Kate

[katnz03.livejournal.com]

I really like the name Kate but not sure if people would find it too "nicknamey" for a first (full) name? 

I'm undecided on using longer names for which Kate could be a nickname if I would never use the longer name anyway - or maybe I just need to find a longer name that I like. 

What names could Kate be a nickname for?  I'm not really a fan of Catherine/Katherine/Kathryn etc because it's quite similar to my own name, nor do I really like Caitlin/Kaitlyn/Katelyn etc or Katie/Katy.

Also I quite like Rhiannon, Gemma and Aleida (Ah-LEE-da or Ah-LAY-da) as middle names for Kate.  Thoughts/suggestions?

Comments

[th3-unicorn.livejournal.com]

I totally support using it just for a nickname!

But I'm afraid you're already sorted out all possibilities for long name options.. unless you go dip into some other culture's name pot.

I quite love Rhiannon, but my boyfriend recently convinced me that Gemma sounds porn-star. It's interesting that you've come across Aleida, it's a very old-fashioned and very rare name here in Italy, and here it's pronounced Ah-LEH-ee-da.

I sponsor Katherine Rhiannon :)

[katnz03.livejournal.com]

I hadn't heard Aleida until quite recently when a family friend named her child Aleida as it was a (Dutch) family name and she really liked it.

[thejoysofjess.livejournal.com]

I desperately want to use Kate as a full first name myself.

Kate can be short for a lot of names in different cultures, but they're basically all variants of Katherine when it comes down to it, so if that's too similar to your name, you'll likely continue to have that issue.

[katnz03.livejournal.com]

It's unfortunate really that I like the name Kate because my name is Katrina and I suspect it would just be weird to call a daughter Kate (or Catherine etc). Maybe I will have gone off the name by the time I actually have children :P

[sarahrose.livejournal.com]

I LOVE Kate as just a given name. I like Kathryn too, but I just love Kate. I think it's a totally "acceptable" given name.

My favorite actress is Kate Winslet, and that influences me as well.

[florallove.livejournal.com]

I think it's fine as a full name.

My sister, who has always gone by Katie, her real name is Kathleen.

[crzydimond.livejournal.com]

People I know who go by Kate:

Catherine
Katerina
Katie
Katrina/Catrina
Kathleen

I also know 2 girls with the first name Kate, just plain Kate.

Also perhaps:

Catalina/Catalena
Katya

[arbus.livejournal.com]

kathleen is another option. and there is also katarina or some variation?

i too am in full support of using it as a full name! i have kate quinn on my list. :)

[freezemyazaleas.livejournal.com]

I love Kate on its own, and I also like it as a nickname for Katherine and Kaitlin, and I like Katie as a nickname for all three of those.

I really like Kate Rhiannon!!!

[monalyssasmile.livejournal.com]

I love Kate as my favorite actress is Kate Walsh, but I would probably never use it because it is sooooo popular, it seems like every family has a Katie these days, I mean it is a cute name and all...

I only know of Kathleen and Katerina as formal names.

[katnz03.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is popular, hopefully if I still want to use it by the time I have kids it will be less popular (we're talking 5-10 years).
I could never use Katerina as my name is actually Katrina. Which is probably far too similar to Kate :S

[rockstargrrrlie.livejournal.com]

Kate was #142 on the girl's list of most popular names (in the US) in 2006, so I'd say a fair amount of people thing it's formal enough to be a stand alone name.

With that in mind, I'd just go with Kate if you aren't too fond of Catherine or Kaitlin.

[lilacmermaid.livejournal.com]

I much prefer the long versions of names, even if you're going to be using the nickname exclusively or almost exclusively. Katherine's one of my favourite names, and Kate is the nickname I would want to use for it.

[cathblue7.livejournal.com]

My daughter's friend has a darling 3 yr old girl named Kate Olivia! I love her name! Sometime they call her Katie! :o)

[istytehcrawk.livejournal.com]

I love Kate as a nn for Katerina. I hope to use it someday, with the middle name Pearl (my great-great-grandma's name).

[katnz03.livejournal.com]

Nice name :) My name is actually Katrina, so I have a few issues already with using Kate unfortunately. Maybe I'll have gone off the name by the time I have children.

[songspell.livejournal.com]

My given name is Kate. I really like it, although I do occasionally have the "no, it's not short for anything" conversation.

I have never been called anything other than Kate (except for unrelated pet names, such as "pumpkin"), and the way I see it "Katie" makes the name longer which is the opposite of what nicknames were supposed to do. The story I tell people is that my parents liked all of the "Kate" names and figured that's what they would call me anyway, so they just named me that. (My family has never been big on nicknames, everyone uses their full given name.)

I see it as informal, but classic.

[bobinwales.livejournal.com]

Kate is my name. Just Kate, not short for anything, and I've never had any problems with it! I love my name :D
I'm Kate Elizabeth.

An d also love the name Rhiannon.

[seksimaggie.livejournal.com]

I have a friend whose full first name is just Katie, "because we were going to call her Katie anyway, so why name her something else?" But if it was me, I would rather have Kate be my legal name and just go by Katie, because I think Kate ages better and seems more mature than Katie. But I definitely think Kate can be a full first name by itself, not too nicknamey.

I like Kate Rhiannon best of those, the other two don't flow well to me.