This will be a full post later on, but I want to collect some data as I’m working on it: If you saw the name Meara, how would you think it was pronounced?
Our next door neighbor’s 3-year-old (good friends with my three-year-old) is named Meara! In her case, it’s pronounced exactly like I thought: Mere-ah, emphasis on first syllable.
If you break it up by syllabication the me would be left as an open syllable making the “e” long, ar as in car, and I would assume the “a” at the end would be just like other names that end with a.
Meh-ee-ruh, because I would think it was a mispelling of the Hebrew name Meira (I know several people named Mei.ra).
however, “mee-ruh” is an anglicized pronunciation of the name so I wouldn’t be surprised when corrected.
Meer-ah, emphasis on the first syllable.
Meer-a. Same as I would pronounce Mira with a longer ee sound.
Ditto.
Ditto.
Meer-a
Same.
yep, I’d pronounce it meera too
I had a friend in college named Meara! MEER-ah.
I would think Meer-ah. (Rhyming with Kira).
Mir-uh, like Mirror with a southern accent.
Meer-a
It looks like Mare-uh to me.
Mee are rah
Probably anyway. I think it’d be a name I’d want to hear pronounced before using.
Mee – ah – ra
I must be in the minority, because my mind first went me-AIR-uh.
MEER-a
I would say it Meer-uh, but I would worry that I was saying it wrong.
MEER-ah.
Meer-uh
My first thought was me-air-uh
Me-are-a
Because of the “ara” my first thought was mee ahra (rhyming with the fancy way to say tiara)
Meer-uh, for sure.
Me-AIR-uh
Me-are-a
Meer-ah.
Me-are-uh
Reminds me of Kiara’spronunciation.
Our next door neighbor’s 3-year-old (good friends with my three-year-old) is named Meara! In her case, it’s pronounced exactly like I thought: Mere-ah, emphasis on first syllable.
I would pronounce it MER-a, with the first syllable rhyming with ‘bear’.
I’d say Meer-uh.
Mee are uh
Definitely Meer-ah
If it was spelled Miara, then I would probably think Mee-air-ah (or Mee-ahr-ah)
Meer-ah
I have a fried named Meara! She pronounces it Mare-uh (emphasis on mare, like the horse).
Before I biased myself by reading the first several comments, I was thinking Me-ar-ah, accent on the middle syllable.
I’d say Meer-a and not think twice about it.
Same here!
same.
Me, too!
Like Mira – Meer-uh
I read mee-ARE-uh.
I’d say Mee-AH-ra.
MEER-uh, like Anne Meara.
I grew up with a Meera (Meer-uh), and I’d probably pronounce it the same way.
Meer – uh (emphasis on Meer)
Meer-ah. With the beginning sounding like Mir (the Russian space station)
Another vote for MEER-ah, instinctively.
MEER-ah
Meer-ah was my first thought. Followed by Me-ARE-rah.
me-AIR-uh
Me-air-ah
I would think it would be mee-ar-uh
If you break it up by syllabication the me would be left as an open syllable making the “e” long, ar as in car, and I would assume the “a” at the end would be just like other names that end with a.
Meer-uh. But I’d be confused by the unusual combination of letters and slightly unsure.
Meer-uh
Meer-ah.
Meer-ah
Definitely Meer-ah.
Meer-ah, but with a very faint middle syllable of “ah”.
MEE(ah)ra, like Mia-ra with the first a being swallowed.
‘Cause I’d look at it and go…it’s not Myra, or Mira, or Moira, or Maura, or Mairead.
Meer uh
My daughter is named Meara and we pronounce it Meer-a like the Irish last name (which is where we got it).
Mee-ra.
Meh-ee-ruh, because I would think it was a mispelling of the Hebrew name Meira (I know several people named Mei.ra).
however, “mee-ruh” is an anglicized pronunciation of the name so I wouldn’t be surprised when corrected.
just like Mira, MEER-UH
I read MEER-uh, but with hesitation. Now that I’ve read the whole entry above, I’m a supporter of the name as-is!
Meer-ah… because I know the last name O’Meara, and it is pronounced O-meer-ah ;)
I’d say MEER-ah, but I wouldn’t be too confident, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it were Mee-ar-a or Mey-ar-a or MAIR-a.
Mare-uh
Same as Mira. Meer-ah
Me-ARE-ah or Me-AIR-ah
My first thought was Mee-AR-uh, but I settled on Meer-uh.
MEER-uh. So pretty!
Mee ruh / Mira but go with the Meara spelling not at all confusing and it looks Irish Gallic
mee – ah – ra
Meer-uh
As in “meerkat”
Mee-are-uh. I agree with the “tiara” rhyme as well.