I have always loved the name [name]Katharine[/name](with the Hepburn spelling!) and love the nn [name]Kate[/name] but have a problem that there are so many little Kates running around, 3 on my block as a matter of fact. I have never liked the nn [name]Kathy[/name] and it seems so dated at this point.
What do you think about using [name]Katia[/name] as a nn for [name]Katharine[/name]??? I am thinking it would fit in/stand out and be a little bit exotic.
WDYT?
[name]Katia[/name]
[name]Kat[/name]
[name]Kit[/name]
[name]Kitty[/name]
[name]Kiki[/name]
Are a few… I love [name]Kate[/name] though!
[name]Kate[/name] is really great, though.
[name]Elea[/name] has a thread posted in Talk About Names called “Hip Alternative Nicknames” that addresses your question. It is about international nicknames for names with international variations - something to get out of our rut of same old nickname choices. You should check it out!
[name]Katia[/name] or [name]Katya[/name] from the Russian [name]Katerina[/name] or [name]Ekaterina[/name] - it also has versions in Dutch and [name]German[/name] (spelled like Katje, etc.), [name]Katia[/name] would seem exotic in a particularly Slavic/Russian way. I really like it.
I am so pleased to see someone use this spelling. I am a [name]Katharine[/name] with that spelling. My parents chose is because of [name]Katharine[/name] Hepburn, but it is also the spelling that [name]Shakespeare[/name] used as well.
As for [name]Katia[/name] as the nn, I actually really like it. My parents called me [name]Katie[/name] (to avoid the [name]Kathy[/name] nn, actually). [name]Katie[/name] is fine, but I never felt that it fit me and did not feel that it aged well. Starting in middle school I was desperate to change my name. It never really took, but finally when I went to college I was able to get people to call me [name]Katharine[/name]. So, I feel that a nn for [name]Katharine[/name] needs to be relatively universal and one that will age well. I think that [name]Katia[/name] fits the bill!
But, a little piece of advice if you go with [name]Katharine[/name], use her fn from time to time so that if she wants to use it later, it will be easier for her.
[name]Katia[/name] or [name]Kat[/name] would be very cute!
[name]Kit[/name] and [name]Kitty[/name] are adorable nns for [name]Katherine[/name]
I think that [name]Katia[/name] is beautiful but long enough to need a nn of its own. Its pronounced with three syllables right? I think that people would tend to shorten it to [name]Kat[/name] or [name]Kate[/name] anyway. [name]Kat[/name] and [name]Kit[/name] are super cute.
[name]Katia[/name] or [name]Katya[/name] is Kaht-ya. It is 2, not 3 syllables - not similar to [name]Julia[/name] or [name]Maria[/name] - The YA (or sometimes KA) is a Russian nicknaming custom, similar to when someone’s name is [name]Daniel[/name], he might be called [name]Danny[/name], or [name]Francis[/name] called [name]Franky[/name]; we are partial to the -ee sound nicknames. It is a “diminutive” or an endearment in exactly the same way - [name]Katia[/name] does not need its own nickname! It is long enough to be a full name, though, at least in the US. I don’t know that much about Russian, but I know someone who is named [name]Anna[/name] (from the Ukraine) who is sometimes [name]Anya[/name] - we might call her [name]Annie[/name]. A 2-syllable name does not need a nickname, but there you go. I’m not sure in Russian or Slavic countries if they ever or commonly use the nicknames for the formal name. I seem to run into a lot more Russian immigrants around [name]Boston[/name] than I might have expected, and Katyas and Tanyas are always [name]Ekaterina[/name] or [name]Katerina[/name] and [name]Tatiana[/name]. It seems their nicknames catch on here while their full names do sound quite a bit more exotic.
It has the same number of syllables as [name]Katie[/name] or [name]Kathy[/name], anyway. I think [name]Katia[/name] is great.
I love [name]Kit[/name] and [name]Kitty[/name]! I’m a [name]Katharine[/name] Hepburn fan, too. From what I read, she was called [name]Kat[/name]/Katty.
Take care!