@ niusity - You’re completely right…[name]Catherine[/name] etc is so versatile that almost any style of name would sound great beside it.
@ quirkflower - [name]Catherine[/name] definitely always strikes me as the most classical version of the name, though I really like all the versions (except for the [name]Catharine[/name]/[name]Katharine[/name] spelling, that “a” never looks right to me, and yes, I totally agree that it would get misspelled a lot).
@ lc22033 - I am really loving [name]Norah[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] too. I sometimes worry that [name]Norah[/name]/[name]Nora[/name] is getting too popular, but I’ve never actually met anyone by that name [name]IRL[/name].
I love the [name]Catherine[/name] spelling, and it has some meaning for you, which makes it even better. [name]Nora[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] is super pretty, but here are a few more ideas:
@ aj_bear - I [name]LOVE[/name] your list (the one you came up with for me, AND your signature, actually).
[name]Flora[/name], [name]Louisa[/name], [name]Elsa[/name], and [name]Josephine[/name] are all on my longgggg list.
[name]Beatrice[/name] is one of my most favourite names of all time, BUT it sounds horrendous with the last name (just horrendous).
[name]Magnolia[/name] nn [name]Maggie[/name] is a HUGE guilty pleasure of mine, but my partner would never go for it in a million years (I’m just happy he likes names such as [name]Eleanor[/name]!)
Thank-you for your ideas. I think I’ll add [name]Juliet[/name] to my long-list, I really think it’s beautiful. I quite like [name]Sylvie[/name] too.
From your signature, I adore [name]Beatrice[/name] [name]Aurelia[/name] and [name]Clara[/name] [name]Josephine[/name] (I’d use [name]Clara[/name] in a heartbeat if my name weren’t [name]Claire[/name]), and almost all of your boys’ names (especially [name]Frederick[/name] [name]Archer[/name]). You have fantastic taste!
@ allthatglitters - [name]Nora[/name]/[name]Norah[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] is definitely one of my favourite combinations…top 5, for sure.
I love [name]Cecily[/name] ([name]Cecelia[/name] is on my long list), [name]Mara[/name] and [name]Elena[/name] from your list.
[name]Lavender[/name] is a guilty pleasure name for me. I think it’s so sweet. I just can’t see really using it though…I’m not brave enough!
[name]Andrea[/name], [name]Sydney[/name], [name]Natalie[/name], [name]Victoria[/name], [name]Alexandra[/name] and [name]Julia[/name] are all no-go’s for me (though lovely names) due to associations that I have (mostly good associations, but just too strong to share with a child of mine).
My favourite by far is [name]Kathryn[/name]. It’s the least popular spelling of the 3 mentioned in your first post and it has a ‘y’ in it. I love ‘y’, ‘x’ and ‘z’ in names. They seem different and quirky.
I think it’s best to pair a 2 syllable mn with a fn with more or less syllables so the names from your signature that follow that rule would be:
[name]Eleanor[/name] [name]Kathryn[/name] (you could nn her EllieKate -so cute! the meaning would be pure light. Also, you can use [name]Nora[/name] as a nn for [name]Eleanor[/name])
[name]Cordelia[/name] [name]Kathryn[/name] (although not my favourite since it is an aliteration)
[name]Elisabeth[/name] [name]Kathryn[/name]
[name]Felicity[/name] [name]Kathryn[/name] (I really like this one -the meaning could be pure happiness)
[name]Meredith[/name] [name]Kathryn[/name]
Having said that I kind of like the sound of [name]Nora[/name] [name]Kathryn[/name] too, even though it breaks my syllable rule. Some rules were meant to be broken from time to time I guess
@ lilysong - I love all of those combinations. I think the 6 first names you mentioned (plus [name]Vera[/name]) are the ones I’d most likely use. I just wish I could narrow it down some more! I’m glad you like [name]Nora[/name] [name]Kathryn[/name] despite the 2-2 thing, and I love how you tied many of the name meanings together.
I think I’ve definitely narrowed the mn down to either [name]Catherine[/name] or [name]Kathryn[/name], so that’s something! Oh well, like I’ve said, I have ages to figure this stuff out.
@ jwilson - first off, your daughter’s name is absolutely gorgeous ([name]Cecilia[/name] is one of my favourite names, and I love the alliteration of her name). And, thank-you for your comments. [name]Stella[/name] [name]Kathryn[/name] is a really spunky and sweet name. [name]Stella[/name] has really been growing on me lately.
Congratulations on finding a name you love, one that holds lots of special meaning for you! We used [name]Catherine[/name], and I’m always finding new reasons to love it.
As far as spelling goes, here’s my hierarchy of favorites: [name]Catherine[/name]>[name]Katherine[/name]>[name]Kathryn[/name].
I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Eleanor[/name] [name]Catherine[/name]! It’s a great name that also offers lots of sweet nicknames ([name]Nora[/name] [name]Cate[/name]/[name]Nora[/name] [name]Kate[/name], [name]Ellie[/name] [name]Cate[/name]/[name]Ellie[/name] [name]Kate[/name], [name]Ella[/name] [name]Cate[/name]/[name]Ella[/name] [name]Kate[/name], [name]Ellie[/name], [name]Nora[/name], [name]Ella[/name], [name]Cate[/name]/[name]Kate[/name], etc.).
I think [name]Eleanor[/name] is a great choice since its three syllables would complement a single-syllable last name by adding length. If you (our your daughter) were to prefer a more short-and-sweet name, she could go with the single-syllable [name]Elle[/name] or two-syllable [name]Ellie[/name] or [name]Nora[/name].
