I have been bouncing back and forth between the spellings of one of my favorite girl names ([name]Katarina[/name]/[name]Caterina[/name]). I want to name a future daughter (if I’m lucky enough to have one, someday) after my great-grandmother, [name]Catherine[/name]. [name]Catherine[/name] was actually born [name]Katarina[/name] (the Slovak spelling) and my mother is named after her as well ([name]Kathryn[/name]). But, my father’s side is overwhelmingly Italian, so I’ve considered [name]Caterina[/name] as well.
[name]Katarina[/name]
PRO
The original spelling of my g-grandmother’s name
Honors Slovak heritage
I like that it could be shorten to [name]Kata[/name]
[name]CON[/name]
might be mistaken as [name]Katrina[/name]
Ks are trendy looking
[name]Caterina[/name]
PRO
Honors Italian heritage
is nice blend to honor both sides of my family
[name]CON[/name]
I don’t like the look of “[name]Cate[/name]” as a nickname
I don’t like the [name]Katerina[/name] spelling despite this being the default for when I took a poll from people that I know (“How would you spell Katarina/Caterina/etc?”). So, what do you think, Berries? What spelling would you chose?
I like the look of [name]Caterina[/name] better… you could use [name]Trina[/name]/[name]Rina[/name]/[name]Cat[/name] as a nn instead of [name]Cate[/name].
To me [name]Katarina[/name] looks better. I also dislike [name]Cate[/name] (but like [name]Kate[/name]). When I look at [name]Catarina[/name] I see [name]Catalina[/name]. I think the K thing is only ‘trendy’ seeming if it’s someplace it doesn’t really belong, like [name]Khloe[/name] or if it’s on a surname-y name or a made up type of name. [name]Katarina[/name] is pretty and I like it better than [name]Katerina[/name]. Maybe honor the Italian side of your family with your daughter’s middle name?
I prefer [name]Caterina[/name], unlike most everyone else here! Ks look harsh and trendy to me, while Cs look much more soft, feminine, and streamlined. [name]Catarina[/name] is nice too, though I agree with a pp that it reminds me of [name]Catalina[/name]. Good luck!
I like [name]Katerina[/name] the best, personally, haha, but if that’s not an option I like [name]Katarina[/name]. I actually love [name]Cate[/name], so that would be the only reason I’m drawn to [name]Caterina[/name], but if you don’t like it, [name]Katarina[/name] definitely seals the deal for me! Very sweet and charming.
I don’t think K’s look trendy on such a traditional name. [name]Katarina[/name] is lovely and having the [name]Kata[/name] in there is perfect for a nickname.
I really like them both! I’d go with [name]Katarina[/name], though. I’m good friends with one, and I have heard her name get mistaken as [name]Katrina[/name], but more often than not, it’s pronounced correctly. Also, she said that a lot of people spell her name correctly on the first try, so that seems to be a default spelling.
That’s really my problem with both them - There’s nothing very negative about either one, and they are both so nice that it’s hard to choose (seems like the Berries are split, too). But, it’s good to hear outside perspectives that reaffirm that both are positive/good names.
I think it’s fairly common for Catherines to spell the nickname [name]Kate[/name], so, if you really prefer [name]Caterina[/name] I see no reason not to use it and just spell [name]Kate[/name] the nn…or use [name]Cat[/name] as another poster suggestion, which I really like.
Take a look at the page for [name]Catherine[/name] (click on the name or better yet, try this page with all of the international variants: 77 Unique International Variations of Katherine | Nameberry) and you will find so many different variants, it’s surprising. Lots of really nice ones, so I can see why it’s hard to decide!
By the way, in the area I live, [name]Catalina[/name] (more Spanish) seems to be more popular than [name]Caterina[/name]… in fact I’ve never seen [name]Caterina[/name]. Depending on where you live, you might consider a version that people will be less likely to mess up or get wrong, if that makes sense. [name]Will[/name] make it easier for her in school etc.
My daughter is [name]Caitlin[/name] to honour my great-grandmother [name]Katarine[/name] (the Norwegian version)…I like both [name]Katarina[/name] and [name]Caterina[/name]. When I took my daughter to [name]Italy[/name], she was called Catari, after the wonderful song [name]Cor[/name]'ngrato, which I like much better than [name]Cate[/name]. So either way works for me. I’d not heard [name]Kata[/name] before – I had a friend who was French and Czech named [name]Katia[/name] – but [name]Kata[/name] is a terrific nn too. So I’m on the fence – I like them both.
I actually tend to spell it [name]Catharina[/name] or [name]Catherina[/name], though I seem to be a minority. The others look incomplete to me, though I would probably go with the K spelling as it directly honours your great grandma.
I like [name]Katarina[/name] but I think [name]Caterina[/name] is better for your situation (to honor your hubby side). If you don’t like [name]Cate[/name], you can write it [name]Kate[/name]. Or you can call her by [name]Cathy[/name].
I prefer [name]Katarina[/name]. I actually have a character in a story I’m writing right now called [name]Katarina[/name], nn [name]Rina[/name], and I had a different character called [name]Katarina[/name] nn [name]Kat[/name].