My husband and I are expecting our fourth baby later this year. We currently have [name_f]Heidi[/name_f] [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_u]Rhys[/name_u] [name_u]Owen[/name_u], and [name_m]Griffin[/name_m] [name_m]Henry[/name_m]. We’re having a little girl this time around, and we’ve struggled with finding a name. After scouring many books and sites, we decided on [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] [name_f]Emily[/name_f].
We went back on fourth on [name_f]Carys[/name_f] vs. [name_f]Cerys[/name_f]. While [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] is technically the correctly pronunciation for the name we want (CARE-iss), we were worried that she’d constantly be called [name_f]Cerise[/name_f], Seer-ees, or something else entirely wrong because we live in the US. Using the starting “a” might at least give people the “care” sound. However, the fact that it is the wrong pronunciation annoyed me, and we settled on [name_f]Cerys[/name_f].
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you think [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] is too difficult for most Americans?
Someone told me it looked made up and trendy-- do you think this is true?
Also, do you think it goes well with our other kids’ names?
[name_f]Cerys[/name_f] [name_f]Emily[/name_f] is great! It fits really well with [name_f]Heidi[/name_f], [name_u]Rhys[/name_u], and [name_m]Griffin[/name_m], and I love [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] and [name_f]Emily[/name_f] together. I’m tempted to say SAIR-iss every time I see it, but I do know it’s CARE-iss, and I think, inevitably, people will catch on to how it’s pronounced. Did they eventually figure [name_u]Rhys[/name_u] out? If so, I would think they’d get [name_f]Cerys[/name_f], as well.
[name_u]Rhys[/name_u] still gets a few mispronunciations. He’ll have a nurse at the pediatrician or new colleague of mine call him something like [name_u]Rice[/name_u] or Rise every couple of months. Most people think I’ve made his name up, which is a little heartbreaking for a name-nerd to hear.
before reading this thread, I thought [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] was pronounced “sair-iss”. I think the [name_f]Carys[/name_f] spelling eliminates some confusion, but [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] looks better.
I agree about the [name_f]Carys[/name_f] spelling eliminating confusion. I pronounced it seriss/cerise when I saw it because I wasn’t sure how to pronounce it. I can see lots of other Americans having the same trouble. I don’t feel like it goes with [name_f]Heidi[/name_f], [name_u]Rhys[/name_u] and [name_m]Griffin[/name_m], but I do think [name_f]Emily[/name_f] [name_f]Carys[/name_f] or [name_f]Emily[/name_f] [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] goes well with your other childrens’ names! As an American, [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] just sounds more “exotic” or unusual to me than [name_f]Heidi[/name_f], [name_u]Rhys[/name_u] and [name_m]Griffin[/name_m], which seem to fit the same style as [name_f]Emily[/name_f] in my opinion.
In the end it’s up to you and you should go with whatever you both like best that feels right to you
I’m Australian, and had I not been a member of NB I too would have assumed it was pronounced ‘Sair-iss’.
However, I seem to feel differently about the [name_f]Carys[/name_f] spelling. When I see that I go to say 'Car-iss (as in Carrot- rhymes with [name_u]Paris[/name_u]), which is different again. This is a tricky one for me. I think for sure, people will likely mess the pronunciation up, but they will get used to it fairly quickly. It’s not a long name with a bunch of unnecessary silent letters or anything, so I’m sure after one or two corrections they’ll be fine. Like a previous poster said, everyone seems to have figured out [name_u]Rhys[/name_u].
I would pronounce Sse-rys or Sairys… But I’m not American. I’m French and Cerise (Sse-reez) is obviously a familiar word to me. But now I know how to say it
I’m an American and I think you will be forever correcting people no matter how you spell it, so you might as well use the correct spelling. Having said that, it’s a nice name and I think it is worth using.
I feel the same way about [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] being more exotic then the other kids’ names, so I’m worried about that. I looked for so long and couldn’t find many alteratives, so I’m feeling stuck.
Sigh. When I’m not pregnant, I can come up with dozens of great girl names. Now? Meh, not so much.
I wouldn’t say [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] was any more exotic than your other three. [name_u]Rhys[/name_u], [name_m]Griffin[/name_m] and [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] are all very Welsh. To me it’s [name_f]Heidi[/name_f] that stands out.
Honestly, I think the [name_f]Carys[/name_f] spelling would be a lot easier to wear than the [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] spelling living in the U.S. I’m Canadian and even as a pretty devout name nerd, I pause before I can wrap my head around using the hard C in [name_f]Cerys[/name_f]. I do suspect that a lot of people would think it was made up. To me, spelling it [name_f]Carys[/name_f] rather than, say, [name_f]Karis[/name_f] or [name_f]Kerris[/name_f] still makes it feel like a traditional spelling.
That said: [name_f]Carys[/name_f] [name_f]Emily[/name_f] is gorgeous and I think it goes really, really well with your children’s names, especially since [name_u]Rhys[/name_u] is spelled this way. Awesome choice.
[name_f]Cerys[/name_f] and [name_f]Carys[/name_f] are both on my list and are beautiful names. As a [name_u]Brit[/name_u], I am probably more familiar with these names than most Americans, so can’t comment on pronunciation issues, but I’m sure people will get used to it once you explain it to them. The name goes so well with your other children’s names, especially [name_u]Rhys[/name_u] and [name_m]Griffin[/name_m] - do you have Welsh family or do you just love the names? ([name_m]Just[/name_m] curious!)
Oh and I’ve just remembered that [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] [name_f]Zeta[/name_f] [name_m]Jones[/name_m] and [name_u]Michael[/name_u] [name_u]Douglas[/name_u] have a daughter called [name_f]Carys[/name_f] (or that might be her MN, not sure) so you can always point that out to anyone who thinks it’s a made-up name!
I love [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] spelt that way and I don’t think it’s trendy at all. I think it’s a very pretty, regal Welsh name. I’m [name_u]North[/name_u] American.
I wish I could find a name with a similar style to [name_f]Heidi[/name_f]. I was completely sold on [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] for a girl, but then Disney ruined it.
I’d pronounce [name_f]Carys[/name_f] correctly, but if I weren’t such a darn name nerd I would probably say [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] “SARE-iss.” I know a woman with a daughter [name_f]Cera[/name_f], pronounced [name_m]KEER[/name_m]-a, and people always interpret the “cer” as “ser.” [name_f]Carys[/name_f]/[name_f]Cerys[/name_f] is a name I really love in either spelling and I think it’s worth the trouble, whichever way you spell it.
[name_f]Heidi[/name_f] would match [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] perfectly, darn it Disney! [name_f]Greta[/name_f] feels similar, but may be too close to [name_m]Griffin[/name_m]? [name_f]Ilsa[/name_f], [name_f]Margo[/name_f], [name_f]Freya[/name_f], [name_f]Minna[/name_f], [name_f]Ula[/name_f], [name_f]Leonie[/name_f], [name_f]Della[/name_f], [name_f]Etta[/name_f]? Honestly, though, I find [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] a great match in that both sound very simple, streamlined and sweet.
