Growing up, I thought there was only one way to spell the name Catherine.
C-a-t-h-e-r-i-n-e. This was the way I learned how to spell my name in preschool. I vaguely remembered I got upset and bothered that the student aid spelled my name incorrectly. I didn’t speak up and told my mom who told the student aid afterwards that my name started with a C, not a K.
I learned later in life that it was not the only way to spell this name. I had classmates whose names started with a K and/or had a y instead of i.
Even nicknames, there were various way to truncate it. It was not limited to just Cathy or Kathy. There’s also Cathi, Kat, Kate, Katy, and Kit.
Origin of Catherine and its Variants
Catherine came from the Greek word “katharos” which means “pure.” This led to alternative spelling such as Katharine and Katherine.
Popularity of Catherine and its Variants
Since 1880, the name Catherine and its variants have been among the 100 most popular names.
There are many celebrities I know through movies or recognize by name through news such as Catherine Zeta-Jones, Catherine Bell, Catherine (aka Kate) Middleton, Katherine Heigl (who I know from the movies Wish Upon the Star and 27 Dresses), Katharine…
