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Baby names

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Original poster

Charis - just too many pronunciation issues??

114 replies

Honeybee79 · 04/09/2016 18:11

DH and I have finally agreed on a name we love. However, how much of an issue do you think mispronunciation is going to be with Charis? The h is silent as in "chorus", or "charisma", but I can see this is likely to be an issue.

We wouldn't want to use Carys instead because we're not Welsh and it's a different name with a different meaning, though perfectly nice, just not for us. DH is a classicist and we both love the meaning and sound of Charis, not Carys.

Thoughts please? We love it but don't want to burden her unnecessarily!

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chinlo · 23/09/2016 14:41

Charis and Carys are totally different names though, it would be like saying I want to call my daughter Honor and someone saying why not call her Hannah to make it easier.

So Charis and Carys ARE pronounced differently?

RebeccaWithTheGoodHair · 23/09/2016 14:16

PS I know the H isn't pronounced in Honor before anyone jumps down my throat.

RebeccaWithTheGoodHair · 23/09/2016 14:15

Charis and Carys are totally different names though, it would be like saying I want to call my daughter Honor and someone saying why not call her Hannah to make it easier.

Charis is beautiful (and not just because I loved Frederica!).

Original poster
Honeybee79 · 23/09/2016 11:40

Booboo, DH is a Classics teacher and he assures me (based on a double first and phd from Oxford in Classics), that it should be pronounced "Caris"!

I don't take his word on many things but on this I am persuaded!

OP posts:
GreatFuckability · 23/09/2016 00:52

I like it. Being welsh I would probably assume the Carys spelling, but once I knew, its no big deal.
I am giggling a bit at charis being nice, but carys being boring, though. Its the same nameGrin .

mum2Bomg · 22/09/2016 22:11

I work with someone called Charis - lovely name

lcj68 · 22/09/2016 21:46

My Dd is Charis so obviously love it, but if you ask her, her nickname at school is chairs as that's what it comes up with on autocorrect.
I've found once you mention its Charis with a silent h most people get it, but her Maths teacher last year wondered who this girl was that others called Charis as she had been calling her ch aris for the previous 2 years and dd couldn't be bothered to correct her!

WaitrosePigeon · 05/09/2016 20:58

Cha-Ris

Everyone will do the same.

Booboostwo · 05/09/2016 20:31

If you are going for the Ancient Greek connection you have to pronounce it Haris, like happy, as that is how it is pronounced. In Greek it is written Xaris which in unequivocally a H for happy sound.

If you say Charis, pronounced Carys after the Greek muse, you'll be met with raised eyebrows by anyone who has Ancient Greek or speaks modern Greek.

If you like Carys as a sound just spell it Carys.

plimsolls · 05/09/2016 20:19

This is a lovely name. I would pronounce it Carriss. I suspect you/your daughter might have to correct a few people who assume Ch-aris but I don't think that's the end of the world. I correct people on my surname about 5 times a week and its not really a problem.

Ladybird333 · 05/09/2016 19:05

I have a friend called Charis. Not aware of her having any problems. I think it's a beautiful name.

BendydickCuminsnatch · 05/09/2016 19:03

Oh yes yes yes this has been on our list for an elusive DD for years! I love it and is also an amalgamation of mine and DH's names Grin please use it OP! Lovely.

monkeygone · 05/09/2016 18:14

I would have prounounced it as cha-riss (ch as in church).

Is it a big deal though? The person would then tell me it's pronounced caris and that would be that. Easy enough.

Dogolphin · 05/09/2016 18:06

Great name. I would pronounce it as in the start of charismatic.

eyebrowsonfleek · 05/09/2016 17:42

I've not heard of the name Charis but know a Carys.

I would have read it at Sha-ris but now know it's Ch like Christy rather Charlotte.

yeOldeTrout · 05/09/2016 17:39

I thought it was supposed to be spelled Kerys.

disappoint15 · 05/09/2016 17:29

I know someone who pronounces it with a soft Ch like Chariot. The first time I met her she was being introduced at a meeting as a speaker and I thought the introducer had just mispronounced it but she repeated it that way. I've always known it before with a hard K sound, as the Greek origins would suggest.

Soubriquet · 05/09/2016 17:25

My cousin is called Karris. It's a nice name

I wouldn't use the Charis spelling. She would constantly be correcting them

Terrifiedandregretful · 05/09/2016 17:22

Lovely name. Some people might mispronounce at first but it's easily corrected. Just say Charis like Charisma!

heateallthebuns · 05/09/2016 17:22

I was also at school with someone called charis who was kind of masculine, and so that's colouring my opinion too.

heateallthebuns · 05/09/2016 17:20

I have a similar, if not more popular, classical name, which is also used in Shakespeare. I always have to spell it, people can never pronounce it. It's annoying having to spell your name on the phone EVERY day. You run the risk your child will grow to hate it.

Original poster
Honeybee79 · 05/09/2016 16:24

Thanks for all the comments. Sounds like it might not be so much of an issue!

OP posts:
Hadenoughoftumble · 05/09/2016 15:38

I am Welsh so I would automatically spell it Carys and if it was written down I would probably pronounce it ch as in Church.

But people can spell names however they wish so if you like it, go for it!

eachtigertires · 05/09/2016 14:22

I would pronounce it like Karis. I know one though (sister of a friend who I have never met). Once I knew it was pronounced like that, it made sense to me. If you like it, go for it, OP. It's a really nice, strong name.

Kr1stina · 05/09/2016 13:36

DD has a friend called Charis , I'll ask her if she has many mispronounciation problems

I am Grin at " Are you Greek then ? "