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Help[Opinions] Cate/Kate
A little farther down the board, I saw someone describe Cate as looking a little contrived. I've seen this a few times, and was wondering why, since I always thought Catherine 'Cate' was the only way to go. And yes, I am asking partially because it's my own name, hahah. So, do you think Cate is contrived? Why or why not? I probably won't be back on tonight, but I'll reply tomorrow if I need to. Thanks in advance!
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No, I love it
especially if it is for Catherine. Kate for Catherine seems to totally defeat the point of spelling Catherine with a C. Cate is much more subdued and amused. Kate is bold and happy. They match Catherine/Katherine so much better.
especially if it is for Catherine. Kate for Catherine seems to totally defeat the point of spelling Catherine with a C. Cate is much more subdued and amused. Kate is bold and happy. They match Catherine/Katherine so much better.
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I really like Cate as a full name, but don't think it looks contrived or anything as a nn, either. I think it's strange that the nn for Catherine would be spelled with a K ... just doesn't seem logical to me. Anyway, I prefer Cate on its own :P
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I don't think of it as contrived at all...instead, I see it as a refreshing change from Kate. To me, Kate is a bit staid and grandmother-ish (just a bit) but Cate sounds more modern and creative. I would also assume that the Catherine/Katherine difference would determine the nickname. One other thing - for some reason I associate Cate with the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Don't know why.
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For me, Catherine and Katherine are both valid spellings. I love both. One is Latin and one is Greek, it doesn't make either one right or wrong. The same logic could be applied to Cate and Kate. However, I do prefer Kate. Cate doesn't really seem contrived to me. I think it's just that Kate is more traditional, so Cate seems a bit odd to my eyes. Perhaps with more people going by Cate, I will adjust. I don't see anything at all wrong with it and I'm sure it will grow on me.
ETA: Using a different nn, Cathy and Kathy both look alright to me as they have both been traditional spellings.
ETA: Using a different nn, Cathy and Kathy both look alright to me as they have both been traditional spellings.
This message was edited 4/29/2008, 11:27 PM
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I don't think it's contrived at all. While I prefer Kate in general, I think that Catherine nn "Kate" looks weird. Just my opinion.
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I like Cate; I would be more inclined to use it as a standalone name, rather than a nn. If I ever used Kate it would probably be as a nn for Katherine, but Cate feels more like a name in its own right to me (I know it's not etymologically, it just feels stronger to me somehow). I like it more than Kate.
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No I don't see it as contrived, but it doesn't look "right" imo.
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