Ciara 1

I honestly prefer the see-air-uh pronunciation to KEER-ah. It just sounds prettier to me. And no, it just isn’t the same as spelling it as Sierra, Ciara looks prettier IMO. Anyways, this is probably best as a middle name to prevent confusion on how to pronounce it since that’s what 99% of people here are complaining about.

I wouldn't use this name, it has too many different pronunciations. Just look at the comments arguing over which pronunciation is right and people complaining about people mispronouncing their name.

Yeah, don't even go there with the name Awen (Irish to English pronunciation).

People will pronounce this wrong if you are not from Ireland.

My sister is called Ciara and I think it's a lovely name, but I know that my sister hates it when people pronounce it Sierra, when the Irish version anyway, is pronounced Key-a-ra.

My name is Ciara (KEE-ra). I personally don't like the name, but that's just from years of having it butchered. I used to be called kee-AH-ra, kee-AIR-ah, KAR-ah, KY-ra, even CLAIRE-ah, but now I pretty much only get see-AIR-ah (which drives me crazy, everyone associates the name with the singer, who I can't stand). I live in Canada, but I know a lot of Irish people, and in my opinion, they're the only ones that can make the name sound nice.
As far as nicknames go, I shorten my name to Ra. It's pretty unusual (like I said, I know a lot of Irish people and I can practically feel them cringe when I refer to myself as Ra) but it suits me.

In TLK2 the spelling of this name was changed to Kiara, which is how I was introduced to it. When I discovered this original spelling, I instantly fell in love with it. Although I find it entertaining that they named a golden-colored lioness "Black."
As for the pronunciation of this name, people who are habitually offended should not be allowed to bear it. I've had my name mispronounced numerous times. It takes very little time and effort to politely correct the person addressing you.

This name sounds lovely. I just wish people would *CHILL THE HECK OUT* when it comes to pronouncing this name. Sometimes I accidentally pronounce it the same as the name Sierra because when I was younger I always thought it was said that way.
So, seriously you guys, calm down.

I love this name! It sounds so much better than the trashy Sierra.

My parents named me Ciara after a perfume from the 1970's - we pronounce it "See-Ah-ra". Many times people pronounce it in ways I've never heard before! I absolutely love my name - it was always so different from every other person's name around me, and still is, to an extent. However, when completely capitalized, many people make the mistake of reading my name as Clara- and then expect an older woman. The great thing about my name, for my family, is that whenever they don't know what to get me for a gift, they buy me the perfume I was named after.

Let's just say that I strongly prefer the original pronunciation of ''kee-A-ra'' and especially the pretty-sounding ''KEE-ra''. I dislike the pronunciation of ''see-A-ra'', as it reminds me of the name Sierra, which I dislike, and the bland r'n'b singer that had success with a couple of crappy tracks back in 2005. HOWEVER, if you're going to use this name in America and pretty much any country where the name doesn't originate from, be prepared to have hissy fits and clench your fists in frustration and grit your teeth in righteous anger as people don't know how to pronounce it. It's not just an American thing, trust me. It's European. It mst be universal. People are kind of used to the idea that when a 'c' is followed by an 'i' or an 'e', it is pronounced as an 's' sound. It becomes automatic to pronounce it so, and it takes practise to remember which names and words are exceptions. Celtic is one, and it takes some time before people get it right outside Britain. So, if people are unfamiliar with the name, they WILL pronunce it wrong. DEAL WITH IT. It's automatic. Might as well spell it Kiara or Kiera, which look prettier anyway.

I absolutely hate it when people mispronounce this beautiful name. My sister is called Ciara and sometimes people will think I'm her (there's only two years between us and we look almost the same except Ciara's slighter smaller) and call me Ciara (mispronouncing it) and I just want to smack them. How hard can it be to pronounce a name?!

Maybe all this confusion could just be avoided by spelling it Kira or Keira or Kiera. :]

Kira or Kiara just doesn't sound the same.

It's just how they pronounce it. Most people don't know the meaning of their name. Maybe they wanted Sierra but wanted her to be unique! Ever thought of that?

I agree the correct pronunciation is KEER-uh, nothing else. In Ireland I have never once heard the name Kiki used as a nickname in all my 18 years of life and knowing about 20 people with this name. Not being rude or putting anyone's opinion down, keep the Irish spelling the way it's meant to be.

I love this name and like the pronunciation Keer-ra. I think it's simply ignorant to pronounce it like Sierra. Obviously if someone wants it pronounced like Sierra, they should spell it Sierra.

In conclusion: Damned if you do, damned if you don't. No matter how you pronounce the name you're bound to irritate someone or another. Why bother using it?

My name is Ciara and I hate it when people pronounce it wrong. It's key-ra (the way I say it) or key-a-ra but it's certainly not see-air-ra. That pronunciation really annoys me.

Why does the American crunk music singer Ciara spell her name that way when she pronounces it Sierra? I don't think her parents knew much about the beautiful Irish name.

I agree. I first thought that it was pronounced "see-AIR-a" by looking at it, but I think the indicated pronunciation is prettier.