Ciara, Kiera, Kira, Kyra, oh my!

JadaBlue · December 2015

Hey ladies, we're still searching for a name we both love for DD2. We both like the sound of "kee-ra," but are not sure which of the many spellings is best. DD1 is Saoirse (seer-sha), so our inclination is to go with the Gaelic spelling "Ciara", but given English phonetics and the prominence of the American singer who pronounces her name differently, that spelling would seem just to be looking for trouble (yes, I realize us worrying about pronunciation when our first is named Saoirse is kind of hilarious). I understand that "Keira" is a misspelling based on Keira Knightly. I also realize the latter two spelling have a different root, but none of the meanings are particularly inspiring. What would you do?

fghmama6701 · December 2015

I would usually vote Kira, but since your DD is already Saoirse, I say roll with the gaelic spelling.

Llandry321 · December 2015

I don't hate Ciara, just be ready to correct people on pronunciation! For the pronunciation you want I would say Kira but not fond of the way it looks. Ciara is much prettier looking.

mojomama6 · December 2015

Go Gaelic. They'll be able to curse you for it later, and it will be a bonding thing! Hahaha! I hope that doesn't come off bitchy or sarcastic, because I genuinely prefer the Gaelic spelling.

Knottie1442268460 · December 2015

Sierra is going to have to correct everyone with the Gaelic.

magsugar13 · December 2015

Stick with the Gaelic especially considering your firt daughters name.

jenniferamcooper · December 2015

Gaelic! I live in eastern Canada and Gaelic is pretty common. Lots of Ciara, Ceilidh (means party or storyteller pronounced Kay-Lee), Grainne (graw-nya) etc.
When I moved here I pronounced them all wrong but learned really quickly.

penelope4612 · December 2015

If you don't want to deal with correcting people all the time, go with Kiera or Kira. My initial inclination when seeing Kyra is "kye-rah". But I don't think that there is anything wrong with choosing Ciara, as long as you're prepared for people to say it wrong frequently.

satuttle1014 · December 2015

I voted for Kiera. My niece is Keira so that was the closest to it.

holocene · December 2015

Gaelic!

lalala2004 · December 2015

I had a student named Kiera who was nicknamed KiKi, which I thought was cute.

stephweinstein · December 2015

I'd go with the Gaelic spelling as well. HOWEVER, she is constantly going to be called "See-air-uh".

ClaireBear90 · December 2015

I was just talking with a Kyra the other day and she told me her name is frequently mispronounced as Ky-ra, like Myra. Honestly, there are too many spellings out there and her name will either be misspelled or mispronounced no matter what you choose. So I say, go with Ciara since you like it best and it goes well with your older daughter's name.

dramaphile · December 2015

I'd say go for it with Ciara, Kiera would be my second choice.

g8trkim · December 2015

Honestly, I wouldn't use the name for this reason. So many spellings are used, and the mispronunciations would drive me nuts!

groovylocks · December 2015

fghmama6701 said:

I would usually vote Kira, but since your DD is already Saoirse, I say roll with the gaelic spelling.

I voted Kira simply because i love the way it looks. But this, though. This makes a good point.

Baby'smom said:

Sierra is going to have to correct everyone with the Gaelic.

Yeah op as a mom to a Saoirse, do you feel you want to deal with it again or are you used to it? Btw, op, Saoirse is one of my favourite names. Kira is another one. So nicely done with that.

jenniferamcooper said:

Gaelic! I live in eastern Canada and Gaelic is pretty common. Lots of Ciara, Ceilidh (means party or storyteller pronounced Kay-Lee), Grainne (graw-nya) etc. When I moved here I pronounced them all wrong but learned really quickly.

Are you a Caper by some chance? I'm from Halifax.

I am homesick for it. I can't wait to take DD home to show her what she's missing.

kyraaD · December 2015

i voted Ciara. i like that name the most.
if you're really wanting the pronunciation "Kee-rah" & are worried about people mispronouncing it, i would probably go with Keira. Kyra is pronounced the same way you would pronounce Tyra. people are constantly mispronouncing my name for "Kee-rah" & it drives me craaaazy.

ecwk · December 2015

Ciara 100% of the time!!! (Love love love Saoirse too

)

JadaBlue · December 2015

Thank you everyone for your views and votes! I didn't realize Kyra rhymed with Myra, apparently I've been mispronouncing Kyra Sedgewick. Thanks also for your kind comments about Saoirse--if we ever questioned quickly choosing Saoirse for DD1, our inability to find a second girl's name has assured us there wasn't some other more common name lurking around the corner for us. But...since posting I realized while they look quite different on paper, Saoirse and Ciara actually sound quite similar. Curses...

satuttle1014 · December 2015

JadaBlue said:
Thank you everyone for your views and votes! I didn't realize Kyra rhymed with Myra, apparently I've been mispronouncing Kyra Sedgewick. Thanks also for your kind comments about Saoirse--if we ever questioned quickly choosing Saoirse for DD1, our inability to find a second girl's name has assured us there wasn't some other more common name lurking around the corner for us. But...since posting I realized while they look quite different on paper, Saoirse and Ciara actually sound quite similar. Curses...

Kyra Sedgewick does pronounce it like Kira/Keira. I guess it just depends on how the parent chooses to pronounce it.

MixedBerries88 · December 2015

Not helpful at all but Saoirse was on hub's short list and I have some questions since your DD has that name. Do you encounter a lot of problems? Do you use an NNs? The only NN I could think of is Siri and I do not want my kid to feel like I named her after Apple products. Any experience or feedback is needed!

JadaBlue · December 2015

@MixedBerries88 My Saoirse is only 16 months old, so I can only offer a limited perspective. We haven't found her name to be any sort of problem, but when we introduce her to new people I repeat her name if they look hesitant, smile and say "It's Gaelic for freedom." But sometimes they reply "like Saoirse Ronin!" or "like Song of the Sea," or, more often than seems possible, "oh, I know a Saoirse." People she doesn't see often (or don't have to listen to me talk about her!) sometimes misremember her name as Sasha or Circe (sp?) so I just quickly correct them. We're happy with our choice. Good luck!

MamaWren919 · December 2015

I would pronounce Ciara see-air-uh and Kira and Kyra ky-ra with a long i. I think Kiera is your best bet.

kerismatic · December 2015

My best friend in high school was Kyrra - I'm partial to this spelling and it's not quite on your list (almost!) so I thought I'd throw it in for consideration.

jenniferamcooper · December 2015

@groovylocks I wish I was a Caper (those people know how to party!) but I'm friends with many hence all the Gaelic names. I'm from NB went to Dal and didn't leave, still live in downtown Halifax, it's home

Your DD will love ocean, seafood and all the good things that come with Hali. When you do make it home, take her to the new library, it's amazing for kids, we go almost daily (we live around the corner) and it's such a kid friendly place.

acadia07 · December 2015

I like Keira, actually. I don't care if it's considered a misspelling; it's prettier than Kira and the only other one that won't be mispronounced by everyone and their mother.

Ciara - see-ahr-uh
Kiera - kee-ehr-uh
Kyra - ky-rah

little_bren · December 2015

Everyone will pronounce Ciara as Sierra. Everyone.

ETA: my cousin is Keira and pronounces it "care-uh"

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