We are using two family names for our second girl - [name]Clayton[/name] and [name]Keziah[/name] (with some variations on spelling). We are thinking we’ll use the nicknames [name]Kizzy[/name] or Siah. I’m not 100%, but kind of attached to [name]Clayton[/name] as the first name because it’s after my grandfather who I was incredibly close to. Here are the options:
[name]Clayton[/name] Kesiah
Claighton Kesiah (a little more feminine, but think this has too many vowels)
Cesiah [name]Clayton[/name] (like the C spelling version for [name]Keziah[/name] better for a first name)
I think both names are strong and distinguished. However I would stick with a K for [name]Keziah[/name]. It’s not a common name, but spelling it with a K will largely let people unfamiliar with it pronounce it correctly. In English a Ce combination is most often pronounced softly, like an S sound. Think celestial, [name]Celia[/name], nice, celery… Whereas Ke is always pronounced with a hard K. If you’ve never seen or heard of the name before, you’re pre-programmed by our language to pronounce Ceziah “sez-iah.”
I would definitely keep [name]Clayton[/name] [name]Clayton[/name] with no attempt to ‘feminize’ it through girlier vowels. You’re honoring your grandfather and you want to give your daughter a strong family surname. Excellent. No need to send a message that it’s too much for her to handle or something-- let the little lady bear the [name]Clayton[/name] name, no compromises.
I prefer [name]Keziah[/name] [name]Clayton[/name] rather than [name]Clayton[/name] [name]Keziah[/name]. I think it’s easier to say and has a better flow & meter. But either combination is good.
Thank you! What do you think about [name]Keziah[/name] or Cesiah with an s instead of z? My husband really wants to call her Siah. You don’t think the K and Z are too harsh for the first name?
I think [name]Clayton[/name] should be kept for a boy, but if you must, use it in the middle and keep the spelling.
Cesiah makes NO sense, phonetically speaking - the C here would not be a hard C sound and it looks like cesarean section.
[name]Keziah[/name] is beautiful, strong, and distinctive, again - I say keep the original spelling. You can still call her Siah if there is a Z there, that doesn’t matter at all. My nickname ends in a Y and there is no Y in my full name, it’s common.
I agree, [name]Keziah[/name] is strong and beautiful. Cesiah is really confusing. There are plenty of k and z names- it’s not too harsh for a first name, in my opinion, and I think original spellings are always better. If it really bothers you, perhaps [name]Kerensa[/name] or [name]Cassia[/name] would be a better option. I think [name]Keziah[/name] [name]Clayton[/name] is a good option.
Yeah. I’ve noticed a trend on Nameberry that you either like boy names for girls or you don’t. I don’t have a particularly strong opinion either way, but I was my grandfather’s only grandchild (from his only living child) and I’m having my last child so this is our chance to honor him.
I get the Y for a nickname, because it’s a way of adding fondness to words and names. That seems like a different issue to me then the S vs. Z in this particular case.
The thing I love about [name]Keziah[/name] is that it’s such an old name that there really isn’t an original spelling. My fifth generation grandmother had records of it spelled several ways - Kisiah, Kesiah, Kessiah, and [name]Keziah[/name]. Cesiah is actually a fairly common recorded variation. I understand what you are saying about the pronunciation with the C though.
Thank you. I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Cassia[/name]! I just don’t like the nickname [name]Cash[/name], which seems so obvious. It’s good to know that so many people have a good feeling about [name]Keziah[/name] though. My family wasn’t so sure about it, so it’s good to get good feedback on it.
[name]Keziah[/name] [name]Clayton[/name] would be my choice. [name]Just[/name] as the k signals the hard sound, so does the z. Kesiah could easily be read kess-ee-uh.
I think people get too hung up on what the nickname will be. To clarify, do you mean for her ‘everyday name’ to be [name]Keziah[/name]? Your husband intends to use Siah as a pet name? Either way, the spelling of the nn doesn’t matter. There are many instances of a nn having little or no resemblance to the given name–think [name]William[/name]/[name]Bill[/name], [name]John[/name]/[name]Jack[/name], or [name]Margaret[/name]/[name]Daisy[/name].
I don’t think the Z is too harsh at all. [name]Cassia[/name] is another variant of the name, filtered through a different language, and in English there has been a lot of back and forth about how Greek to make it versus how Hebrew. [name]Kizzy[/name] is a very sweet nickname and the sounds come from the K and Z.
I love giving family names to girls. After all, they belong to the family-- male and female both.
Ceziah, looks more like [name]Cecilia[/name] or [name]Celine[/name] to me, soft C’s.
The only spelling option I would consider is another form that’s often used for Hebrew transliterations of it: Ketsiah (in Hebrew the sound in the name isn’t a Z, it’s like Tzipporah, it’s a tz- sound like [name]General[/name] Tsao’s chicken?). I love both Ketsiah and [name]Keziah[/name] equally, though if I had a Ketsiah I might call her [name]Kitty[/name] for short.
If you want the s, that’s how I’d spell it, but the z is more common - not that any of them are popular - in English.
I like the name [name]Keziah[/name] and while I think [name]Clayton[/name] is definitely just a boy’s name, I can get behind it in the middle spot to honor your grandpa! [name]Keziah[/name] [name]Clayton[/name] would be the best option I think.
Thanks for all of your input. After much discussion, time to think, researching, and making up fake birth announcements to see the name in print in different fonts, we’ve decided. Against all nameberry advice we went with an S (still a very common spelling), and so Kesiah [name]Clayton[/name] it is! Thanks nameberries!
Had to laugh at the fake birth announcements – we did the same thing.
After looking the name up and finding that the emphasis is on the first syllable and (I think) it looks like the second syllable is prn like “jah”, I was going to recommend the “s” spelling – Kesiah [name]Clayton[/name], just like you picked. [name]Just[/name] thought I’d put in my thoughts since they reinforced your decision.
Thank you! It just seems to flow better with [name]Clayton[/name] and our last name and feels a little softer.
Since you and are on the same wavelength with our silliness in trying out a name, I’ll give you one other trick that helped. We also went to google images and typed in the different names with different spellings and saw who looked more like our child. There were about three beautiful models (including Ms. [name]Canada[/name]) with the spelling we liked. Not that we are hoping to have a model, but it did make the name seem even more beautiful!
Thanks, [name]Blade[/name]. I wanted to say I really appreciated your kind but honest feedback. You have a wonderful way of being straightforward and honest, while still being respectful of people’s choices. Your comments and ideas were really useful and got me thinking!
It just seems to flow better with [name]Clayton[/name] and our last name and feels a little softer.