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There's a Santa Catalina Island off the California coast near LA. It's a popular tourist destination. Maybe that could inspire the girl's parents, if you're looking for a character's name. Otherwise, as others have said, Catalina or Katarina would be fine for someone with European heritage. Cataleya might work, but it would be more of a stretch. The entry says it's a Hispanic variant of Cattleya, which is a genus of orchids.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Catalina_Island_(California)#Tourism

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattleya

I don’t see why not.

They are all beautiful. I don’t see why not.

They work on white girls elsewhere. At least, Catalina and Katarina do; I've never encountered Cataleya.

Yes

Sure, I don't see why not.

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Catalina & Katarina are names in other "white" cultures (Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Bulgarian, Czech...etc). I might smirk at a Catalina McCarthy, but that's it.

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As for Cataleya, I can't say. I've only heard it on Latinas before.

This message was edited 6/21/2021, 11:52 AM

I’m not familiar with Cataleya, but both Catalina and Katarina are borne by white people. Spanish speakers can be white and Katarina is a form in various European languages.

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I’d wonder, especially in the case of Catalina, if she didn’t have a Spanish or Latin American background. It is a pretty name though.

Sure, if she had roots in a country where they're used.

Yes, why shouldn't they?

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Catalina is super popular in Romania and the Republic of Moldova.

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Katarina is international too. Katharina was super popular in Germany, Caterina in Italy etc. I know people from the Czech Republic, Italy, Germany (many!), Poland (Katarzyna) etc. with the name.

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Cataleya comes from the flower so it works on anyone too.