Random thought: Kris and variants

[pne]

I think that the spellings "Kristina" / "Kristopher" / "Kris" with initial K- look ugly. As in, icky icky "who would want to call their child that, that's just Wrong" ugly.

Oddly enough, perhaps, I'm fine with "Kristen", "Kristin", and "Kirsten" (and "Kerstin", which I haven't seen on a native English speaker)—possibly because I haven't seen those names spelled with Chr-.

Comments

[asciident]

So how are they spelled in Germany? (Christina, Christopher, etc.)

Christinas and Christophers in Germany

[pne.livejournal.com]

Like that -- with Chr-. Christopher isn't terribly popular; Christoph is a more common variation. There are also a fair number of girls called Christina or Christiane and boys called Christian, and some girls (well, mostly older women) called Christel or Christa.

Going purely by German spelling conventions, I suppose initial K- would be appropriate; I presume that Ch- was retained because that's the usual spelling used in "Christus" (taken, no doubt, from the Latin convention of spelling borrowings with Greek chi with "ch").

The names Kirsten and Kerstin (and, more rarely, Kirstin) are also occasionally, but not frequently, seen; I think those are Scandinavian forms. (As with Karin and Karen, variants of Catherine, I believe, for which the most common German form is Kat(h)arina or Kat(h)rin.)

Re: Christinas and Christophers in Germany

[asciident]

My mom was named Kristine because her German father wanted a "German spelling".

It's funny that you say Christel and Christa are mostly older women -- here they're mostly kids/teens. Though Christa is typically spelled strangely, like Chrysta or Crysta. That's what I don't like about naming (in America). People are always trying to come up with strange or downright stupid spellings to make their kids "different".

Kristine

[pne.livejournal.com]

My mom was named Kristine because her German father wanted a "German spelling".

I'm not sure whether I've seen a German with that spelling, though a quick google does turn up a number of them when restricted to the .de top-level domain. One site (on baby names) mentions that it's a "Swedish variant of Christine".

It's funny that you say Christel and Christa are mostly older women -- here they're mostly kids/teens.

Though I wonder whether the Christels in the US are from "Crystal" or from the "Christ-" root underlying the other names. (Or both?)

I think "Christel" was, in origin, a diminutive; the -el ending is used in some parts of Germany to form diminutives.

Though Christa is typically spelled strangely, like Chrysta or Crysta. That's what I don't like about naming (in America). People are always trying to come up with strange or downright stupid spellings to make their kids "different".

*nods* I tend to view Kristophers as product of this, and it kind of bothers me, too. Just as, say, "Madycyn" or "M'lyssa" or "Steffinny" would bother me.

Re: Kristine

[asciident]

Though I wonder whether the Christels in the US are from "Crystal" or from the "Christ-" root underlying the other names. (Or both?)

I was referring specifically to Christel (which, at least IME, is pronounced differently from Crystal), though I suppose they could both have the same origin.

Speaking of horrible spellings, I found the Baby's Named a Bad, Bad Thing website really amusing. ;)

Baby's Named a Bad, Bad Thing

[pne.livejournal.com]

There are certainly some doozies on that website.