Catalonia

Meaning: (The name Catalunya (Catalonia)—spelled Cathalonia, or Cathalaunia, in Mediaeval Latin—began to be used for the homeland of the Catalans (Cathalanenses) in the late 11th century and was probably used before as a territorial reference to the group of counties that comprised part of the March of Gothia and March of Hispania under the control of the Count of Barcelona and his relatives. The origin of the name Catalunya is subject to diverse interpretations because of a lack of evidence.

One theory suggests that Catalunya derives from the name Gothia (or Gauthia) Launia ("Land of the Goths"), since the origins of the Catalan counts, lords and people were found in the March of Gothia, known as Gothia, whence Gothland > Gothlandia > Gothalania > Cathalaunia > Catalonia theoretically derived. During the Middle Ages, Byzantine chroniclers claimed that Catalania derives from the local medley of Goths with Alans, initially constituting a Goth-Alania.

Other less plausible theories suggest:

• Catalunya derives from the term "land of castles", having evolved from the term castlà or castlan, the medieval term for the ruler of a castle. This theory therefore suggests that the names Catalunya and Castile have a common root.
• The source is of Celtic origin, meaning "chiefs of battle". Although the area is not known to have been occupied by Celts, a Celtic culture was present within the interior of Iberia in pre-Roman times.
• The Lacetani, an Iberian tribe that lived in the area and whose name, due to the Roman influence, could have evolved by metathesis to Katelans and then Catalans.

In English, Catalonia is pronounced /kætəˈloʊniə/. The native name, Catalunya, is pronounced [kətəˈluɲə] in Central Catalan, the most widely spoken variety whose pronunciation is considered standard. The Spanish name is Cataluña ([kataˈluɲa]), and the Aranese name is Catalonha ([kataˈluɲɔ] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalonia).

Origin: (Medieval Latin, Celtic, English, Gothic, Catalan)

Pronunciation: (Cat-uh-loh-nya, cat-uh-lune-ya, if you want to hear how Catalonia is pronounced then go to this site and run your cursor over the word to hear how it is said: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=catalonia )

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

I think I was looking up Catriona *see on list of posts* and somehow I stumbled upon Catalonia. Catriona, Catalonia, and Catalina *see on list of posts* all seem to look alike to me and I would love to use, though I’ve already used Catalina before. Catalonia is unique looking and has an interesting history and possible meanings.

I love to say it like cat-uh-lune-ya, its addicting saying it like that, lol! I love the way my tongue rolls when I say it that way, lol! If I were to pronounce it that way then Catalunya would be the best spelling for it.

I see an exotic beautiful woman being named this. It would fit well in a historical fiction novel but would also look nice in a fantasy novel. It has an easy pronunciation and is easily recognized. I love this name a lot.