Nicknames

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Nicknames
10
Sun, 02-12-2006 - 12:52pm

Hi everyone. I'm new. I'm TTC but have ALWAYS loved thinking of names. I pretty much have a boys name. I have a girls name as well, but I think the nickname I have picked out will make people scratch their heads.

I am thinking of the name Carol with the nickname of Cat.

Now let me explain. Carol is a very good friend of mine that if were not for her I would not be married to my husband. I have ALWAYS loved the name Cat but I think alone it is too informal. I want my daughter to have the option of having a more mature name if she'd like.

I keep thinking Cat doesn't really match with Carol but then again I start thinking of the following:

Dick from Richard
Betty from Elizabeth
Jack from John (I will never understand this one)
Jim from James (there is no I)
Bill from William (there is no B)

I could go on and on. So my point is, the only nicknames I have ever heard for Carol are Carrie. This boggles my mind because it is the same sylabals.

Am I making sense at all?

I wouldn't name her Carol and always call her Cat. It would be a combo. My husband's name is Kevin. Sometimes I call him Kev. My SIL name is Amy, sometimes I call her Aim.

I was just wondering if this makes any sense at all to you guys.

Thanks

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2005
In reply to: coll76
Sun, 02-12-2006 - 12:59pm

I'm a pretty firm believer that nicknames can come from anywhere (the ones you mentioned, plus Elizabeth/Betsy, Margaret/Maisie, Peg, etc.). After all, we are naming our daughter Abigail and using the nn Aila (pronounced Ayla) from the end of the name, rather than Abby from the beginning. :) Plus, if anyone thought it was odd, you could mention that part of the reason for using the nn you love is to differentiate her from her namesake, who's a very good friend of yours. I think that would put a stop to any "head-scratching" concerning where it came from. KWIM? So, in short, I think it'd work just fine. ;)

~Kelli

Edited to add: This is really weird, but I just started watching the movie 10 Things I Hate about You and didn't even remember Julia Styles' name in the movie is, you guessed it, Cat (actually short for Catarina in the movie). Just thought that was a funny coincidence. ;)




Edited 2/12/2006 1:10 pm ET by mommyagain6124

Powered by CGISpy.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-08-2005
In reply to: coll76
Sun, 02-12-2006 - 1:12pm
I really like the nick name Kat or Cat, but I dont like Katrina or Catlin. I say go for it. you dont have to explain your nicknames when they are your own kids. Its not much different than my calling my daughter princess, right??
having a baby


Lilypie 3rd Birthday PicLilypie 3rd Birthday Ticker
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
In reply to: coll76
Sun, 02-12-2006 - 1:46pm

I just know way too many Catherines/Kathleens I used to like the name Katrina until the hurricane. :(

I also like the name Carol because it is not that popular. I don't come across many Carol's these days, young or old. I can only think of 2 that I know.

I would love to spell it Karroll, but I don't want my kid having to spell their name for the rest of their life. Our last name is bad enough. I have to spell it every single time. So Carol it is.

Then again, I'm not even pregnant yet (that I am aware of) and I have 9 months to change my mind. But since I have gotten serious about getting pregnant I have really stuck to the following names

Carol
Eliza
Joy
Evelin
Noelle

If I were to give birth today and it was a girl her name would be Carol Evelin. Evelin spelled that way because if you take letters from my name (Colleen) and DH's (Kevin) you can make Evelin. You can also make Noelle, but I think Carol Noelle sound too Christmasy.

For the longest time I was on an Eliza Joy kick, so who knows. One thing I do know is that Dh likes Carol Evelin also and said the NN Cat is fine.

I'm sure I'll be around to discuss other possibilities until the time actually comes. :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2005
In reply to: coll76
Sun, 02-12-2006 - 3:14pm

Hi there, welcome to the board! My partner and I are not even TTC yet, but I'm already obsessed with names. It's never too early to start thinking about it!


As for Cat from Carol, I don't think that's a problem at all. As you said, there are tons of nns that don't really make a sense (at least in an obvious way) and as Kelli said, if anyone questions you, your explanation should satisfy them.


As for Carol itself, have you considered Caroline? My late grandmother, who I want very much to honor, was named Carol. I like Carol, but it seems rather dated to me, like a "mom" name or a "grandma" name. (Carol was in the top 10 every year from 1937-1950 and has fallen in popularity every year since then. It's now ranked 855.) To me, Caroline seems much more like a classic. (In the last 100 years, it has fluctuated from roughly 60 to 300 -- it's never been very popular, and it's never been unpopular.) So I've decided that (barring anything major happening to change my mind before then)



Photobucket
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-16-2004
In reply to: coll76
Sun, 02-12-2006 - 3:49pm

I would call a

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2005
In reply to: coll76
Sun, 02-12-2006 - 4:17pm
Ironically, my name is Jodi, but everyone calls me Kat. It doesn't have any rhyme or reason. I think naming your DD Carol & calling her Cat is fine. And when she's older she has the option to use Carol.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-09-2005
In reply to: coll76
Sun, 02-12-2006 - 5:44pm
It kind of makes sense, I just don't think its very pretty. Carol seems outdated to me. How about Catherine Carol Last name nn Cat? Or Katarina Carol?

                             
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-25-2006
In reply to: coll76
Sun, 02-12-2006 - 10:45pm
Ok you think Cat is weird for Carol... my name is Suzanne and I am called Lucy by my older sister and my mom. I dont understand it but thats what I am. My older sister never calls me Suzanne, maybe Suz, but 99% of the time its Lucy, and my mom calls me it sometimes too. People ask me where it came from and I dont know, but Ive had it since I can remember so I never questioned it. So really anyone can have any nicknames, I think the nn Cat is cute. (now yall know why my sn is SzyLucy) haha
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-28-2005
In reply to: coll76
Mon, 02-13-2006 - 12:31pm

Sure, makes sense to me! I like Libby as a nickname for Isabella, since Isabella is a form of Elizabeth and Libby is a nickname for Elizabeth. Plus, I've heard Ib and Ibby for nn for Isabella. But, no one else seems to get it. There is also Nelly for Eleanor even though there is no N in front of Eleanor! So, I say use Cat if you like!

Sunny

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-19-2005
In reply to: coll76
Mon, 02-13-2006 - 1:46pm
That's funny.
bluemarchpic-1.jpg