Cassius?

Boy Names
1

I fell in love with the name [name_m]Cassius[/name_m] when I first saw it, but I later found out that most people pronounce it as [name_m]CASH[/name_m]-us and not kaw-see-us. It doesn’t really look like it would be pronounced KAW-see-us, I know, but I really really like the sound of it. So what would be the best spelling?

Caussius ?
Causseus ?
Causeus ?
Causius ?

Is it the “ss” that make the sh sound? English is my first language but I am so terrible at pronunciation of names, so things like this confuse me. I personally like the name more when it ends in -ius but does that make sense with the pronunciation that I prefer or is -eus better?

2

I also say cash-us. I think Causius looks closest to why’d you want.

3

Causius looks too much like “caucus” to me, but that might just be because it’s an election year and I’ve got primaries on the brain. Regardless, I’d pronounce it similarly, essentially as a homophone for “cautious.” In general I think it’s a bad idea to invent a name just because you like the sound.

4

I would pronounce [name_m]Cassius[/name_m] like [name_u]Cass[/name_u]-ee-us. Not [name_m]Cash[/name_m]-us, personally. But, I do have a southern accent. Causeus, would be pronounced like Caw-soos to me. Like Dr.Seuss. Again, just my opinion. I like the sound of [name_m]Cassius[/name_m], pronounced like [name_u]Cass[/name_u]-ee-us, but not [name_m]Cash[/name_m]-us. [name_m]Cash[/name_m]-us sounds like someone with a lisp saying ‘cashews’ to me, sorry. I think any name can be pronounced wrong/different though. Heck, I’ve even had people pronounce my name, [name_f]Jade[/name_f] like Jahw-day or [name_u]Jay[/name_u]-dee and even JAAD. Makes you wonder sometimes…

5

I think “[name_u]CASS[/name_u]-ee-us” is a legitimate pronunciation of [name_m]Cassius[/name_m], alongside “[name_m]CASH[/name_m]-us”. I say “[name_u]CASS[/name_u]-ee-us”, anyway, and that’s how it’s pronounced in the song by the band Foals.

“KAW-see-us” isn’t intuitive, I don’t think, but personally I wouldn’t change the spelling to get there as you risk causing even more confusion. I’d just call him [name_m]Cassius[/name_m] and use your preferred pronunciation.

6

Yeah, I don’t think you’re gonna get any kind of “kaw” sound unless you put another U in there. I’ve only ever heard [name_m]Cassius[/name_m] as [name_m]CASH[/name_m]-us or [name_u]CASS[/name_u]-ee-us (where the A sounds like the A in apple.) I agree that Causius is probably the best spelling for the pronunciation you want, but I think you’ll also hear “cautious” with that spelling.