Chiara...thoughts on this italian hit?

This name is big in [name]Italy[/name], but I havent heard it much in the US, the only exception would be [name]Keira[/name]…spelled [name]Kiera[/name] and pronounced Key-r-a as far as I know, if you are familiar with this name and Im pronouncing it wrong please tell me. What are your thoughts on the name Italian [name]Chiara[/name]? My last name is very Italian and Im pretty sure the combo would sound good. Im just trying to decide if [name]Chiara[/name] is too frilly feminine, and what cute nicknames would go with it. What kind of girl do you picture having a name like this? Is it a spunky name? Does it have sort of a hippy edge to it? Lastly do you like this name?

I don’t know anyone personally by this name, and as far as I know, I’d pronounce it like you mention it. I also have an Italian background and like a lot of Italian names. As far as the name goes, it’d probably sound fabulous with your last name, so go for it. The only things that keep [name]Chiara[/name] from being a favorite of mine is the possibility of the name being mistaken for [name]Keira[/name]/[name]Kiera[/name] or someone who is unfamiliar with the “Ch” makes a “K” sound in Italian names, thereby saying in CHEE-ar-a. But these days, what name doesn’t need spelled out or said for people? :wink:

I used to know a [name]Chiara[/name], [name]Plato[/name]! She had curly brunette hair, an Italian last name (long!), and she was just a really neat, fun girl. She was very smart and motivated, but still very friendly and fun. And, yes, it is [key-ARE-uh]. She didn’t go by a nickname as far as I can recall, but [name]Ari[/name] might work?

[name]Lemon[/name] :slight_smile:

[name]Hi[/name] plato,

I like the name [name]Chiara[/name]. To answer your question about whetehr it’s “too frilly feminine”, I think that [name]Chiara[/name] is definitely feminine without being over the top feminine. I can see a [name]Chiara[/name] being any sort of girl- I don’t have any stereotype for the name, probably since I’ve never known a [name]Chiara[/name]. The one thing that holds me back from using it is that I think that most people where I live ([name]MO[/name]) would butcher the name and say chee instead of key, and she would constantly have to correct people. That would bug me, but maybe it shouldn’t. There’s a name [name]Kiara[/name] on the top 1000 SS list, but I think that the spelling [name]Chiara[/name] looks much more elegant than changing the spelling to [name]Kiara[/name].

I know a [name]Chiara[/name], and I love her name! Yes, I couldn’t guess how to spell it from hearing it (she uses key-ARE-uh) – and I assume I’m not alone. If I hadn’t heard it before, I might not guess at the correct pronunciation from the written word. So – yes – I imagine she sometimes has to tell people how to say it. But it is still a great name. I think it is going to become more popular, which will help people with both spelling and pronunciation.

I don’t think she has a nn (not one I have heard). I’m not sure it needs one. If you are nn freak (like I am), maybe you should consider that before you use it. Maybe [name]Ara[/name]?

I hugely like the name. It is feminine, fresh (to me), just foreign enough.

Yes the lack of nn could be a problem. I like [name]Ari[/name], Im just not so sure I could really pull it off with this name without it feeling like I was calling her a completely different name. Also the feminity wise, I dont want an over the top feminine name, I like simple and straightforward names, nothing too frilly. With that said, I do like the spelling of this, I also like the fact that its Italian. I looked up the pronounciation on [name]Keira[/name] and [name]Kiera[/name] and they are Key-air-a and [name]Kira[/name]. So this would be different being Key-r-a, in fact when I look at these and compare sounds the Italian version sounds a bit less feminine with the strong r sound verses the the air sound. I could see this one rising on the charts, especially in New [name]Jersey[/name] and New [name]York[/name] where there are alot of Italian last names. So far this spelling in 2009 was pretty rare, I think it was around 200 girls names this.

I think it’s absolutely gorgeous, but not quite as rare as you think. Phoenetic spelling [name]Kiara[/name] ranked #78 at its peak in 1999 and currently stands at #285. But I still love [name]Chiara[/name] (this spelling). [name]Kiki[/name] works as a nickname if you don’t like [name]Ari[/name] or [name]Ara[/name].