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Are you of First Nations descent yourself? I would first determine the cultural significance... not just the meaning, but its place in the minds of the people who are called the Cheyenne... before considering its use as a name. I think you’ll find that most First Nations people don’t appreciate their words -or words referring to them- being used lightly or out of context.

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My ex-husband and my daughter are Mohawk, and I was part of his family for 17 years. Although the level of interest varies from person to person, I think I can guess what their reaction en masse would be to a baby named “Mohawk”. Although this, like “Cheyenne“, were names given to their people from outsiders, and not particularly flattering, there is still pride and a sense of ownership in the name. It’s not something to be taken lightly or used because you simply like the sound. And although the Western alphabet was simply applied to the sounds of the North American Indigenous languages, there is cultural precedent in the way they are spelled.

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So if you were to determine that even the use of the name itself was inoffensive, which would surprise me, respelling it might be a bridge too far.

Chyann Chyanne chienne

Not a fan of native American tribes as names. But Cheyenne, probably because of this girl named Shyanne I really hated when I was younger.

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I knew a Shiann.

This message was edited 11/30/2020, 3:16 PM

Honestly, anything other than Cheyenne feels like a made up variant to me. I especially dislike Shyanne. As in "Anne is shy". What the heck??

This message was edited 11/30/2020, 1:51 PM

Think you covered most of the bases.

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Shyan
Chayanne
Sioanne
Zhyanne
Zhianne
Shiane
Chianne
Shy-Ann
Shy-Anne
Shi-Ann
Shi-Anne
Shine but pronounced like Cheyenne.