Is my daughters name awful?

[Queeenie]

I have a DD (no longer a baby) who is called Keira. I have seen threads about “K” apparently being chavvy and also threads discussing the spelling of this name.

I specifically chose this spelling for 2 reasons. 1 - I’m Scottish and it’s the feminine form of the boys name Keir. 2 - because although there are alternative spellings (Ciara and Kiera), this is the most commonly used spelling.

After reading the other threads, I just worry I’ve made a bad choice with this and that my daughter may some day be unhappy with her name.

Have I made a big mistake?

Don't worry about it - we had this discussion recently - my sister and I are named with names common at the time - think Sharon and Tracey - not classy but I couldn't image being called anything else, despite it being very obvious how old I am from my name. Very, very few people change their first name, it becomes their identity after a short time. You always get the odd one or two though...

It doesn't sound chavvy at all to me.

I think the whole chavvy K thing is from some people spelling names with a K that are traditionally with a C, like Krystal or Kourtney

Nothing wrong with K names unless you start using K where it should be C, such as Khloe and Kourtney. Kiera is fine. It's not my taste but it's a perfectly good name that I wouldn't raise an eyebrow at.

'Chavvy' is a horrible offensive term and invalidates the opinion of the user IMHO.

It's even more offensive to take this word from another language and race and turn it into something derogatory in another language.
Find your own derogatory term and leave our chavvies alone.

Nothing wrong with the name but is Keira and Kiera not pronounced differently.

K-eh-ra rather than K-ey-ra.
Hard to put the sounds into letters.

I think its a nice name x

I was at school with a Keira throughout the 90's and have worked with an Keira and Ciara as an adult (although the latter were pronounced Key-ara).

Never thought anything of it tbh, it's a nice name :)

Not chavy at all. I think it's a lovely name

Thanks so much for all the reassurance. I was really starting to second guess myself. It’s great to hear that so many of you like it, although (like you say) it shouldn’t matter what others think.

Drabarni, I certainly didn't mean its use in Romany I meant the way people throw it around in English.

*Regarding Keira Knightley - Her name is a misspelling.

She was meant to be named "Kiera", the anglicized form of "Kira", after Kira Ivanova, whom her father admired. However, Macdonald misspelled the name when she went to register her daughter, writing the "e" before the "i"*

You are right, Keira Knightly’s name was misspelled. She was supposed to be named after a figure skater whose name was spelled Kiera, however the Keira spelling that her father used was around long before she was born and was very much a valid spelling of the name also.

Don't worry, it's a lovely name. MN generally hates the name of DD1 and our preferred name for DD2 (due May) is pretty much similar in terms of MN opinion. In fact, DD1 would have been a variation on her name except an old MN thread put me off...and I still slightly regret that.
In real life, we've only ever had compliments and I'm more confident in giving DD2 the name we have chosen.

I think it went through a “Chardonnay” moment about ten years ago when Pirates of the Caribbean came out and people were naming their kids after Keira Knightley. That’s passed though, and it’s just a normal name again now. I like it.

Lovely name. Not chavvy at all.

It’s a pretty name

Perfectly nice name, not

@Elderflower14. When we named our dd my mil called her ‘the little girl’ for months rather than say her name.
My own parents who are separated both rang to tell me they would call dd by her middle name. They both got told to call her by her first name or not bother visiting.

I would never think of it as 'chavvy' at all.

My sons' names are apparently boring, if I go by the comments on here. But they mean something to our family and that'll do for me.

I think it's a nice name.
I'm scottish too and know quite a few baby and toddler Keira/Kieras so it doesn't come across as unusual to me.
MN can be awfully snobby about names

I like it. If when she's older she dousnt like it she can choose to go by a middle name instead if she has one. But personally I like it and I think she will.

I think it’s a lovely name. It sounds a little posh. Cute girl, strong woman.

That name is beautiful

lovely name and looks lovely written too

My initial impression as an Irish person is that you didn’t know not to use a K... there’s no K in the Q Celtic languages alphabets- Scots Gallic and Irish gaeilge.

also, that it could be interpreted as quite culturally insensitive as you’ve you anglicised a Celtic name..

I suppose if she doesn’t live in Scotland or Ireland, then it will be fine.

In Ireland, it would definitely cause an eyebrow raise, and people would feel sorry for her as her name’s spelled “wrong”... she’ll have to spell it constantly and explain how her parents made a mistake! Sorry!

The Kardashians do no get to ruin Ks for everyone. I utterly refuse to give them that power.

Katherine
Kali
Karen
Kadija
Kathleen
Katya
Kay
Keiko
Kesi
Keziah
Kirsten

Not all may be to your taste (e.g. my cousin hates her name, Katya, while Karen is getting kind of a beating in American pop culture at the moment) but all are common and/or elegant in their cultures of origin.