Keira or Kiera

[Anonymous]

We considered using the original Ciara but nobody seemed to say it right. Apparently, the anglicized version is traditionally Kiera (like Kieran) but Keira is more common (like Keira Knightly). Which way makes more sense to you?

[Anonymous]

Kiera (i before e).

[Anonymous]

Keira just looks more natural to me

[Anonymous]

I would pronounce Keira (Keer-uh) and Kiera (Kee-eh-ruh) and Ciara (Cee-a-ruh). All very different.

[Anonymous]

well looks like a lifetime of correcting the spelling of her name. How about Kira?

[Anonymous]

keira

[Anonymous]

Kyrah

[Anonymous]

Kira

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would pronounce Keira (Keer-uh) and Kiera (Kee-eh-ruh) and Ciara (Cee-a-ruh). All very different.

Ciara is an Irish name. It’s said Keer-uh.

[Anonymous]

We had the exact same debate! Still one of my favorite names. We both have Irish roots so considered Ciara but knew 100% of people here would say it wrong, couldn’t decide between Keira vs Kiera and didn’t want to keep accidentally spelling our own kid’s name wrong. I liked Kira but husband thought it looked Russian and too far from our roots. (Kyra looked made up to us.) So we gave up and named her Caroline.

But if you’re set on this name then I vote Keira. (Although I accidentally typed i before e and had to edit there so proceed with caution.)

[Anonymous]

We have a Kira. A few misspellings but it seems most people have defaulted to spelling it the way we do. Always pronounced correctly.

[Anonymous]

Keira looks very wrong to me, so I’d go with Kiera, but I like Kira the best. It does not read Russian to me at all as PP mentioned.

[Anonymous]

We have a Ciara - but we don't mind correcting (or just letting mispronunciation go) and live in a place where people are more familiar with Irish names, and have a large Irish family that has always used hard to spell Irish names. If she wants to change it or use it a different pronunciation when she gets older, that's fine with us. But people definitely have a hard time with it (even one woman who had a son named Ciaran, pronounced the same way??)

Most people who spell it as they hear it pronounce go with Keira or Kira. I think I'd go Keira if I were anglicizing it.

[Anonymous]

We have a Keira and I still kind of debate in my head about what would be better. I wanted to go with the slightly more traditional "Kiera" but people kept telling us people would call her "Key-air-a" and we wanted it to be pronounced "Keer - a. Kira seems more intuitive to me if you want "Keer - a" - except some people may pronounce that "Ky - ra." And that's more Russian/Eastern European linked rather than Irish, which was the connection we wanted to represent. Honestly, if you want your kid's name to be pronounced and spelled properly, pick something else. That said, I still do love the name.

[Anonymous]

Kiera looks Spanish to me. I would say Kee-air-ah if I saw it on paper.

Ciara is probably the most common girls' name in Ireland, but no one here knows how to pronounce it. (Kear-ah)

I can see someone mistaking it for Sierra.