Is there ever an instance where it is okay to pronounce [name]Catriona[/name] like it is spelled: “Ka-tree-OH-nuh”? My husband and I loved this name until we recently read that it is usually pronounced “Ka-TREE-nuh.” I think it would be counter intuitive to pronounce it “Ka-TREE-nuh” since there is an “o” in the middle…but what do I know? Thoughts? =/
It’s ‘ka-TREE-na’ and sorry, there isn’t another way of saying it. It’s a Gaelic name, hence the spelling. The English spelling of Catriona is Katrina.
Agreed. My little cousin is a [name]Catriona[/name]. Can’t imagine saying it any other way!
sigh I guess we will be striking it from our list then as we have a few acquaintances with the English spelling and there is now a bad connotation with the name.
I’ve heard Catríona pronounced kat-TREE-uh-nah (The uh is said really quickly, barely heard) and kat-TREE-nah
I learned something new today. I always pronounced it with the o!
I’ve only heard it pronounced “[name]Katrina[/name].” Like [name]Catriona[/name] LeMay [name]Doan[/name], the Olympic speed skater. I also have a former colleague with this name who goes by “[name]Trina[/name]”
We also just recently learned we were saying it wrong! My hubby and I [name]LOVE[/name] it with the “o” pronounced…not so much without it. The reason I asked is because Nameberry’s definition says it is usually pronounced Ka-TREE-nah, meaning…in my mind…that this is not always the case. I also posed this question to my mom and sister and they too pronounced the “o;” in fact, they were quite miffed when I told them it’s silent. I mean, why is it there if we don’t say it? 
It’s Gaelic, lol. Like [name]Caoimhe[/name] is Kweeva.
Yeah, Irish doesn’t make sense to anyone else. Except [name]Scotland[/name] might understand.
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See…I totally had NO idea how to say that name and would not have come up with Kweeva. :3
So I am thinking most Americans would pronounce [name]Catriona[/name] as I do…Ka-tree-OH-nah (though my sister came up with Ka-tree-[name]AH[/name]-nah…). It seems my future daughter might only run into Ka-TREE-nah in [name]England[/name]/[name]Scotland[/name]/[name]Ireland[/name]?
I’m torn. I don’t want to mispronounce it, but I do like semi-phonetic pronunciations. If the “o” is there, I want to use it! Lol. Of course, she’d most likely be called “[name]Cat[/name],” because…well, I love that nickname.
I’ve had a Gaelic name my entire life, though I get called Brig-hid a few times people not only understand, but admire the odd spelling as it’s trying to keep my family’s culture alive. So if you are Irish or Scottish in ancestry I would recommend keeping [name]Catriona[/name]. Plus the mispronounced versions have become nicknames between my sister and I, she calls me Brig-hid and I call her Ma-deb.
Thanks for all of the input. At least I now know the proper pronunciation, even if I don’t agree with or like it. =P I will leave it on the list for further consideration later.