Carys

mlc100805 · March 2011

I've loved this name for a few years, and it's on our list for this baby girl. I'm wondering, with this spelling do you think she'll deal with mispronunciations her whole life? The only other way I've seen it spelled is Karis, do you think that has potential for less mispronunciation?

EXL311 · March 2011

I would definitely go with Carys. She might have some problems with pronunciation but I think it's easy enough to correct people.

*Scuzzlebutt* · March 2011

I really love this name and I think it might be gaining a bit of popularity (not a bad thing, IMO) and that might make people learn how to pronounce it properly. I've seen it spelled "Caris", but I prefer the traditional spelling of "Carys". "Karis" looks awful to me. Like it should be followed by "Kardashian".

Bubbalub · March 2011

I prefer Carys or the variation Cerys. I am usually not fond of changing the spelling of traditional names.

Ess-elle · March 2011

"Carys" is the only way that makes me pronounce it properly. I knew a "Charis", pronounced the same way, and I always wanted to pronounce it phonetically (Shar-iss.)

J_LYN1011 · March 2011

I have a little girl named Carys in my class and she is so cute! I new exactly how to say her name and before her I'd never even heard or seen it.

Sunshine is mine · March 2011

spell it Carys, love this name! I first heard it about 8 years ago and thought it was gorgous and unique. I think it's getting way to popular now with potential to be overdone.

keyourtnee · March 2011

Not being an expert on names, or ever seeing or hearing this name before, I thought it was pronounced like Carries or Kar-ees. I would never have thought that it rhymed with Paris. But, easily corrected.

mlc100805 · March 2011

I'm so glad I posted this! I have always preferred the spelling Caris, but have never seen it spelled this way anywhere. I thought it was "made up", but I actually think I may prefer it to Carys. Either way it's a beautiful name! Now I just have to convince DH. When I was pg with DD #1 we were between Carys, Cara and Delaney, and we chose Delaney. Now he says he feels weird about naming this baby Carys because he doesn't want her to have a "left over" name!

Bubbalub · March 2011

lrachelle80:
I obviously love it. (see siggy)
There are four "correct" spellings:
Carys/Cerys - Welsh, from root word "love"
Charis/Caris - Greek, from root words for "brightness"
They're all pronounced the same - rhyming with Paris. (I've also heard the first part as "cahr" like car you drive, but in talking to people from Wales the stronger CARE sound is more authentic.

I've been curious about this because I love this name and have heard it both ways as well. So I emailed my Welsh friend (Welsh is his native language, didn't learn English until he was 6-7 years old) to ask him and he says it's neither! But that it's too hard to describe over email so he'll tell me tomorrow when he sees me.

Argh! I can't stand not knowing! Heh.

Bubbalub · March 2011

heh. Last time he was here he pronounced Rhys for me about 10 times in a row until I could say it just about right. Totally not how I thought it sounded, even understanding (in theory) the "Rh" sound in Welsh.

It's kind of like when I was in college in Ireland I took a class on The Deirdre Story and I couldn't pronounce any of the names besides hers. I remember sitting in the professor's office with her saying "Naoise" repeatedly until I could say it so that when we had class discussions I didn't sound like a stupid American. I swear it is like there is an "L" after the "N" the way they all said it. Nee-sha wasn't good enough. Yikes!