Which spelling for Caitlin?

austenreader85

In the "most hated baby girl names" thread the author of the article wrote that many readers hated Kaitlyn because it was a "made up" spelling.  I don't know why but this one never really bothered me.  Anyway, I thought I'd make a poll about the other spellings and see which is most accepted.[Poll]

austenreader85

I'd rather see it spelled Katelin or Kaitlin than anything with a y or double ns.  Next I can tolerate the y.  Spellings with double n drive me crazy, it's not necessary at all.  At least the other spellings make sense phonetically.

Edit: to clarify, I can tolerate the y in this case because I get that people hear the name Lynn in the name.  Not that I think y should ever in any other case replace an I.  I'm not really sure why I'm ok with that but not with the double n since it is also connected to the name Lynn.  Maybe I think Lynn should only have one n?!  Don't gets started on having an e at the end!

this decaf life

My SIL is Kaitlin so that's what I voted for because I'm used to it!

sweetpea2003

I prefer traditional Caitlin by a mile. 

magsugar13

sweetpea2003:

I prefer traditional Caitlin by a mile. 

I'll raise that to two miles!

DawnJM25

sweetpea2003:

I prefer traditional Caitlin by a mile. 

I didn't even know that WAS the traditional spelling.  I've seen a lot of those spellings multiple times so I wasn't sure- I think the spelling I've seen the most often is Kaitlin or Kaitlyn.

 

AlphabetFish

I facepalmed when I saw this title. It's Caitlin. That's it!

IrishEyes0530

I prefer Katelyn. I don't like it spelled with a C because my brother dated a Caitlin and she was a crazy, immature, psychotic b!Tch and I can't get past that.

LemonBlush

Definitely Caitlin. Plus it looks so much prettier this way. 

magpie1127

LemonBlush:

Definitely Caitlin. Plus it looks so much prettier this way. 

This.  

plunderb

I would compare this to other Anglicized Irish names. To me, Kaitlyn/Katelyn/Caytlynne is the equivalent of taking a name like Aisling and spelling it Ashlynne. Or Seamus spelled Shaymis. Or Siobhan spelled Shivonne.

Now, obviously, there is a spectrum. All of these names have been Anglicized to a greater or lesser extent. There are perfectly good reasons for going with Patrick over Padraig, though I would argue that Pattryk is a bridge too far. And pretty much no one in America insists on the Irish pronunciation of Caitlin (or the accent mark), and if they did, that would be sort of obnoxious too. I have issues with Irish-Americans who don't speak Irish using names like Caoimhe and Coinneach to out-Irish one another, but I still prefer the Irish names that are minimally Anglicized. Caitlin (KATE-lin) is an American name that nods at its Irish roots ? Katelyn is so American that it forgets it ever had them.

nicholssquared

I'm a Kaitlan and I always thought my spelling was too weird. I wish my mother had named me with a simpler spelling - so I'm not having to spell it all the time. On the other hand, with a name like this, you'll probably be asked to spell it all the time even if it's the standard "caitlin" spelling. That being said, I think my vote would be for Kaitlin. I don't like y's, and I'm used to the K. But NOT the way I spell it. lol

strawberrytree

plunderb:

I would compare this to other Anglicized Irish names. To me, Kaitlyn/Katelyn/Caytlynne is the equivalent of taking a name like Aisling and spelling it Ashlynne. Or Seamus spelled Shaymis. Or Siobhan spelled Shivonne.

Now, obviously, there is a spectrum. All of these names have been Anglicized to a greater or lesser extent. There are perfectly good reasons for going with Patrick over Padraig, though I would argue that Pattryk is a bridge too far. And pretty much no one in America insists on the Irish pronunciation of Caitlin (or the accent mark), and if they did, that would be sort of obnoxious too. I have issues with Irish-Americans who don't speak Irish using names like Caoimhe and Coinneach to out-Irish one another, but I still prefer the Irish names that are minimally Anglicized. Caitlin (KATE-lin) is an American name that nods at its Irish roots ? Katelyn is so American that it forgets it ever had them.

Word. Seriously. Same reason I cringe when I see all the variants of Aidan. Random K's and Y's will always look so juvenile to me.  

austenreader85

plunderb:

I would compare this to other Anglicized Irish names. To me, Kaitlyn/Katelyn/Caytlynne is the equivalent of taking a name like Aisling and spelling it Ashlynne. Or Seamus spelled Shaymis. Or Siobhan spelled Shivonne.

Now, obviously, there is a spectrum. All of these names have been Anglicized to a greater or lesser extent. There are perfectly good reasons for going with Patrick over Padraig, though I would argue that Pattryk is a bridge too far. And pretty much no one in America insists on the Irish pronunciation of Caitlin (or the accent mark), and if they did, that would be sort of obnoxious too. I have issues with Irish-Americans who don't speak Irish using names like Caoimhe and Coinneach to out-Irish one another, but I still prefer the Irish names that are minimally Anglicized. Caitlin (KATE-lin) is an American name that nods at its Irish roots ? Katelyn is so American that it forgets it ever had them.

I don't know how to bold on my phone but I think that last sentence is amazingly well put.  I actually even forgot about the Irish connection when I posted this poll.   

ntkt311

I am having a boy but Kaitlin was one of my top girls names. My name starts with a K so I wanted that for daughter.

BLPL101

I'll add one to the list. Katelen. I know a woman (late 20s) and that's how she spells it. I think it's one of the worst spellings for this name.