-syllable -y/-ie ending name goes brilliantly with [name]Catherine[/name]. I’d avoid anything one syllable because of your last name, and [name]Catherine[/name]'s pretty lengthy so even though it’s only two syllables it’s long and something super frilly won’t look good written down. [name]Shame[/name] you can’t use [name]Lucy[/name] as I’d second the suggestion of that otherwise.
@ essjay - thanks for your suggestions. I’m so torn between the variations of the name…I agree, [name]Katherine[/name] DOES have such a fresh, spunky feel that the other variations don’t. I’m no closer to picking a favourite, but I love hearing people’s opinions.
@ judyariel - wow, what a brilliant list! [name]Flora[/name], [name]Fiona[/name] and [name]Matilda[/name] are all on my long list, actually. I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Lily[/name], but I’m afraid it’s getting too popular…thoughts? [name]Ada[/name] is actually my grandmother’s name, and while she is very very special to me, and I’d use her name in a heartbeat as a mn, 1. it doesn’t pair well with others and 2. she openly hates her name! I like [name]Eliza[/name], but I prefer [name]Elisabeth[/name], and [name]Elena[/name] is a name I’ve considered as a mn before too, as it’s similar to my mother’s name (same with [name]Eloise[/name], as it’s my mn, plus an “o”). You put together a really wonderful and helpful list. And, I’m glad you are a fan of [name]Felicity[/name] [name]Catherine[/name], it’s a current favourite of mine.
I’d love some more opinions Berries! I’m constantly amazed by your collective insightfulness.
[name]Katherine[/name] is my favorite spelling, and I also like [name]Catherine[/name]. I would consider spelling it [name]Kathryn[/name] to honor your mom.
[name]Catherine[/name] is my favorite spelling; I think it looks the most elegant of the three. [name]One[/name] of the combos I’ve been liking myself and hasn’t been mentioned yet is [name]Laura[/name] [name]Catherine[/name].
My favorite spelling for your daughter would be [name]Catherine[/name], since it’s also your mom’s favorite spelling and your name begins with a “C”. It seems the most classic and elegant as well. My favorite pairing out of your first names is [name]Nola[/name] [name]Catherine[/name]. Vintage, cute, and classic!
I love [name]Nola[/name] too!!! And [name]Nola[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] or sounds good. My favourite middle for [name]Nola[/name] though is [name]Skye[/name] (resulting in [name]Nola[/name] [name]Skye[/name])
I like the [name]Kathryn[/name] spelling best. I had [name]Anneliese[/name] [name]Kathryn[/name] as a combo for a while. I didn’t look through all the suggestions, so sorry if it was suggested already.
It’s a lovely name. My favourite is [name]Katharine[/name] though. It looks so streamlined and beautiful!
My #1 girls name is [name]Eleanor[/name] [name]Katharine[/name] [name]Rose[/name], so I obviously think [name]Eleanor[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] would make a lovely choice! [name]Norah[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] or [name]Felicity[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] would also be great.
I’m still debating on which version I like best (good thing I have a few years to consider this! I’ll probably need them!)
@ kelchristmas - I agree with you that [name]Catherine[/name] (this spelling) would make a great choice for me, since my name starts with a C too. If I go with [name]Eleanor[/name] [name]Catherine[/name], I’ll almost definitely go with this spelling, since it would be my initials reversed.
@ romanticism - another [name]Eleanor[/name] fan! I just wanted to say that I love all the names in your signature.
@ whirligig - [name]Nola[/name] Syke is a pretty combination. I really like [name]Nola[/name] (and [name]Norah[/name]!), but my boyfriend isn’t a fan, so [name]Nola[/name] might just be a guilty pleasure name for me.
Also, it seems to me that [name]Norah[/name] [name]Catherine[/name], [name]Felicity[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] and [name]Eleanor[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] are getting the most love. Which is the best of those 3? And are there any other favourites out there (from my signature, or in general)?
In your case, I’d choose [name]Catherine[/name] as it’s classy and your mother loves it. I’m thinking of choosing [name]Katherine[/name] for my daughter if I have one. I think any name would fit it. I’ve been playing with it for years and I through all this time I understood it would perfectly fit a classy name like [name]Vivienne[/name], [name]Anna[/name] or [name]Elizabeth[/name] as well as some very unusal names like [name]Behati[/name] or [name]Doutzen[/name] or Riverie.
Well, [name]Catherine[/name] is my middle name, so I’m biased, but I do think it’s the loveliest option. [name]Katherine[/name] spelled any way is a classic, but [name]Catherine[/name] strikes me as the vintage take and [name]Katherine[/name] the more updated version. (Whereas [name]Kathryn[/name] always seems dated to me!) It’s really all about aesthetic. Since [name]Catherine[/name] is your mom’s favorite and shares your initial, I would use this option. [name]Katharine[/name] is very nice, and makes me think of the wonderful Miss Hepburn, but I think it would get misspelled ALL the time.
Good luck!