Too nicknamey?

[name]Do[/name] you like the name [name]Clea[/name] pronounced clay-uh? It’s Greek and very pretty I think. [name]Do[/name] you think it’s ok as a standalone name much like [name]Chloe[/name] is? I really don’t like any of the longer forms of the name so it would be stand alone if we used it.

[name]Do[/name] you like it? What middle names do you like with it? Thanks!

I’ve said it before, but… as long as you (and presumably your daughter) are ok saying, “[name]Clea[/name]. C-L-E-A” for the rest of your lives, it IS a lovely name; I’m fond of the classic Greek ones as well.

Allllso, if you have to type “pronounced clay-uh” in your question, you’re going to be correcting folks (teachers first day of school, the receptionist at your pediatrician’s office, etc) who say “clee-uh.” the more common name, [name]Cleo[/name], is of course “clee-oh” so the default assumption (I would guess…we’ll see what others say!) would be “Oh, it’s [name]Cleo[/name] w/ an A”

for middle names, I’d go w/ anything that starts strong. for some reason first thing I thought of was [name]Clea[/name] [name]Michelle[/name] (even tho’ [name]Michelle[/name] might be too 70s/80s vintage… no offense to Michelles out there… our First Lady…one of my best friends, etc etc!).

but you wouldn’t want [name]Clea[/name] [name]Adelaide[/name] or [name]Clea[/name] [name]Eudora[/name] or seomthing since any vowel sound is going to blur into the end of [name]Clea[/name], I think. also avoid say, [name]Clea[/name] [name]Lily[/name]… too many Ls there, and any MN that si soft won’t work as well as one that kind of picks the end of [name]Clea[/name] up and gives it a little pop. [name]Clea[/name] [name]Matilda[/name]? start w/ a hard consonant sound, i say!

good luck!

Thanks for the reply!

I understand that there will be some pronunciation issues with [name]Clea[/name], but unfortunately that is the case with almost all of my favorite Greek names :frowning: So it is just something I am going to have to deal with. [name]Even[/name] with [name]Calista[/name], which I thought was a pretty mispronunciation proof name, was mispronounced as ka-lee-sta. Sigh. :roll:

So any other opinions? Is it a good stand alone name or too much of a nick name?

Thanks!

[name]Hi[/name]!

I think you’d be okay with [name]Clea[/name] as a first name. I mean, it’s no shorter than, say, [name]Kaia[/name], and that’s an accepted name - which I love. I do admit, my first inclination was to say CLEE-ah, like [name]Cleo[/name], but I can understand the [name]Clea[/name] pronunciation as well. NB says it is a shortened form of [name]Cleopatra[/name]? I wonder why it is not CLEE-ah, then, but anyway, it is cute!

[name]Clea[/name] [name]Bryony[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Celeste[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Diana[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Francesca[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Gwendolyn[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Harriet[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Jessamine[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Katherine[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Lucinda[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Magdalen[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Naomi[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Penelope[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Rosaline[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Silvia[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Tallulah[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Vivian[/name]

[name]Lemon[/name] :slight_smile:

Thanks for the suggestion of [name]Clea[/name] [name]Penelope[/name]! I LOOVE that!

Searching online I seem to find more about the name spelled [name]Klea[/name] than [name]Clea[/name]. Most baby name sites don’t even have the [name]Clea[/name] spelling at all! [name]Do[/name] you think the K spelling is going to make it less likely that people are going to pronounce it Clee-a since it’s not as similar as names like [name]Clio[/name] and [name]Chloe[/name] when spelled with a K?

Or does it just look too trendy spelled that way? [name]Klea[/name] [name]Penelope[/name], [name]Clea[/name] [name]Penelope[/name]?

[name]Clea[/name] or [name]Klea[/name], I would still have thought it’s pronounced Clee-ah.

Ya, I don’t think the spelling change really helps with pronunciations issues, myself, and I think [name]Clea[/name] looks more elegant and romantic than [name]Klea[/name], which looks slightly misspelled, honestly. I’m glad you like [name]Clea[/name] [name]Penelope[/name], though! It’s a fun one!

[name]Lemon[/name] :slight_smile:

I think [name]Clea[/name] can stand alone – like [name]Chloe[/name]. As long as you are resigned to correcting everyone’s pronounciation and spelling, I say go with it.

I like [name]Clea[/name] [name]Penelope[/name] a lot, but I’d also consider [name]Clea[/name] [name]Diantha[/name], a Greek favorite of mine that deserved to be more popular. It’s a wild flower, I believe.

I think people will automatically see it as Clee-ah, which personally I prefer, because of [name]Cleo[/name]. To clear up the pronounciation a little you could put an accent over the E which would change it to a capital A sound.

[name]Clea[/name] is super-lovely. I do agree that it would give you a few pronunciation problems, though - but if that doesn’t bother you, then you should go for it! I feel like, since [name]Cleo[/name] and [name]Chloe[/name] and all those are “stand-alone” names, that [name]Clea[/name] could really work as just a “full name”. It’s cute, but not overly so. Anyways.

[name]Clea[/name] Mechtild/e
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Iolanthe[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Henrietta[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Harriet[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Ruth[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Persephone[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Diantha[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] [name]Eglantine[/name]

Okay, I’ve got to go, but I’ll come back with more later!

Thanks everyone for your replies!

I do have a question, though. This is going to sound snarky and rude when I type it, but I am really just genuinely curious and not trying to sound that way!Please don’t take offense because I am wondering if there is some difference between this name and others that people recommend that I don’t see :slight_smile:

Ok so here is my question, and it is in no way directed to anyone in particular, why would some of the same people that are turned off by this name because of the pronunciation issues have no problem with recommending names like [name]Persephone[/name] (per-se phone is how many would pronounce it) or [name]Ianthe[/name] (I’m still not even sure what the correct pronunciation with this one is, but I read it as eye-an-thee the first time), or [name]Helena[/name] (which has at least three different and legitimate pronunciations),or Mechtild/Melchtide, or [name]Maeve[/name] (most would see it as may-ee-vee), [name]Isolde[/name] (ee-sold or ee-sol-de?), [name]Margaux[/name]/[name]Margot[/name], and wouldn’t [name]Thea[/name]/[name]Althea[/name] have the same issues? of people constantly saying Thee-ah and not thay-uh? and these are some just girl names!

Is there some difference between the pronunciation issues with [name]Clea[/name] vs these names that I just don’t understand? Thanks guys, I would appreciate it if someone could clear it up!

I know this is an old thread but just in case someone searches I thought I would add my 2 cents. My name is [name]Clea[/name] and I love it! :slight_smile:
I am 31 yrs old and I have never met another [name]Clea[/name] but I do know of [name]Clea[/name] [name]Duvall[/name] and [name]Clea[/name] [name]Newman[/name] and we all pronounce it [name]Clay[/name]-ah.
I have had to tell people throughout my life how to prounounce and spell it but it really has never bothered me probably because it is like second nature to me and it is always how it has been. I really enjoy having such a unique name, but also one that I think doesn’t just sound random and made up like some girls names where people are obviously just trying to get too creative that it’s weird. I also love that it is short and simple. Whenever I meet someone for the first time I say, I’m [name]Clea[/name], C-L-E-A, but pronounced “claya” and they usually get it quick because that is now in their head and they never ask again. usually they also say, “very pretty” :slight_smile: [name]Just[/name] my 2 cents. Also, my middle name is a family name… [name]Clea[/name] [name]Ellen[/name]. People usually ask the origin too and I always say, “it’s greek but i’m not–haha” My mom found it when she read the [name]Alexandria[/name] Quartet by [name]Lawrence[/name] [name]Durrell[/name]. I have the set of books from the 70s (one is called “[name]Clea[/name]”) I’m embarrassed to say I have actually never read it.

I love it-just think people will think she is saying [name]Claire[/name] for the rest of her life-will become frustrating. [name]How[/name] about [name]Cleo[/name]?

I love it! it could definitely stand on it’s own :slight_smile: