Okay, so my husband and I are expecting a daughter in [name]December[/name] and we’re trying to narrow down our name list. My husband’s number one choice is the name Miriya (mee-ree-ya). I actually like the sound of it and think the nickname [name]Mira[/name] would be really cute. The problem is that he got the name off of a Japanese cartoon he watched when he was a kid (the Miriya character was an alien) and I wasn’t sure if it was a real name or not. Being an American of partial Japanese descent, I’m familiar with a lot of Japanese names but obviously not all, so I asked a friend of mine who’s Japanese (as in born, raised and currently living in Japan) and she confirmed that no, Miriya is not a traditional Japanese name. Down but not out, my husband did some research online and discovered that there is a Sanskrit/Spanish/Slavonic name that has basically the same pronunciation but is spelled [name]Myria[/name].
Here’s my problem, I don’t like the spelling of [name]Myria[/name]. First off, I think it would get mispronounced as my-ree-ah all the time. Second, I just don’t find it visually appealing. I much prefer the Miriya spelling but the fact that it’s not a real name is really giving me pause. I’ve always been very big on not using made-up names or creative spellings, so using Miriya kind of goes against all my naming ethics (or whatever you’d call them).
So my question is, what would you do? Which spelling would you go with? Also, if anyone knows any other names that [name]Mira[/name] could be a nickname for, that would also be helpful. I could probably let go of [name]Myria[/name]/Miriya if I had another Mir- name that I liked as much.
I can see the appeal of the pronunciation of the name, and [name]Mira[/name] is adorable. What about [name]Mireia[/name]? [name]Mireya[/name]? They are Catalian and Spanish variants of the french name [name]Mireille[/name] (pronounced meer-AY, means “admired”). [name]Both[/name] have the same or similar pronunciation you are going for. I also like [name]Miriam[/name] and [name]Mirielle[/name] (meer-E-elle).
I am not a huge fan of Miriya, it sounds made up to me. I do like [name]Myria[/name] better but I agree it’s not visually appealing.
What about [name]Mirabel[/name] or [name]Miranda[/name]? [name]Just[/name] using the name [name]Mira[/name] would be simple but sweet. If I were you I would name my daughter [name]Mira[/name].
I would go with [name]Miriam[/name], [name]Mira[/name], or [name]Mirabel[/name] / [name]Mirabelle[/name] / [name]Mirabella[/name] if I were you. They can all be shortened to [name]Mira[/name] / [name]Miri[/name], but are considered to be “actual” names with history.
Personally, I don’t think the spelling matters if you are choosing a Sanskrit name. It would have been translated from a different alphabet, and there’s no “real spelling” of the name in English anyway.
(hope that makes sense).