What's In A Name?

Girls named Kate/Cate seem to be getting quite a bit of press lately. Posing naked (again) Kate, Marrying for love Kate, Tackling climate change so-she-can-look-her-children-in-the-face Cate. From the sublime to the ridiculous. I'll leave it for you to decide which is which.


The year I was born, Catherine was the most popular name for baby girls, and so naturally, my parents made it my second name. My lovely sisters, were given the number one most popular name the year they were born. As their first name. I went to school with a lot of Catherines, Kathryns, Cathies, Kaths, Katies. I would have loved to be called Cate. So why wasn't I similarly bestowed with Catherine as my primary moniker?


My mother explains it as such: As new migrants, they couldn't quite understand the Australian predelection for abbreviating names as a form of cultural acceptance and affection. As far as they were concerned they had given their two first girls lovely, complete, not-unreasonably-long, names. And yet every Australian automatically re-christened my sisters with a newly shortened sobriquet. My resourceful parents solved this when I was born. Bequeathing to me the shortest of names, four letters, single syllable.


I feel, as time goes on, I am really growing into my name. Only to be expected I suppose, given that it's the name of a ninety two year old. Don't get me wrong. I'm all about tradition and heritage. I buy antiques and quilt-by-hand for goodness sake. But there's old names and there's old names. Mine isn't the good kind. As a middle name, you can't go past it. As a middle name it works*.


But as a first name it's frumpy and uninspiring.  Through work, I've met people face to face that hitherto I had only communicated with electronically or over the phone. More than once I've been greeted with: Oh, you're younger than I had imagined. Stupid name. No one else has it. Well, no. That's not strictly true. There are others. Mostly alice-band wearing religious zealots. Or old ladies. Evidenced by the fact that it was in the Top 5 most popular names...in 1911.


I like old ladies. I hope to become one. Perhaps then I'll like my name.


*So much that The Man gave it to The Little One as her middle name. Unfortunately, as the children have my surname as a second middle name, smack bang between her cute first and charming last names, The Little One has my whole name. Oh and that's her lovely Double Irish Chain I made her way back. Fabric from the quilt show in Brugge. Hand quilted with cross hatching, Irish tulips and Celtic knots.