View Message

Caitlyn
Asking about Caitlyn because this is now Bruce Jenner's name. She transitioned to female and took Caitlyn as her moniker, and looked pretty damn good posing for a Vanity Fair cover at the age of 65:http://www.people.com/article/bruce-jenner-reveals-caitlyn-womanYes, I know photoshop was involved, but Caitlyn still looks hotter than I do. :PSo, what do you think of Caitlyn? Do you think it was too boring of a choice, or does it work?I like the name fine. Willoughby wolloughby willina, an elephant sat on Billina.
Willoughby wolloughby wirfak, an elephant sat on Mirfak.
Archived Thread - replies disabled
vote up1

Replies

I'm not really fond of the name, since there are at least 155 ways to spell it (http://www.namenerds.com/irish/Katelyn.html). If it's going to be used, I far prefer the original spelling Caitlin. The name, and the spelling, seem rather youthful and out of place on a 65-year-old. It's one thing for a name to be an outlier, like a woman that age named Jennifer or Nicole, but the name Caitlyn, with that spelling, simply wasn't used on anyone that far back. She shouldn't have to choose a name really tied to her birth generation, like Barbara or Susan, but it shouldn't be at the opposite extreme either. Something timeless and ageless, like Katherine or Victoria, would've worked well.
vote up1
I love that we're criticizing the name and not the person.
vote up1
Good for her. Caitlyn, though, is in my opinion an abomination. Caitlin I love.
vote up1
I have nothing against the name. I'm neutral on it, I guess, but it does really seem misplaced on someone of her age.
vote up1
Why not Kaitlyn (teehee)
vote up1
It's boring. It's also a kre8tyve spelling of an Anglicized name that is much better pronounced in the original, Irish way. So meh.
vote up1
I'm not a fan of it. I would like it better if she had chosen Caitlin. The Y makes it way too young for a woman of her age.
vote up1
Caitlyn sounds dated for etiher gendernt.
vote up1
Well, she is 65!:)
vote up1
But sounds like she's 30.
vote up1
It was more of a joke. It's way too young for her.
vote up1
Meh..
vote up1
I liked it thirty years ago but I'm now so bored with it I no longer like it. Bac

This message was edited 6/1/2015, 4:03 PM

vote up1
I agree with those who think it's too "young" sounding for her. Though aesthetically, I think she does sort of LOOK like a Caitlyn- but if it were me I'd have gone for a name that's less obviously "chosen-after-the-fact" / less jarring in someone of her age. Like, you're already in a position of trying to "convince" people of your gender, so why choose a name that takes some convincing too? If that makes any senseI'd be most pleased with Carmen, instead. Or just Kate. I also like someone's suggestion of Joanna but have a feeling any name with a masculine sounding nick would be off the table.
vote up1
Oh, Carmen would be good.
vote up1
I don't really like the name and prefer the Caitlin spelling. I think he/she should have may be chosen a name that doesn't start with the k/c sound so it doesn't blend in with the rest of the Kardashians (I don't know if I spelt their family name right), but it's what he/she wants to be known as.
vote up1
She did say that she deliberately chose a name without a K spelling. I do wonder, however, if she chose Caitlyn because her dds all have the same sound at the beginning of their names (Cassandra, Kendall, Kylie). I find this idea pretty ironic since Caitlyn's ds may have been named after him (Burton -- named after a deceased brother, Brandon, Brody). In particular, Brandon and Brody may have been given names to complement Bruce. I'm curious how they feel about it, but at least there was no Bruce, Jr.
vote up1
Jennifer says he prefers the pronoun he, though whoever wrote the article used she.Caitlyn, or Kaitlyn, is a nice enough name, more interesting than Katherine.However, it's not a name a real 65-year-old woman would be likely to have; it would kind of be like a 65-year-old man being called Jayden. If Jenner wanted to be taken totally serkiously (though of course, this is Bruce Jenner we're talking about) he'd have done better to pick a name more in keeping with his age. Kathleen or Katherine, if he wanted to keep close to Caitlyn. Or Susan, Diane, Debbie, Patricia, Sandra, Linda, something like that.
vote up1
I didn't post anything about Jenner before my other one on this thread. Or are you talking about another Jennifer/ or mean Jenner?
vote up1
PronounsCaitlyn used "he" pronouns while still transitioning, but since fully transitioning and now publicly identifying as female, she's using female pronouns. So Jennifer did say that, but it's not relevant since the new debut.

This message was edited 6/1/2015, 10:24 PM

vote up1
I was confused as well. I remember the announcement to still use "he", which I found confusing. So, I wasn't sure whether to use he or she now. I chose to use she since it just fit with Caitlyn, and I will never meet Mr/Mrs Jenner.
vote up1
She prefers she pronouns now. At least as far as I'm aware. The last interview she did where she said male pronouns would be okay, was the last interview she did as a male. And now that she's reintroducing herself as Caitlyn, I think she would like female pronouns to be used.
vote up1
Caitlyn's not a bad name, but I do find it odd on a 65 year old (particularly with that spelling; -lyn over -lin makes it even more youthful to me). I dunno, I find the name distracting from the reality that Bruce Jenner transitioned to being a woman. Almost like "Caitlyn" is just a character because no 65 year old woman is named Caitlyn. Obviously that's not true; I know she is a woman now, but that's just how it comes off to me. I wish she had chosen something different, but since this has been an ongoing process for years (decades even, I've read), she obviously has had some time to think about this.
vote up1
I think it's fine. Basically just fine. Not outlandish or showy. Not particularly interesting. Not believable for someone of her age, but I guess she's famous enough that no one is going to meet her and think that was her birth name now that her story is so well known. So yeah, fine.
vote up1
I think it is kind of boring, but she can call herself whatever she wants.
vote up1
I think it works for what she wants, and it probably is just a name that represents how she feels. However, I personally find the name boring. I love the sound, but I have never been attracted to the look of it. Plus, names that end in -lyn just don't do much for me. It's a totally usable, and decent, name. I just don't like it personally.
Much better than if she had chosen something overly frilly or outrageous of course (thinking the likes of Evangelina, Trixie or even Brigitte)
vote up1
Ah, she looks so great! I'm not a fan of Caitlyn, or Caitlin for that matter, but I like Kathleen. I actually think I would have liked Kaitlin more. But, regardless, I imagine it's something Caitlyn Jenner has spent a lot of time thinking about, and as long as she's happy with it then it's fabulous.
vote up1
I was sorry to see that it wasn't spelled Caitlin. OTOH, I was thrilled that it wasn't spelled Kaitlyn! ;-) Caitlyn says that was done on purpose to differentiate herself from the famous K clan.
vote up1
From the little I've read, it sounds like her transition has been many years in the making. I'm sure she's had plenty of time to consider the new name. So I think it's a fine choice, if a little unexpected on someone her age. I'm not a huge fan of the name in general and prefer the Caitlin spelling. Bit too trendy for me. But mainly I just like a lot of the other variants of Katherine better.
vote up1
I think it's a fine name, and like it better spelled Caitlin. It's just not believable for someone her age. *bites tongue hard*
vote up1
I agree 100%
vote up1
Actually, the age factor hit me right away when I read this story in the news. Though, can you really imagine her choosing Joyce, Denise or Shirley... which would have been more matched to the popularity of Bruce when he was born?
I am sure her parents would have gone with something a little more relevant to his age, but I suppose Caitlyn has liked this name since it became popular.
vote up1
I thought the same thing too re: Caitlyn being to "young" of a name for her. While I can't imagine her as a Joyce, Denise, or Shirley, Lynn immediately came to mind (probably because of CaitLYN). I could see her as a Lynn.
vote up1
or ...Brenda, if he wanted to keep the br sound.
vote up1
Brenda would have worked well, though I think Lynn would have aged better. I happen to like Brenda, even though it's quite dated right now. It's spunky.
vote up1
Yeah, of course she wouldn't call herself something that seems "old" ... but her name wouldn't have to seem like a counterpart to Bruce, just to not seem pseudo. I think there are lots of nicer names that aren't badly dated and would have been more believable. Caryn, Jennifer, Joanna, Christa, Rebecca, Ellen, Charlotte, Vivian ... I agree her taste is probably just dated by how old she is but it still comes off as wannabe-young and vaguely pathetic. Admittedly, my opinion is probably influenced by the magazine cover image. (I would say that even if she was not trans)
vote up1
Jennifer Jenner?Maybe its good he didn't pick Jennifer. Really Joanna sounds bad with Jenner too. Caryn seems trendy, Karen seems more legit. But Vivian would've been nice.
vote up1
Caryn would have been lovely! I really like that name. I totally agree that it sounds a bit as if she is trying too hard. However, she succeeded in making her "image" appear younger now that we associate it with Caitlyn.
vote up1
Actually, Caitlyn reminds me of a soap opera name where a middle-age character has a trendy, top-ten name that doesn't quite ring true. OTOH, I imagine she's had a lot of time to mull names over.
vote up1
Yeah, put a 65-year-old in a what is that? a corset? bustier? on the cover of Vanity Fair and you know the name is going to be way too young. I'm predicting he's going to be all over the news in various lingerie type outfits. Midlife crisis times ten.
vote up1
I think she looks like a Rebecca or a Julia ...something classic, y'know?
vote up1
Agreed. I see her as a Catherine or even a Kate. But the one thing I've learned from personal experience in changing my own name is that it doesn't really matter how anyone sees you. It's what you see yourself as. Actually, it's more of a visceral feeling, but I guess you know that as well as I. :-)
vote up1
I know what you mean... I love my name but don't think it suits me in the slightest and don't connect to it at all. I mostly don't use it or use other names as the whim takes me.
vote up1
Ohh name-change club. We're the coolest.I totally understand her desire to pick a name like Caitlyn. I picked a name that was "too young" for myself too. I honestly was disinterested in "typical" names from my own generation as well - they already had so many associations.

This message was edited 6/2/2015, 8:14 AM

vote up1
Yep, we're pretty cool. ;-)FWIW, I don't view Chloe the same as Caitlyn (or even Caitlin). It's a classic with an ancient history. It's always been in use; it just sort of blew up in this generation. Re: Elena, I deliberately chose something that had a link to my former mn (Ellen) and family names (Ella, Ellen) as well as something that wasn't common in my generation or in any generation, really, of women born in the US. Now I'm sure in many countries around the world, Elena is a dd, an aunt, a cousin, a mother, a gm, etc.
vote up1
Yeah, Elena is an older name to me, but I love that it is getting some love lately. I have always felt connected to my name. When I changed it, I just removed the double-barrel. I can't imagine feeling a disconnect with your name entirely... that would be rough.
vote up1
I know what you mean although I'm sure Caitlyn has been on her radar since the 80s or 90s when it first became popular in the US.
vote up1
I saw that! She is beautiful. I think she looks just like a brunette Jessica Lange, and I'm a fan of Jessica Lange.Caitlyn is ok. It seems like a very "young" choice for a woman her age, but I can understand the appeal. It feels fresh and new and hopeful and innocent. I was expecting a name change that was way cheesier, like "Jennifer Bruce" or something, so I guess Caitlyn is smarter than me, as well as prettier. UGH.My boss and I were talking about this and she said she thought it was interesting, considering the names of the Kardashians - Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, Kylie, etc, and now Caitlyn.
vote up1
It makes sense, she obviously had a type of name she likes with kids named Kendall and Kylie. Caitlyn goes along with those, plus I'm sure she didn't want to pick something too off the wall considering all the media attention she's already gotten about her personal decisions! Anyway I like this spelling, especially since I've been thinking a lot about Cathryn lately.

This message was edited 6/1/2015, 10:48 AM

vote up1
As a whole, Caitlyn is okay. Not my favorite, but it's not bad. It's the one time where I like the -lyn ending instead of the -lin ending. I was expecting something a bit more stand outish, but I'm pleasantly surprised. She does look really great, good for her!
vote up1