Can I use Ciara?

[Tootbeep]

I really like the Irish name Ciara - prefer the original spelling to Kiera / Keira. I have a couple of concerns -

1. Pronunciation - I think it's Keer-ah, but I've seen some people say it's more like Key-ra?

1. I have no Irish heritage and live in England, is that an issue?

1. Is it a bit too dated? It used to be pretty popular but seems to be declining now.

Any other thoughts welcome. Thanks.

It's a lovely name. When was it ever popular though?

There was a Ciara in my class, and it was pronounced Keer-ah.

I called my Irish patient named this 'See-er-ah' like the singer and they were looking at me like I was crazy. I know now when this name pops up it's 'keer-ah' so even if people say it wrong, once corrected, it's fine.

There will be a lifetime of mis pronunciation

I just looked up this singer that's been mentioned. I don't think too many people will automatically think of the name pronounciation of a singer that was briefly famous 10 years ago. No offence to her.

@BeefSupreme

I just looked up this singer that's been mentioned. I don't think too many people will automatically think of the name pronounciation of a singer that was briefly famous 10 years ago. No offence to her.

It’s probably because for me that’s the only time I’ve heard the name spelt that way, to me “Keer ah” is Kiera, I’ve not heard Ciara on anyone else apart from the singer

@RedCandyApple

I would have pronounced it Sierra as well because of the singer

Same here.

Kiera / Keira I would pronounce Kear-ahh.
Chiara I would say Key-ahh-rah.

Again, same as @RedCandyApple. While Ciara isn't the height of fame now and hasn't been for a decade, she is the only person I have 'known' with a name spelt that way, so I default to her pronunciation and I think a fair few people are in the same boat.

We know a Chiara at primary school and I am quite jealous of her name, it’s lovely. No one mispells it as far as I’m aware.

She pronounces it this way: Key-ar-ruh.

I would only ever pronounce it the Irish way - but I went to a Catholic school with students of Irish descent and there was a lovely Ciara in my form. I think it’s beautiful and people will quickly learn how to pronounce it!

It's been a consistently popular name in Ireland since the mid 70s (the popular names don't change about as much as they do in the UK). I prefer the Ciara spelling but think Keira would be the more familiar spelling for people in the UK, because of Ms Knightley, if that's something that would bother you. You could tell people you were naming her after Keir Hardie!

Surely everyone knows how to say Ciaran, more or less, and it's pretty similar.

Don't use Keira like Keira Knightley, she has some story about her dad spelling it wrong when she was registered or something (she was meant to be Kiera). So I don't think even she likes that spelling!

It's funny/annoying that the most famous Ciara is someone who pronounces her name incorrectly!

@Allpenguinsarepingus

There’s an italian girls’ name spelt the same but pronounced ´key AH ra’

This. This is what I thought u meant. I would pronounce it kee are a.

It’s lovely
The spelling will be annoying for her, especially as it’s not especially common at the moment.. it’s a toss up between a prettier spelling and an easier time.
It’s not dated though, and it’s widely used enough that I wouldn’t worry about not having Irish ancestry (Keira knightly, kyra Sedgwick etc)

@Thirtytimesround

We know a Chiara at primary school and I am quite jealous of her name, it’s lovely. No one mispells it as far as I’m aware.

She pronounces it this way: Key-ar-ruh.

Chiara is an Italian name - different name and pronunciation, despite the similar spelling.

@Allpenguinsarepingus

There’s an italian girls’ name spelt the same but pronounced ´key AH ra’

Yes that’s what I thought the thread was about. I love that name.

I know several Ciaras, all Irish but from different parts of the country, so they've got different accents. I'd say one of them does make the Kee sound a bit shorter so it is a bit more like Kay-ra, but Kee-ra is probably the norm.

The first letter, C, is a slender c. It's either like a k, or like a k with a consonant y, or like English ch. So in practise the name Ciara is often pronounced "Cheera". But not as "Sierra" though it might have been before the dawn of writing

In all my life I have never heard one person pronounce it Cheera, and I am of an age to know dozens of Ciaras. I think Ciara will work fine in the UK and will date better than anglicised versions like Keira.

@Tootbeep Late to the party, but I have some experience with this, so I want to give my input. So I'm Irish and a relative of mine is named Ciara who lives abroad (it's commonly pronounced Keer-ra. I haven't heard it pronounced any other way).

She's gotten A LOT of misspellings and mispronunciations (Key-ara, Sierra etc etc). The only people who could get it correct were fellow Irish people or people who've come across the name before from Irish people they've met. This leads me to say that the connection to Ireland is imminent. You'll definitely be asked if she has some sort of Irish heritage and the history of the name, and the same goes for her when she's older.

I actually have a foreign name myself and it's always been common for people to ask me where I'm from and the history behind my name.. I still get asked about it to this day. I love my name, but it did make me feel a bit isolated when other Irish people were assuming I wasn't Irish once they see/hear my name. I had similar experiences in the UK and abroad as well.

Sorry for a long message, but I'm trying to give a bit of a heads-up about what to expect if you do go for Ciara. If you love the name, I'd personally recommend going for the anglicised version of Keira instead.

[quote floralflowersroses]@Tootbeep Late to the party, but I have some experience with this, so I want to give my input. So I'm Irish and a relative of mine is named Ciara who lives abroad (it's commonly pronounced Keer-ra. I haven't heard it pronounced any other way).

She's gotten A LOT of misspellings and mispronunciations (Key-ara, Sierra etc etc). The only people who could get it correct were fellow Irish people or people who've come across the name before from Irish people they've met. This leads me to say that the connection to Ireland is imminent. You'll definitely be asked if she has some sort of Irish heritage and the history of the name, and the same goes for her when she's older.

I actually have a foreign name myself and it's always been common for people to ask me where I'm from and the history behind my name.. I still get asked about it to this day. I love my name, but it did make me feel a bit isolated when other Irish people were assuming I wasn't Irish once they see/hear my name. I had similar experiences in the UK and abroad as well.

Sorry for a long message, but I'm trying to give a bit of a heads-up about what to expect if you do go for Ciara. If you love the name, I'd personally recommend going for the anglicised version of Keira instead.[/quote]
*Ciara is commonly pronounced Kee-ra

I am a Ciara, Irish, born and bred in Ireland and currently living in London.

I (and the 2 other Ciara's in my class growing up) pronounce it Keer-ah.

That's how I tell people in london to pronounce it. I've had it pronounced sierra, and Keyarah. But as soon as I correct them it's fine. It usually only takes once, as people are aware of the Keira pronunciation and it's never that big a deal.

I'm very biased but I do think Ciara is nicer, especially as it's the Irish spelling, and it's an Irish name. If you like it, I wouldn't worry about the pronunciation issues, it's not that big a deal correcting someone.

@littlec7 It depends on the person whether it's a big deal correcting someone though. I have a name that has multiple possible pronunciations and I hate correcting people, especially as it's almost every time I meet someone new. I find it so awkward and would really love to have a name that everyone could just look at and pronounce without issue. I appreciate this is my issue and that there are some people it barely bothers in the slightest, but on threads about names being mispronounced there are usually a significant proportion saying it bothers them, and the OP has no way of knowing which camp her DD will fall into.

I do agree that Ciara is such a nice name though so it's a tough one! I would personally pronounce it the Irish way without issue as I had a friend at school called it, but this thread shows how many would pronounce it differently on first read.

I would have pronounced this to rhyme with tiara too. Personally I'd say if you want it pronounced Kiera then use that spelling. Also agree that people will think it's Clara. I have a Cara and got baby cards with Clara and Carla written on.

I'd use it.

Why not.

I would pronounce it Ki-ara.