Kieran or Ciaran??

TashnBabii · September 2013

Hi Ladies! I am getting induced on Monday, and just wanted to see which spelling you like better? DH and I have decided to name our son Kieran, but we are not sure how we should spell it. Kieran would probably be easier to pronounce, but I think Ciaran looks prettier on paper. Any suggestions??

strawberrytree · September 2013

I love Ciaran.

NataliasMOM0214 · September 2013

I love the name, but am just unsure if it is pronounced like a hard 'C' (as in Keira for a girl)...I would just wonder if people would be unsure, too (or it is just me, LOL?)?

shannm · September 2013

Ciaran. Most people should know how to say it.

mh89 · September 2013

Are they pronounced the same way? Ciaran looks like it should be said as "Sigh-a-ran" to me.

TashnBabii · September 2013

mh89 said:
Are they pronounced the same way? Ciaran looks like it should be said as "Sigh-a-ran" to me.

Exactly. People might mispronounce it. It's pronounced the same way.

mh89 · September 2013

Now that I know they're pronounced the same way, I'd say use Ciaran since it's the more traditional spelling. Though you and your son might deal with pronunciation issues in the future, especially if you live in America. If the pronunciation issues bother you a lot, then use Kieran.

Scarlett&Gatsby · September 2013

I'd use Kieran, since it's equally legitimate (just Anglecized) and most people are kind of dumb when it comes to Irish name pronunciation.

Dr.Loretta · September 2013

I like Ciaran much better. That's a name a lot of people will know, and a simple correction will get them on track easily if they don't.

Zimger · September 2013

I prefer Ciaran.

ktpaladino · September 2013

I guess I am one of those dumb people that would butcher Ciaran. I would say Key-arr-un or See-arr-un. Kieran I would pronounce Keer-an. I like both, but I agree that you're going to get more pronunciation problems with the C spelling.

brooksidebride · September 2013

I like Kieran. I just read today that Kieran was #2 most popular boy name in Ireland in 2011. Don't quote me on that but it came up on Facebook today and someone said it.

allardr · September 2013

NataliasMOM0214 said:

I love the name, but am just unsure if it is pronounced like a hard 'C' (as in Keira for a girl)...I would just wonder if people would be unsure, too (or it is just me, LOL?)?

Dumb American here--I have no clue how to say it!

moonfaerie · September 2013

I like both spellings, but would probably go with Kieran to make his life easier. Many of us on this board know how to pronounce Ciaran, but I'm willing to bet that most other people would not.

Dr.Loretta · September 2013

In this day and age, a 20-second google search will give you an audio file of the pronunciation.

MrsAery-to-be · September 2013

We considered this name for DS2 and would have gone with the Ciaran spelling. I am not a fan of K names and like the look of Ciaran better.

chicki1012 · September 2013

I like Kieran better it looks more manly.

kaswanson · September 2013

ktpaladino said:

I guess I am one of those dumb people that would butcher Ciaran. I would say Key-arr-un or See-arr-un. Kieran I would pronounce Keer-an. I like both, but I agree that you're going to get more pronunciation problems with the C spelling.

This exactly for me, too. See-ar-un is exactly how I would say it with the "C" spelling.

Shobb414 · September 2013

My female cousin has this name and it is spelt Kieran, I don't think it makes it more feminine to have the k, I would be worried about spelling it with a c because when I looked at it I had no idea how I would pronounce it. I think I would us an s and say seer-Ian

ktpaladino · September 2013

chicki1012 said:

I like Kieran better it looks more manly.

I was actually thinking this too. Ciaran is so similar to Ciara, which is very feminine.

allardr · September 2013

mj.reilly said:

In this day and age, a 20-second google search will give you an audio file of the pronunciation.
Thumbs up. And in person, it takes even less time! It is not that difficult, people.

Yes, but who's going to do that when they meet your kid randomly. Depending where you live I think you may get a lot of mispronunciations that you'll have to correct on, if you're fine with that then go for it. Being someone who's never seen the name before if spelled with K I'd use hard K sound, if with a C I'd use soft C sound, that way you have the prospective of a newbie to the name.

msronzio · September 2013

kaswanson said:

ktpaladino said:

I guess I am one of those dumb people that would butcher Ciaran. I would say Key-arr-un or See-arr-un. Kieran I would pronounce Keer-an. I like both, but I agree that you're going to get more pronunciation problems with the C spelling.

This exactly for me, too. See-ar-un is exactly how I would say it with the "C" spelling.

Yeah, same. I'd pronounce it wrong. I am not an encyclopedia of kids' names. ETA I think you should name your kid whichever spelling you love.

divinemsbee · September 2013

I'm really fine with either as long as you make your peace with the occasional misspelling or mispronunciation. I get that Ciaran is traditional, and I love it for that. I think Kieran is more likely to be correctly spelled and pronounced in those little every day things. Also, as a PP mentioned, the fact that there is a mildly famous singer named Ciara (See-air-ah) contributes to the confusion. Now, she's not that famous, and it probably won't be a through the generations thing, but even though I know the correct pronunciation, I have to check myself every time I see the name.

I worked at Starbucks for a long time. So, if a Ciaran came up to order, and we were busy, I'm probably not going to ask how to spell your name. I'd probably spell it Kieran. If I did ask, or chose to ask which spelling they preferred, chances are when their drink was ready, the barista would either say "I have a venti white mocha for See-air-an!" or there would be a conversation that went, "how do you say this?" that was had. As long as you don't get offended by that (and, oh, people do) then you do you, but even on this board, and a lot of these ladies know a lot of names, you see a good 50/50 split on pronunciation.

Example: A woman placed her order, I asked if I could have a name, she says Desiree. That's a good friend of mine's name so I write the cup and place it in line and then take her credit card. Her name is spelled Desarae. I would never have guessed that spelling. Another time I had a woman say Jenny. It was Ginny, and she got really pissy about it. When you're going purely off pronunciation and there are 20 people in line behind you, you just have to let it go. If you can let it go, do Ciaran, it's a lovely name.

rockopera · September 2013

Ciaran. It's a real name and people will catch on quickly.

Giraffealaff · September 2013

Scarlett&Gatsby said:

I'd use Kieran, since it's equally legitimate (just Anglecized) and most people are kind of dumb when it comes to Irish name pronunciation.

This. I love the name Kieran.

jnnfrrose6 · September 2013

Please don't butcher this one. Just because people are stupid doesn't mean you should spell your child's name incorrectly for them. Ciaran is best and one simple "it's Ciaran" if it gets butchered will correct the problem.

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