[name_m]General[/name_m] thoughts on [name_f]Zara[/name_f]? Pronounced [name_m]Zair[/name_m]-ah or like [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] with a Z
To me it seems to combine the gentleness of [name_f]Anna[/name_f] (one of my faves) with the spunk of [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] (another fave) but I worry it sounds trendy/made up or that it won’t age well.
I like [name_f]Zara[/name_f] a lot, though I pronounce it Zar-ruh (ar as in the sound of car) but I don’t know if that’s because I’m in the UK?
Either way, I think you’re right - there’s something gentle about it while also sounding feisty. It’s a great choice
[name_f]Zara[/name_f] [name_f]Nadine[/name_f] is amazing and I think [name_f]Zara[/name_f] sounds lovely with [name_f]Natalie[/name_f]
I prefer it pronounced ZAHR (rhymes with car, bar, tar)-uh, and my understanding is that that is the standard pronunciation. If so you might find yourself constantly correcting the pronunciation (you might even consider spelling it [name_f]Zaira[/name_f]?) - but if that doesn’t bother you, I think [name_m]ZAIR[/name_m]-uh is lovely, and it pairs very nicely with [name_f]Natalie[/name_f]! I really like [name_f]Zara[/name_f] [name_f]Lucille[/name_f].
I don’t like [name_m]ZAIR[/name_m]-uh (although I dislike [name_f]Sarah[/name_f], [name_f]Kara[/name_f], etc. so I guess it’s just the [name_f]AIR[/name_f]-uh sound in general). I’m from the Midwest and I’d pronounce this ZAHR-uh, and I much prefer that pronunciation. I think ZAHR-uh is the most common pronunciation, so [name_f]Zaira[/name_f] would be better for your way. I don’t know how I feel about it with [name_f]Natalie[/name_f] because [name_f]Natalie[/name_f] is pretty common, while [name_f]Zara[/name_f] in general is much more uncommon (and [name_f]Zaira[/name_f] is an uncommon pronunciation) so the combo seems a bit off.
I love [name_f]Zara[/name_f]. It makes me think of the brand name or singer [name_f]Zara[/name_f] [name_m]Larsson[/name_m]. I’m not a native of English, so I pronounce [name_f]Zara[/name_f] like “Za-ra”. I really like [name_f]Zara[/name_f] [name_f]Nadine[/name_f]. And [name_f]Zara[/name_f] and [name_f]Natalie[/name_f] would make an amazing sibset.
