Do you know the song “Meditation on Thaïs“? I’ve always loved it, it’s from an opera by Jules Massenet about a courtesan who repented and turned to holiness (based on a novel by Anatole France). Only today did I discover that she’s revered as a saint (though the details of her story — including whether or not it’s even true — are debated).

Thais, properly pronounced tie-EES though understandably sometimes said THAY-iss or TAY-iss, is, for me, one of those names that makes my mouth water — it’s gorgeous, interesting, and unusual, both to see and to hear; it also feels somewhat familiar, being similar in spelling and sound to Theresa/Therese and Tess(a). I also came upon the variant Thaisa, which I think I love even more — it’s a Latinate variant of Thais, and is the name of a character in the Shakespeare play Pericles, Prince of Tyre.

What do you think of Thais(a)? Does Thais’ connection to a probably untrue story represent a stumbling block to you? Does its connection to an opera, a novel, and a Shakespeare play add or detract to the name? Do you know anyone named either Thais or Thaisa, and if so — how does she pronounce it? Does she like it? Why did her parents choose that name?

St. Kateri Tekakwitha was recently canonized by Pope Benedict XVI– she was the daughter of a Mohawk warrior and converted to the faith when she was a teenager. She lived a holy life, devoted to the Eucharist and Christ Crucified, and died when she was only twenty-four; she has come to be known as the Lily of the Mohawks, and is a patron saint of the environment and ecology, like St. Francis of Assisi. Her feast day is July 14.

Kateri was given to her as her Christian name, after St. Catherine of Siena, and has become a popular choice in Catholic America. It’s easy to see the appeal, in my opinion– it’s the name of an American, a Native American, a version of Catherine, and easily lends itself to the Catherine/Katherine nicknames Kat, Kate, and Katie– lots of different reasons parents might feel drawn to it.

One downside is that there are four acceptable pronunciations, which some might find bothersome:
— ka-TEER-ee
— KA-ter-ee
— ka-TEHR-ee
— GOD-ah-lee (apparently GOD-ah-lee is the authentic Native American pronunciation, but still spelled Kateri)

I know two little Kateris– one says her name like the second one above, the other says her name like the last. I also have a friend whose sister has the third pronunciation. I myself had always heard the first until I became an adult.

Do you know anyone named Kateri? How does she pronounce her name?

Veronica is one of the most gorgeous names ever, in my opinion, and a great Catholic  name. According to tradition, it’s the name of the woman who wiped the face of Jesus while He was carrying His cross to Calvary; the image of His face was left on her cloth. Though Scripture doesn’t name her, “Veronica” comes from the Latin vera icon, meaning “true image.”

What makes Veronica a particularly Catholic name? Surely non-Catholics use it? Surely they do, but I contend non-Catholics would choose the name Veronica in ignorance of its meaning, or in spite of it. It’s not mentioned in the Bible and it refers to an image, both of which, in my experience with the non-Catholic Christian world, take away from any religious importance that might have been given it. And non-Christians would have no reason to choose a name that specifically refers to the image of Christ’s face on a cloth, and to the woman who wiped His face, except that they like it for other reasons.

Not only do Catholics love tradition and images of holy people, but we remember Veronica and her act of love toward Jesus every Lent in the Sixth Station of the Cross: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. And names that are heavily used by Catholics tend to travel well — most languages will have a form of a very Catholic name. Some of Veronica’s variants are beautiful, like  Véronique (French), the Russian spelling Veronika, and Berenice/Bernice is related as well (Greek).

One potential downfall of the name Veronica, in my opinion, is the lack of good traditional nicknames, but I think that’s easily remedied with some research and creativity. There’s Ronnie and Vera, maybe Nicky or Nica, maybe even Vicky, but for this namer, none of those are appealing. Reading the comments for the Veronica entry on Behind the Name reveals some other intriguing possibilities: Ronja (pronounced RON-yah), which is said to be the Russian short form of Veronica; just “V” (I think I’d prefer the spelling Vee. Although, signing one’s name with one letter is so romantic and intriguing); Evie (a stretch but doable); and Nona (sweet).

Another potential point against Veronica is the Archie comments. That’s my husband’s first and overwhelming thought every time I mention the name. Sigh.

What do you think of Veronica? Do you have any other nicknames for it to offer? What do you think of the Archie association?

Edited to add: Ha! Funny enough, when I was writing this last night I almost included a bit about St. Veronica Giuliani, just as an example of a saint with the name. I decided not to, but then this morning (July 10) I saw on Facebook that today is the feast of St. Veronica Giuliani! You can read more about her here.

Edited to add (2): I think Via and Vica/Vicka could work as nicknames as well.