see-R-uh

Girl Names
1

Help!

My husband and I love the name [name_f]Ciara[/name_f]. I knew a girl with this name (and spelling) years ago who pronounced it see-R-uh. But after doing research on the name, I realise it’s an Irish name which is actually pronounced keer-a (like [name_f]Keira[/name_f]).

But we like the see-R-uh pronunciation. So I was thinking, how do I spell it so that people will know how to pronounce it the way we like it?

Maybe [name_f]Cearra[/name_f] or Siarra?

The sad thing is, I don’t think it looks as pretty spelt these ways.

What do you guys think?

2

[name_u]Sierra[/name_u]! I think that spelling is pretty familiar and would definitely be pronounced that way.

3

I think if you really like it as [name_f]Ciara[/name_f], then just go with it. Some other girl managed to pull it off, your kid probably can too! Sure, they’ll be correcting everyone forever, but that’s not the end of the world. You are pronouncing it (see-are-a right?)
Have you thought about [name_u]Sierra[/name_u]? (See-air-uh) Very similar to (see-R-uh) I would probably go with [name_u]Sierra[/name_u] and just pronounce it the other way. I think it’s a lot closer to what you’re going for than [name_f]Ciara[/name_f].

4

Honestly, when I first say [name_f]Ciara[/name_f] I thought it was pronounced see-arr-uh, too. If you don’t plan on living in the UK or [name_f]Ireland[/name_f], I think you should be okay.

5

I think that only true name-ophiles or people familiar with Irish names would know that [name_f]Ciara[/name_f] is technically pronounced like keera. If you’re going for See-R-uh (I assume the R is pronounced like the pirate “ahr”?), [name_f]Ciara[/name_f] will get you there and imho is a lot prettier aesthetically than alternate kree8tiv spellings.

6

I like the suggestion of [name_u]Sierra[/name_u], it will get you the pronunciation you want and would more likely be pronounced correctly with no confusion

7

The girl on Survivor is called [name_f]Ciera[/name_f] (see-[name_f]AIR[/name_f]-uh). Maybe that’s an alternative?

8

[name_f]Siara[/name_f]? Sia would be a pretty nickname. I would avoid [name_u]Sierra[/name_u], personally. It is pretty sounding but also a very common name for exotic dancers to choose for themselves.

9

Not sure but See-air-rah would be [name_u]Sierra[/name_u] as suggested by previous posters.

A girl from my old singing school was called [name_f]Ciara[/name_f] and pronounced it Chee-ah-rah so I wouldn’t suggest that. I think it’s Italian.

10

Thanks heaps guys. Yeah we like the see-are-uh pronunciation (“ahr” like a pirate). I don’t mind [name_u]Sierra[/name_u], but we both prefer the other sound better.

We live in Australia, so hopefully there won’t be too many Irish people telling us we got it wrong!

11

I knew a [name_f]Ciara[/name_f] who pronounced it Kee-R-uh, so the see is not far off. I think of [name_m]Keer[/name_m]-uh as [name_f]Kyra[/name_f] personally.

12

If you lived in the UK or [name_f]Ireland[/name_f] it would definitely be pronounced Kee-uh-rah all the time because it’s fairly common here and I have never heard of anybody say it any other way so this would be the automatic pronounciation. I don’t know how popular it is where you live so maybe it would be ok but, maybe this is just me being ignorant, I thought it was pretty common everywhere pronounced Kee-uh-rah.
I agree with the suggestion of [name_f]Siara[/name_f]

Also, is [name_f]Kyra[/name_f] pronounced [name_m]Keer[/name_m]-uh? I always thought it was [name_u]Kye[/name_u]-ruh :confused:

13

A bit late but I live in Australia and know three [name_f]Ciara[/name_f]'s who say it [name_m]Keer[/name_m]-a one is Irish so I believe thats the right pronunciation [name_f]Ciara[/name_f] said [name_u]Sierra[/name_u] is inspired by a singer and I know [name_f]Ciara[/name_f] is mostly said [name_f]Kiara[/name_f].

14

The most attractive spelling that yields that pronunciation is probably [name_f]Siara[/name_f], but maybe [name_f]Ciara[/name_f] is uncommon enough that people would pronounce it phonetically. There’s also [name_f]Chiara[/name_f], a very legit Italian name pronounced Kee-[name_m]AH[/name_m]-ra.

15

I agree with this. The singer [name_f]Ciara[/name_f] popularized the See-R-uh pronunciation. She may not be as relevant anymore but she made her mark on the pronunciation.

16

I know that in [name_u]America[/name_u] it would be almost constantly pronounced (see-are-uh), but I can’t say so much for Australia. I do believe the “correct” pronunciation guide is as follows:

[name_f]Ciara[/name_f] - [name_f]Ireland[/name_f] - (keer-uh)
[name_f]Ciara[/name_f] - Italian - (chee-are-uh)
[name_f]Chiara[/name_f] - Italian - (kee-are-uh)

But I’m not positive on that. [name_u]Sierra[/name_u] is a lovely alternative, if you decide on it.