I love [name]Kate[/name] and while [name]Catherine[/name] is so sweet and elegant it just doesn’t hold a candle to [name]Kate[/name] for me. I do like [name]Catherine[/name] but I love [name]Kate[/name]. Is it better to use [name]Catherine[/name] and call her [name]Kate[/name] so she has more options later in life or just name her [name]Kate[/name] all together. I’ve also considered Kateri NN [name]Kate[/name]. Kateri is very special to me and is currently on my list a mn but I’m worried about it as a fn. Does it have too many pronunciation issues? If you saw it could you pronounce it or would stumble over it? Would saying “Oh she prefers [name]Kate[/name]” negate the pronunciation problems? Does Kateri stick out too much with my other names? [name]Catherine[/name], Kateri, or [name]Kate[/name]?
I’ll be honest – I have no idea how to pronounce Kateri. None whatsoever. If I was forced to read it aloud, I’d apologize in advance and then butcher it. I also can’t help but think Kateri lacks the class and sophistication of either [name]Catherine[/name] or [name]Kate[/name]. In answer to the question of using [name]Catherine[/name] vs. [name]Kate[/name], I’m fairly neutral. I generally prefer using the full version of a name on the birth as the official name and then nicknaming as you see fit, but I do think [name]Kate[/name] could stand alone. My personal ranking would be:
- [name]Catherine[/name]
- [name]Kate[/name]
- Kateri
Full disclosure: I’m a [name]Catherine[/name] myself and, although I always go by [name]Catherine[/name], I like [name]Kate[/name] a lot. 
Personally, I would love to see Kateri! It’s been a long time love of mine, I think it’s beautiful and exotic but certainly not out there or unpronounceable.
Kateri is the Mohawk version of [name]Katherine[/name] - I don’t see how it lacks class or sophistication just because it isn’t English, lol.
I like [name]Catherine[/name] and [name]Katharine[/name] more than [name]Kate[/name] alone. [name]Kate[/name] alone I feel will in time go the way [name]Kathy[/name] has - there’s always a couple nicknames for [name]Catherine[/name]/[name]Katharine[/name] that are in, but its not the same one in every decade, and the others sound dated and mom-ish. She might appreciate the option of not being [name]Kate[/name] in 30 years.
Kateri is interesting, but my favourite not-really-traditional long option for [name]Kate[/name] would be Katriela. I also have a [name]Katia[/name] in my family tree who went by [name]Kate[/name].
[name]EDIT[/name]: But [name]Katia[/name], like Kateri, is an international form of [name]Katherine[/name], and Katriela is an unrelated name.
I vastly prefer [name]Kate[/name]. I find [name]Catherine[/name] a bit frumpy and overused despite its classic status, but I find [name]Kate[/name] charming and elegant.
My favorite is definitely [name]Catherine[/name]. My only personal hang up with using [name]Catherine[/name] for a daughter is I want her to be called [name]Catherine[/name], not one of the many nicknames. That being said, I do like all the nicknames (I just love [name]Catherine[/name] more). [name]Cate[/name], [name]Cathy[/name] (I prefer the C to the K variations myself), [name]Cat[/name], etc. I also like the less common [name]Ren[/name], [name]Kit[/name] or [name]Kitty[/name].
[name]Kate[/name] can certainly stand alone, but I think it’s better to use the full name. She could probably go her whole life only being called [name]Catherine[/name] a half dozen times and be known as [name]Kate[/name] by all. Options are nice however, and she might someday want to be known as something other than [name]Kate[/name].
I don’t know how to pronounce Kateri. I’d assume it sounds like cattery, which is a slight turn off but not a deal breaker for me. It looks lovely on paper, though. And if you love it, then go for it. I
Kateri stands out from most of your names, yes. It’s a little spunkier than your others. [name]Roman[/name], [name]Asa[/name] and Kateri would work, imo.
It wasn’t because it isn’t English, necessarily, but because I wasn’t sure whether it was meant to be a full name or a nickname or a made-up name. I just had never seen it before and was talking more about the actual LOOK of the name. Obviously, it’s my ignorance speaking since I’d never heard of the name before and knew nothing of the background, but my honest first impression was that it looked like a made-up trendy name. That impression was followed by the general sense that it comes across as a very different choice than either [name]Catherine[/name] or [name]Kate[/name], both of which are comparatively classic and simple when placed alongside Kateri. Others might have a very different first impression, but that was just the instant reaction I had. It’s not my style, but I certainly wouldn’t think that should prevent anyone else from using it… especially if the history and meaning are significant to you. 
I love Kateri! I prefer it to [name]Catherine[/name], especially because Kateri means something to you. I do, however, like [name]Kate[/name] the best. But keep in mind that whatever you do decide, she’ll always get a nickname. [name]Kate[/name] will probably turn into [name]Kay[/name]. If go with [name]Catherine[/name], I think you should go with the K spelling - [name]Katherine[/name]. Or if you like the C, go with [name]Cate[/name]! Good luck!!
[name]Kate[/name] all the way for me. [name]Catherine[/name] is annoying, I prefer [name]Katherine[/name]. I like Kateri I’d say it kah-tear-ree though. I MUCH prefer [name]Kate[/name] over Kateri though. Kateri is nn material imo.
I prefer [name]Katherine[/name] nn [name]Kate[/name]!!! OR if you must start [name]Catherine[/name] with a ‘C’ than use the nn [name]Cate[/name].
I prefer [name]Kate[/name]. It’s simple, sweet, and perfect.
I prefer [name]Kate[/name] to [name]Catherine[/name]. I’m not a fan of the “C” spelling of [name]Catherine[/name], but mostly, I just prefer [name]Kate[/name].
As for Kateri, I don’t know how to pronounce it, but I’m wondering if you’ve considered [name]Katerina[/name]? It has the same start as Kateri and most people have heard it before so you get rid of the pronunciation issues of Kateri.
If you went with [name]Katerina[/name], I’d prefer [name]Katerina[/name] with the nn [name]Kate[/name], so she has a more formal name should she ever choose to use it.
I’d chose [name]Katherine[/name] with nn [name]Kate[/name]. I’m not very bothered by ‘C’ in [name]Catherine[/name] but I think [name]Katherine[/name] has more nn possibilities.
I would use [name]Catherine[/name] / [name]Katherine[/name] with the nn [name]Kate[/name]. My college roommate was [name]Catherine[/name] but we NEVER [name]EVER[/name] called her that. She was [name]Kate[/name]. Always [name]Kate[/name]. We joked with her on graduation day when they announced her name that we felt like it wasn’t really her that graduated because they called [name]Catherine[/name]. It is very possible to go your whole life being [name]Catherine[/name], nn [name]Kate[/name] and only be called [name]Catherine[/name] a few times. [name]Kate[/name], while spunky and cute, is still very much a nickname in my eyes and not a full name. Besides, your daughter may decide she doesn’t like [name]Kate[/name] and wants to revert back to [name]Catherine[/name]. I currently have two students (a [name]Katherine[/name] and a [name]Catherine[/name]) that detest being called [name]Cate[/name], [name]Kate[/name], [name]Cat[/name], [name]Kitty[/name], [name]Ren[/name], etc. [name]Both[/name] go by their full name. I think it’s nice to give her the option of being able to do the same.
I prefer [name]Kate[/name] over all the other names. [name]Catherine[/name] is fine, better than [name]Katherine[/name] and Kateri but I just don’t think any of them are that nice. I have no idea how to pronounce Kateri.
For English speakers, Kateri would be pronounced kah-teer-ee.
I would spell [name]Catherine[/name] with K if you want here to go by [name]Kate[/name]. [name]Katherine[/name] and [name]Kathleen[/name] are both very pretty,
[name]Catherine[/name]/[name]Katherine[/name] is so pristine and royal sounding. You can always use [name]Kate[/name] as a nn.
Thanks everyone! I’m not very good at writing pronunciations but I say Kateri similar to kah-tair-ee. I can’t imagine not using it on a daughter but I’m never sure if I want it as a fn or a mn. I’m surprised so many people prefer [name]Katherine[/name] with a K. I’m certainly not against the spelling I’ve just always gravitated to [name]Catherine[/name] for some reason. Thanks for all these great opinions