We named our baby [name]Catherine[/name] a few weeks ago. I love the sound and meaning of it but am worried about the popularity…ESP since her sister is a [name]Beatrice[/name]. My worries came mainly after the nameberry blog post that calculated that with all the spellings, this name rivals [name]Emma[/name] in popularity! My gut tells me not to worry, it’s a beautiful classic, but you know what those hormones will do. Mind you I have no intent of changing her name, but keep fretting enough to ask for opinions. Also starting to think of nicknames, other than [name]Catie[/name]. Thoughts?
I think [name]Catherine[/name] is a lovely name and you shouldn’t worry about the popularity. In my opinion, the popularity of a name is really only worth worrying about if you’re choosing a name that could put your daughter into a certain decade. Jennifers and Jessicas are from the 80s for example…Brittneys, MacKenzies and Madisons from the 90s…, but [name]Catherine[/name] has always been a strong classic. And it has a ton of great nicknames.
Oh I love [name]Catherine[/name] so much, it was my great-grandmothers name and I don’t think you have anything to worry about! It’s a really classic name that will never go out of style, and with so many nn options you can always use one that’s less common!!
What do you think of:
[name]Kit[/name]
[name]Kitty[/name]
[name]Cate[/name]
Cath
[name]Cat[/name]
[name]Kay[/name]
[name]Kattie[/name]
Or you can even get creative with something like [name]Kizzie[/name], [name]Callie[/name], [name]Rina[/name], Reenie etc.
My personal favourite is [name]Kit[/name] or [name]Kitty[/name] 
[name]Catherine[/name] isn’t “trendy” popular, it’s “classic” popular - and probably always will be. At least for a very, very long while. While she may run into other people with her name, she’s not going to feel “dated.”
I’m big on names being on the rarer side, especially for girls, but even so one of my very favorite names is [name]Cate[/name] or [name]Kate[/name]. Completely classic, understated, simple, and beautiful. Not trying too hard at all, because it doesn’t need to.
[name]Don[/name]'t worry 
who cares if there are a million other Catherines, she is YOUR [name]Catherine[/name].
I’m with the PPs. [name]Catherine[/name] is a classic, and it probably always will be. I think popularity is only a problem when a name skyrockets up for just a short time, inevitably dating it. [name]Catherine[/name] is a consistantly popular and consistantly lovely choice.
[name]Catherine[/name] is gorgeous and [name]Catherine[/name] and [name]Beatrice[/name] are stunning together. It is a very popular name- you’re kidding yourself to say it isn’t- but it’s always been popular. It’s sort of like [name]Elizabeth[/name]- yes, it’s popular, but it’ll never go out of style, which is kind of the point of picking it. It will always be a classic. And there are so many nicknames for [name]Catherine[/name] that if there are others and she doesn’t want to share her name, she can just pick her favorite to seperate herself. [name]Catherine[/name] is a fantastic name- you made a great choice!
I agree with everyone else, and I love [name]Catherine[/name] and [name]Beatrice[/name] together! They are two wonderfully classic names! My ex’s, who I am still really good friends with, mother was named [name]Katherine[/name], nn [name]Kat[/name], which, of course works just as well as [name]Catherine[/name], nn [name]Cat[/name]. I like the pleasant unexpectedness of it. I also love [name]Kitty[/name], as others have posted, as well as Rine or [name]Rina[/name]. As others have said, [name]Catherine[/name] is one of those very versatile names that just lends itself to tons of nickname options! I’m glad you’re not considering changing it.
[name]Catherine[/name] is a beautiful, timeless name that transcends popularity. I’m wondering if a lot of those Katherines/Katharines/Kathryns are middle names.
[name]Catherine[/name]'s beautiful, I’d say [name]Cate[/name] for a nickname.
[name]Love[/name] [name]Catherine[/name]! It’s my middle name. I like [name]Kit[/name], [name]Kat[/name] ([name]Cat[/name]), [name]Katie[/name] and [name]Wren[/name] as potenial nns. [name]Wren[/name] may seem a little weird, but if you pronounce it like only 2 syllables (Cath-ren, instead of Cath-er-ine) it makes sense.
My favorite [name]Catherine[/name] nicknames are [name]Kitty[/name], [name]Kay[/name], and [name]Kate[/name] ([name]Cate[/name]).
[name]Catherine[/name] (and with a “C”) is one of my favorite names.
I do not prefer any nn, the name is so beautiful on its own. I hear lots of Kates/Cates but no Catherines. Stick with the name. Gorgeous with [name]Beatrice[/name] too.
I went through the same thing with my daughter’s name and ultimately, like another poster said, she is YOUR [name]Catherine[/name].
Thanks everyone for the wisdom on this. You’ve helped with my postpartum name angst:)
I have a [name]Katharine[/name] nn [name]Katie[/name] who is 2 1/2 and I have also wondered if I managed to pick the most popular name around. But it is a wonderful name and not at all tied to one decade (or century for that matter). If you are worried about the popularity I agree to use [name]Catherine[/name] rather than [name]Catie[/name].
[name]Hi[/name]! My daughter’s name is [name]Emily[/name] [name]Catherine[/name], and I am partial to [name]Catherine[/name] spelled with a “C”. It is a beautiful name, so don’t change it! [name]Catherine[/name] could be called [name]Cate[/name] or [name]Cat[/name], if you like.
argh. Have you encountered a ton in her age group?
I think that [name]Catherine[/name] is a definite classic, and is common but not in a “bad” way. The nicknames help mitigate its popularity (although the name itself is falling on the charts). Personally I like it best without a nickname though (this spelling is my favorite as well). Good choice in my opinion; don’t worry about it not being a good name!
argh. Have you encountered a ton in her age group?[/quote]
Not a ton in her age group really. They are spread out really. The kid on the playground, the teenage swim teacher, the teachers at school. Much to my horror, [name]Pam[/name] and [name]Linda[/name] actually have [name]Katie[/name] listed as a Mom name along with names such as [name]Lisa[/name], [name]Lori[/name], [name]Amy[/name], [name]Danielle[/name]. But that’s probably more of an issue if [name]Katie[/name] was her given name without the timeless [name]Catherine[/name] to back it up.
Hubby who isn’t obssessed with names thinks I’m crazy. He thinks [name]Katie[/name] is a terrific name that suits her perfectly and wouldn’t change it for the world.
I agree that [name]Catie[/name]/[name]Katie[/name] is what’s very common, not [name]Catherine[/name] because most women named [name]Catherine[/name] don’t go by their full names. I do feel like [name]Katie[/name] is kind of a mom name, mostly because when I was in school there were more [name]Katie[/name]'s than you can shake a stick at, so I do think a lot of new moms my age (mid 20s) will probably go by [name]Katie[/name]. However [name]Catherine[/name] it’s self is a classic name that will never go out of style, and the seemingly endless amount of nicknames give it versatility and keeps it from feeling worn out. If you’re worried about it being too popular then I would stay away from [name]Catie[/name] as her nickname. [name]Catherine[/name] by herself would be better, or even just [name]Cate[/name] sounds fresher than [name]Catie[/name]. If I had a [name]Katherine[/name] I would use [name]Kitty[/name] though. It just seems really unexpected and adorable to me.
Being a mid-'80s baby, I grew up around what seemed like a million Katies. A [name]Katy[/name] here and there, but not many.
I knew a girl in high school named [name]Caity[/name] ([name]Caitlin[/name], I believe, but still), and somehow her spelling was enough to set her COMPLETELY apart, in my mind. I remember loving saying her name because it brought to mind her spelling.
Oddly, [name]Kate[/name]/[name]Katie[/name] seems massively popular to me (though still a beautiful name), where [name]Cate[/name]/[name]Catie[/name] does not. To the ear they are EXACTLY the same, but my brain doesn’t seem to care and thinks of [name]Cate[/name] and [name]Catie[/name] as being somewhat unusual names. For whatever that’s worth!