How would you pronounce Ziva?

[sarahb083]

And what do you think of the name?

I would pronounce it "zee-va". I'm not a fan of it personally. How about Zaira/Zyra instead?

Zee-va

Weird!!

I LOVE PRIYA!! Priya, Asha, Leena, Leia, Veda, Anjali, Neela or Rani are names I'd choose.

I’d pronounce it Zeeva. It does remind me of zika unfortunately.

Priya is beautiful. I’ve always loved that name.

Coming from a similar background although I love Priya there would be family opposition as it’s a traditionally Hindu name and they are Muslim with a history of being oppressed back in India. Ziva is Arabic and Hebrew.

Are there any cultural or religious factors to take into consideration?

Zee-va but too similar to zika for me

@Marmite27

Zee-va.

Like on NCIS.

This

We love Priya too, but I'm worried that she would feel 'different' with such a non-English name. My husband grew up in a very white area and struggled with feeling like he didn't fit in. I don't want our daughter to go through the same thing. I think if racism didn't exist, Priya would be our top name, but unfortunately it does, so we're torn.

Zee-va (the 'a', somewhere between the 'a' in 'apple' and 'uh')

I think it is quite nice and would assume it is from Indian heritage.

@sarahb083

We love Priya too, but I'm worried that she would feel 'different' with such a non-English name. My husband grew up in a very white area and struggled with feeling like he didn't fit in. I don't want our daughter to go through the same thing. I think if racism didn't exist, Priya would be our top name, but unfortunately it does, so we're torn.

I actually met a white Priya once! I was a bit but maybe that tells you about how much people like it as a name

ziva is very much like priya
if you love priya go for it-it's lovely

Id pronounce it Zee-va, I quite like it.
I LOVE Priya, it's a beautiful name.

Zee-va. It sounds quite good, and could be the name of a trendy little French car.

I imagine it getting mispronounced as Visa.

I know a young ziva and a young Priya lol. Both white British.

Zeeva. Beautiful name, we had a cat called that. Heard it on NCIS first.

Zee-va
Reminds me of zee-tv 😊
Is it an alternative spelling of Shiva? Doesn’t work for me, pronounced totally differently and looks like a made-up spelling or a “rural Indian” pronunciation.
Unless it is actually an old sanskrit/other traditional name, in which case go for it.

I'd pronounce it ZEE-vuh, it's a pretty name.

Priya is absolutely stunning though, I say go for that.

Zee-vah.
I like it. I think it feels a bit more international than Priya does.
My dd was at school with a Priya.
Another of their friends was of mixed heritage and was called Pia which might be another option?

Love love love Priya.

I also like Ziva (but I'd assume they were Jewish) and Zara (but that might be too Muslim if your husband's background is Hindu).

FWIW, DH and DD have clearly Muslim names and haven't faced any hostility for them.

As everyone else has said I'd say zee-vah.
I like it and think it's cool. I would probably assume you were Jewish but I don't think it should put you off if you're not and if you like it. Not as keen on Priya personally. Zara's lovely. How about Xanthe for similar feel? Or Mina?

NCIS connections for me but that's unlikely to be an issue for your DC.

I would say chjeeva with a soft chj sound (don't know how else to explain it)

I like Ziva. How about Zia? I think it’s so beautiful.

Zee-va

I think if all you are worried about OP is people pronouncing it wrong, this thread is unanimous people would pronounce it Zee-va (I assume you are worried about Zii-va?).