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[Opinions] Kathleen
What is your opinion on the name Kathleen? Do you prefer spelling Cathleen or Cathline?Is their an Irish spelling of this name?What combos do you suggest with this as a fn OR a mn?Britney Tamber
*DH: Adam Jeffrey*

This message was edited 9/11/2006, 8:01 AM

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I love Kathleen. And that's the spelling I like best.
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I like Kathleen, with this spelling. It's a nice name and you don't really hear it much anymore, especially on kids. I like these combos: Kathleen Opal
Kathleen Sophie
Kathleen Freya
Kathleen Sadie
Kathleen IrisAmelia Kathleen
Molly Kathleen
Hannah Kathleen
Lucy Kathleen
Ruby Kathleen
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Sorry, I don't like it. It makes me think of a middle-aged woman with a raspy voice who smokes alot. However, of all the spellings, I would go with Cathleen.
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Very nice. Catherine with spunk. Excellent. And I spell it Kathleen. The C spellings look weird (odd, I like most other names with C instead of a K). I don't think I've ever seen Cathline. I think that upon seeing it, I'd actually pronounce it with a line sound. And Irish spelling would be Caitlin, with an accent mark on one of the I's (can't remember which!) I was really surprised when I saw that Caitlin was actually supposed to be said Kathleen.
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I love Kathleen and prefer it spelt with a K which is strange really since I prefer Catherine with a C.Kathleen Isobel
Kathleen Margaret
Kathleen Mary
Kathleen SophiaHeather Kathleen
Lydia Kathleen
Moira Kathleen
Rosemary Kathleen
Rachel Kathleen
Theresa Kathleen


Paula

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I like Kathleen a lot, I think it's a lot better than Katherine or Caitlin/Kaitlynn/Katelyn etc. I prfer it with a k and I'm not sure there really is an "Irish" spelling. Unless we go back to Caitlin.
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Caitlin, which I have just realized is being mispronounced by the whole of America... Unfortunate. Britney Tamber
*DH: Adam Jeffrey*
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My opinion-Caitlin, pronounced the American way, is pretty much an accepted version of the name.(Irish posters may certainly disagree!)Sort of the same thing-The town/city of Launceston in England is, I've heard, pronounced "Launce'ton." The Australian one(Tasmania) is always said as "Laun-ces-ton." these things evolve, I suppose.
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"Irish posters may certainly disagree!"Don't worry, they probably wouldn't! The kate-linn pronounciation is fairly well accepted in Ireland, too- at least in Northern Ireland, I've never been to the South, but would assume it's the same there.
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As is Fiona and Catriona (the O should be silent)
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This confuses me too. If Catriona is pronounced ca-TREE-na, then why isn't Fiona pronounced FEE-na? I have been to websites where some say the stress should be on the first syllable. Then again, my dh is a big fan of Fiona Ritchie, host of NPR's "Thistle and Shamrock" program. Fiona is a native of Scotland and I've heard the woman enough to know she distinctly pronounces her name fee-O-na (three syllables). Does anyone know if the name is pronounced more than one way in Scotland?Re: Catriona, I had someone from Edinburgh, Scotland, tell me once that the o is pronounced but it's so subtle it can't even be considered a full syllable. More confusion. ;-)

This message was edited 9/11/2006, 9:57 AM

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There are really two separate origins for Fiona and therefore two separate pronunciations. The Irish name Fiona (spelled Fíona in modern Irish Gaelic), was actually originally spelled Fíne and is from the Latin word vinea, "vine", according to O Corrain & Maguire's Irish Names. It is pronounced "Feena".However, the Scottish name Fiona is an invention of the 18th century author James Macpherson. It was later made famous throughout Scotland when a man named William Sharp (1855-1905)wrote popular novels under the pen name Fiona Macleod. Most experts believe that Macpherson intended his name Fiona to be a feminization of the word fionn, meaning "fair, white". That Fiona seems to have always been pronounced in three syllables, as "fee-OH-nuh".
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I remember a similar story about James Macphearson... I believe it was supposed to be a feminine form of Fionn, but the feminine form is actually Finnola or something...
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I just visited the babynamesofireland site where the names are pronounced. It pronounced Fiona with three syllables, fee-O-na, and said it had a Scottish origin. It didn't mention anything about the "vine" meaning.Thanks, CKE. I always enjoy reading your comments on these boards.
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