View Message

Female middle name wanted: J…consonant, bisyllabic, Christian/German, independent
I’m looking for a middle name to Katharina (a German form of Catherine) that should match as many of the following criteria as possible:– isn’t uncommon or unusual in German, English and Italian, although it may be pronounced differently
– has two syllables, main accent preferably on the first (this may differ by language, though)
– starts with letter J, which can be pronounced like English Y, i.e. IPA /j/, so e.g. ‘Jill’ would fail, because it’s always /dʒil/
– ends in a spoken consonant or consonant cluster or, if it must be a vowel, not in -a; silent ‘e’ as in French ‘Michelle’ might be tolerable
– is from the Bible or has Christian (or Jewish) associations OR has obvious Germanic (e.g. Old German) origins
– isn’t clearly derived from a male name (e.g. Claudius / Claudio / ClausClaudia / Claudine / Claudette)
– isn’t a diminutive of a better known name
– has a well-known positive namesake in history, mythology or literature (not recent popular culture)Criteria are sorted roughly descending by importance. Violating up to three can be fine, but at most one of the top three bullet points.Any suggestions other than Judith?

This message was edited 5/1/2016, 8:52 AM

Archived Thread - replies disabled
vote up1

Replies

What about Jacinth?
I had a thing for Giacinta, which is the Italian version. It's not very common, but it's not unheard of. Not really used in Germany, but it wouldn't be considered weird there. Has two syllables, with a second syllable stressor. It's not a vowel-ending and it's in the Bible (albeit talking about the stone, Revelation). It's not a male name, though there are male versions, and it is not a diminutive, merely a variation. It's definitely a positive thing.
Justine is the only other option I can think of. That also fits most of your criteria though.
Katharina Jacinth
Katharina Justine
Katharina JudithAll are lovely to be honest.
If you were willing to bend a bit on the syllables AND the ending - Junia is lovely. She was the first female apostle.
Also - J is not used in Italian... only G. There are plenty of gorgeous Italian names out there.
Finally - My choice for you would be Irene.It is used in English, Italian and German. Pronounced differently each way, but lovely in each case. It is found throughout history, is totally common, and has a second syllable stressor. I might be biased, as my second daughter has this as her second middle name (pronounced ee-reh-neh). Katharina Irene is lovely.

This message was edited 5/2/2016, 9:30 AM

vote up1
vote up1
Ok, let´s go (-:Katharina Jaaike
Katahrina Jaane
Katharina Jaantje
Katharina Jachet
Katharina Jael
Katharina Janis
Katahrina Janni
Katharina Jared
Katahrina Jenel
Katharina Jele
Katharina Jelle
Katharina Jelsche
Katharina Jeltje
Katharina Jelte
Katharina Jenne
Katharina Jennegien
Katharina Jente
Katharina Jeras
Katharina Jettchen (does remind you of what?-Gretchen & Aennchen)
Katharina Jette
Katharina Joally
Katharina Jodee
Katharina Jodean
Katharina Jöelle
Katharina Jördis
Katharina Joke, pronunciation in this kind: Yoh-keh
Katharina Jolin
Katharina Jopie
Katharina Jorid
Katharina Josée
Katharina Joulée
Katharina Jürine
Katharina Jütte
Katharina Jule
Katharina Juno
Katharina Juthe
Katharina Jytte
Also, viel Spaß damit-da ich nicht weiss, aus welchem Land Du kommst, kann ich Dir leider auch keine weiteren Aussprachehilfestellungen geben. Ich hoffe, ich konnte Dir hiermit ein bißchen weiterhelfen.
Viele Grüße
vote up1
These are the only middle names that I can think of that match your criteria:* Katharina Jael [ya-EL], but no accent on the first syllable* Katharine Janice [ya-niece], but no Biblic nor Germanic background and no accent on the first syllable* Katharina Jasmin [yahs-MEEN], but no Biblic nor Germanic background and no accent on the first syllableI like Katharina Jasmin the most, because Jasmin is very popular both in Germany and English speaking countries (possibly spelled differently, but anyways).
vote up1
I liked Jahel (instead of Jael), but I was the only one.Jasmin isn’t bad, but unfortunately doesn’t go well with the family name.Janice reminds me too much of the awful character from Friends and I would always pronounce it that way (~ Jennis), which I don’t like at all.

This message was edited 5/1/2016, 2:24 PM

vote up1
Hi !!!!Names that fits with your criteria...
Starts with J but pronounce like a Y. Germanic sound. Two syllables. Christian...Jana (YAH-nah fem. of Jan)
This is the only one that I know and I heard in a tv series and also in real life. I'm Italian so I think that it could be used here by a German or Eastern European woman. It is simple but Christian as you want.
Katharina Jana ...it could be ok!!Then I found other names on BTN
I looked for feminine names with J and with two syllables. After that I found Eastern Europe and Balcanian names because these names are the ones with J pronounce like a Y.These two are my favourite after Jana
Katharina Jaga
Katharina JaelAnd also...
Janja
Jasna
Jela (dim of Jelena)
Jette (Dutch form Henrietta)
Jitka (Judita)
Jola (YOH-la)
JónaByeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

This message was edited 5/1/2016, 11:17 AM

vote up1
That sure is a lot of criteria! Have you considered asking the Name Sage at Nameberry.com?Anyway, this is what I came up with, with the numbers for which criteria they fulfill:- Katharina Jasmin (1-ish, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7)
- Katharina Jenna/i/y (1-ish, 2, 3, 5 (German), 6, 7-ish)
- Katharina Jessica/ka (1, 3, 5, 7)
- Katharina Jessa or Jessi/y (1, 2, 3, 5)
- Katharina Jutta (1-ish, 2, 3, 5, 6)
- Katharina Josefine/a (1-ish, 3, 4-ish, 5, 7, 8)
- Katharina Josette/a (1-ish, 2-ish, 3, 4-ish, 5, 6, 8)
- Katharina Jana/Janna (1-ish, 2, 3, 5, 6-ish, 6)And then some that don't fulfill the "J"-need:- Katharina Gilda/e (1-ish, 2, 5, 6, 7)
- Katharina Adele (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7)
- Katharina Adelaide/Alice (1, 4, 5, 6, 7 8)
- Katharina Carla (1, 2, 5, 7)
- Katharina Clara (1, 2, 5, 6, 7)
- Katharina Irene (1, 2-ish, 4-ish, 5, 6, 7,
- Katharina Anna/Hannah (1, 2, 4, 5, 6)
- Katharina Julia (1-ish, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8)
- Katharina Abigail (1-ish, 4, 5, 6, 7)
- Katharina Lydia/Lidia (1, 5, 6, 7)
- Katharina Rachel(e) (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7)
- Katharina Salome (1-ish, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7)Keep in mind that Italian and German are quite different in sounds and background so it might be hard to find a name that suits both languages.Hope it's of any use, good luck!

This message was edited 5/1/2016, 11:01 AM

vote up1
Could these work?
Jael
Juli / Julie
Juni
vote up1
Juli(e/a) and Juni(a) or Juno are okayish, but some feel they’re too close to the names of the months June and July.
vote up1
vote up1
I think you're asking a bit too much, since j is never pronounced in German the way it is in English, and J is not used in Italian at all.
vote up1
We’re fine with J being pronounced differently by speakers of English and German as long as the name feels familiar, but you’re right, it’s quite unusual in Italian.

This message was edited 5/1/2016, 3:06 PM

vote up1