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$Title{Names for Girls:  K}
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Editors of Consumer Guide
Harder, Kelsey}
$Subject{Names Girls K}
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The Ultimate Baby Name Book


Names for Girls:  K


Kaat (see Catherine, Katharine)

Kaatje (see Catherine, Katharine)

Kaci, Kacie (see Casey)

Kajsa (see Katharine)

Kali               Sanskrit "dark goddess."

Kalila             Arabic "loved one."
      Variations:  Kalilla, Kaylee

Kama               Hindi from Sanskrit "love."  Kama is the Hindu goddess
                   of love.

Kamaria            Swahili "beautiful like the moon."

Kamilah            Arabic "perfect."

Kamilla (see Camilla)

Kandace (see Candace)

Kandi, Kandie, Kandy (see Candace)

Kara               Variation of Caroline, Catherine, or Katharine.  This
                   variation is quickly becoming a popular name for girls.
     Famous name:  Kara Young (fashion model)

Karel (see Carol)

Karen              Variation of Catherine and Katharine.  This Danish form
                   of Katarina was extremely popular in the first half of the
                   twentieth century, but it is not a name that many parents
                   are choosing today.
    Famous names:  Karen Allen (actress)
                   Karen Black (actress)
                   Karen Horney (writer)
                   Karen Valentine (actress)
 Other spellings:  Caren, Carin, Karyn
      Variations:  Carina (Swedish), Kari, Karin (German and Swedish),
                   Katinka (Norwegian), Korin

Karena (see Katharine)

Kari (see Carol, Karen)

Karin (see Catherine, Katharine, Karen)

Karina (see Catherine, Katharine)

Karla              Variation of Carla, Carol, Caroline, or Charlotte.  This
                   name can also be spelled with a C.  It's still slightly
                   unusual but is definitely becoming more popular.
     Famous name:  Karla Bonoff (singer)

Karlee (see Carla)

Karlen (see Carol)

Karlene, Karline (see Carol)

Karlotta (see Carol)

Karlotte (see Charlotte)

Karly (see Carla)

Karmel (see Carmel)

Karole (see Carol)

Karolina (see Carolina)

Karoline (see Carol, Caroline)

Karoly (see Carol)

Karstin (see Christina)

Karyn (see Karen)

Kasey (see Casey)

Kasienka (see Katharine)

Kasin (see Katharine)

Kaska (see Katharine)

Kassandra (see Cassandra)

Kassia (see Catherine, Katharine)

Kat (see Katharine)

Katarina           Variation of Catherine and Katharine.  This was a popular
                   name at the 1988 winter Olympics, where gold medals were
                   won by both figure skater Katarina Witt of East Germany and
                   pairs skater Yekaterina Gordeyeva of the Soviet Union.
       Variation:  Yekaterina (Russian)

Kate               Variation of Catherine and Katharine.  William Shakespeare
                   used this diminutive for his Katharina in The Taming of the
                   Shrew, and the famous lines, "Come on, and kiss me, Kate,"
                   inspired Cole Porter to write his Broadway musical, Kiss Me
                   Kate.  Today, the name is no longer considered to be just a
                   nickname, as evidenced by the many actresses who call
                   themselves Kate.
    Famous names:  Kate Capshaw (actress)
                   Kate Jackson (actress)
                   Kate Mulgrew (actress)
                   Kate Nelligan (actress)
       Nicknames:  Katie, Katy

Kath (see Katharine)

Katharina (see Catherine)

Katharine          From the Greek katharos, "pure."  The spelling of this
                   name with a K was the original, because the Romans
                   substituted C in Latin for the Greek K.  Whether it's
                   spelled Katharine or Catherine, this extremely popular name
                   is associated with purity, beauty, and grace.  Ever since
                   1875 Katharine has appeared consistently among the top-50
                   names in both England and the United States.  Centuries ago
                   the name was usually spelled with a C in England, while in
                   Germany, Russia, and the Slavic countries, it was spelled
                   with a K.  Today, the K spelling of the name is more
                   popular in the United States.  If you have a particular
                   nickname in mind for your baby Katharine, you might want to
                   consider matching the spelling of her name with the
                   most-commonly used spelling of the diminutive.  For
                   example, Cate, Catie and Caty are unusual, but Kate, Katie,
                   and Katy are very common.  No one uses the nickname Citty,
                   but Kitty is such a popular variation that it is now an
                   independent name.  Both Cathleen and Kathleen appear, but
                   the Gaelic Caitlin has no equivalent in Kaitlin.  For more
                   on the history of the name, see Catherine.
    Famous names:  Katharine Graham (newspaper publisher)
                   Katharine Hepburn (actress)
                   Katherine Mansfield (writer)
                   Katherine Anne Porter (writer)
 Other spellings:  Catherine, Cathryn, Katherine, Kathryn
       Nicknames:  Kat, Kate, Kath, Kathie, Kathy, Katie, Katy, Kitty
      Variations:  Caitlin (Welsh), Caitria (Irish), Catalina (Italian),
                   Caterina (Italian), Catharina, Catherine (French),
                   Cathleen, Cathweg, Catrena, Catriona (Scottish), Ekaterina
                   (Russian), Kaat, Kaatje, Kajsa (Swedish), Kara, Karen,
                   Karena, Karin, Karina, Kasienka, Kasin, Kaska (Polish),
                   Kassia (Slavic), Kate, Katheryn, Kathleen, Kathy, Katie,
                   Katinka (Russian), Katla (Norwegian), Katren, Katri,
                   Katrin, Katrina, Katrinka, Katrya (Ukrainian), Katterle
                   (German), Katus (Hungarian), Katuscha (Russian), Katuska
                   (Czech), Katy, Katya, Kay, Ketti (German), Kiska (Russian),
                   Kolina (Swedish), Reena, Rina, Trine (German), Yekaterina
                   (Russian)

Kathe              Variation of Katarina.
     Famous name:  Kathe Kollwitz (artist)

Katherine, Katheryn (see Catherine, Katharine)

Kathie (see Katharine)

Kathleen           Variation of Catherine and Katharine.
    Famous names:  Kathleen Battle (soprano)
                   Kathleen Turner (actress)

Kathryn            Variation of Catherine and Katharine.
     Famous name:  Kathryn Grayson (singer)

Kathy (see Catherine, Katharine)

Katie, Katy (see Catherine, Katharine, Kate)

Katinka (see Catherine, Karen, Katharine)

Katla (see Katharine)

Katren (see Catherine, Katharine)

Katri (see Catherine, Katharine)

Katrin (see Katrina)

Katrina            Variation of Catherine and Katharine.
        Nickname:  Katrin

Katrinka (see Catherine, Katharine)

Katrya (see Katharine)

Katterle (see Catherine, Katharine)

Katus (see Katharine)

Katuscha (see Katharine)

Katuska (see Katharine)

Katya (see Katharine)

Kay                Form of Catherine and Katharine.
    Famous names:  Kay Mills (historian)
                   Kay Yow (basketball coach)
 Other spellings:  Caye, Kaye

Kaye               Variation of Kay.
     Famous name:  Kaye Ballard (singer)

Keisha             Unknown origin.  This name is currently very popular in
                   the United States.

Kelley, Kellie (see Kelly)

Kelly              Irish O Ceallaigh (O'Kelly), "son of Ceallah war"; also,
                   Cornish celli, "wood."  Boys and girls can both be named
                   Kelly, but most often it is used as a girls' name.
     Famous name:  Kelly McGillis (actress)
 Other spellings:  Kelley, Kellie

Kenya              Name of a country.

Kerri (see Kerry)

Kerriann (see Kerry)

Kerry              Irish ciarda, "dark"; also, Irish place name.
 Other spellings:  Cari, Carrie, Kerri
       Variation:  Kerriann

Ketti (see Catherine, Katharine)

Kikelia (see Cecilia)

Kim                Form of Kimberley.
    Famous names:  Kim Darby (actress)
                   Kim Novak (actress)

Kimberley          Old English cyne-burh-leah, "from the royal fortress
                   meadow" from Cyneburg's + leah [meadow].
  Other spelling:  Kimberly
       Nicknames:  Kim, Kimmie
       Variation:  Kimbra

Kimberly (see Kimberley)

Kimbra (see Kimberley)

Kimmie (see Kimberley)

Kineta             Greek "active."

Kinsey             Old English Cynesige, "royal victory."  This name is
                   becoming well known because of the success of Sue Grafton's
                   best-selling mysteries about the adventures of Kinsey
                   Millhone, a private investigator who lives and works in
                   California.

Kirby              Old Norse and Old Swedish kirkiubyr, "from the church
                   village," from kirkiu [church] + byr [village].  This
                   traditional boys' name is now used by many girls.

Kirste (see Christina)

Kirsteen (see Christina)

Kirsten            Variation of Christina and Kristen.
      Variations:  Kirsti, Kirstie, Kirstin

Kirsti (see Kirsten)

Kirstie (see Christina, Kirsten)

Kirstin (see Christina, Kirsten, Kristen)

Kirsty (see Christina)

Kiska (see Katharine)

Kitty              Form of Catherine and Katharine.  Although this name
                   obviously began as a diminutive, it is now an independent
                   name.  In the 1930s, Christopher Morley wrote a popular
                   novel Kitty Foyle, which was made into a movie starring
                   Ginger Rogers.
     Famous name:  Kitty Wells (singer)

Kizzie             Probably a nickname.  The origin of this name is
                   uncertain, but its current popularity is based on the
                   success of Alex Haley's book Roots.

Klara (see Clara)

Klare (see Clara)

Klarissa (see Clara)

Klaudia (see Claudia)

Kolina (see Katharine)

Konstanze (see Constance)

Koran (see Koren)

Koren              Greek "young girl."
      Variations:  Cora, Coreen, Corene, Corine, Koran, Korine

Korin (see Karen)

Korine (see Koren)

Kostancia (see Constance)

Kris (see Chris, Christina)

Krista (see Kristen)

Kristal (see Christina, Crystal, Kristen)

Kristen, Kristin   Variation of Christina.  This Scandinavian form of
                   Christina is now a popular name in the United States.
     Famous name:  Kirstie Alley (actress)
 Other spellings:  Christin, Krysten
       Nicknames:  Kristie, Kristy
      Variations:  Kirsten, Kirstie, Kirstin, Krista, Kristel, Kristina,
                   Krysta (Polish), Krystyna

Kristie (see Christie, Christina, Kristen)

Kristina (see Christina, Kristen)

Kristy             Variation of Christina and Kristen.
     Famous name:  Kristy McNichol (actress)
  Other spelling:  Christie

Krysta (see Kristen)

Krystal (see Crystal)

Krysten (see Kristen)

Krystle            Variation of Crystal.  This spelling of one of the "jewel"
                   names was chosen by the scriptwriters of the television
                   soap opera Dynasty for the character played by actress
                   Linda Evans.

Krystyn (see Christina)

Krystyna (see Kristen)