V. writes:<\/p>\n
Thank you for your amazing blog; I love hearing about everyone\u2019s adventures in naming. My husband and I will be having a girl in July and are, like many others, struggling to find a first name we both like. We do have a bunch of options for the middle name so right now we are concentrating on the first. The baby\u2019s last name will be C00ke (pronounced like someone who works in a kitchen). I come from a family where first names are fairly unique, but not made up. My last name is uncommon. He comes from a family with pronounceable biblical\/traditional names.<\/p>\n
We are interested in using a family name as a middle name. Family names for a middle include: Kelly, Adrienne, Anna, Ella, Evelyn, and Daphne. My husband likes Kelly or Anna and has crossed off Adrienne and Ella from that list. We also tend to like names without nicknames, but not a deal-breaker.<\/p>\n
My top first name choice is a last name in my family: Meara (pronounced Mira). I can consider this as a middle but really love it as a first. My husband likes Mira but thinks everyone including the child will be confused about the spelling and pronunciation of Meara. I love it because it is common enough that when she says it people will understand it, yet it is semi-unique. How would you pronounce Meara as you see it? Would you be confused? Is it deal breaker confusion? My husband\u2019s\/the baby\u2019s last name is SO common I\u2019d like something a little more uncommon for the first name.<\/p>\n
Other non-family names we are considering:
\nFiona \u2013 Our joint second choice for a name. We like names from the British Isles.
\nHannah \u2013 One of his top name choices. I originally took this out because of someone I knew, but put it back in because he likes it so much. It\u2019s growing on me but prefer it as a middle if we use it.
\nLydia
\nCecilia
\nDahlia\/Dalia \u2013 I like it but keep thinking of a \u201cbaby doll\u201d
\nAudra
\nAubrey
\nFelicity
\nHailey \u2013 another of my husband\u2019s choices
\nLayla\/Leyla
\nLeona
\nZoe\/Zoey<\/p>\nWe plan to have a second child. For boys my husband liked: Dylan, Conrad, and Orion; I liked Harper, Nolan, Harrison, and Wade (as a middle). I generally like last names as first names for boys.<\/p>\n
Any assistance would be helpful, even if just a quick poll on the pronunciation of Meara or opinions on the name as my family spells it. Thank you so much!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
<\/p>\n
When I file incoming name questions, I leave myself a little note about the issues in the post. With this one, my note ended up misleading me: I wrote: “want to use Meara; husband likes Mira, thinks Meara too confusing (pronunciation poll).” So when I chose it this morning, I was already composing my answer—something like “Yes, Meara isn’t too difficult but probably Mira would be easier all around and also more traditional\/standard, but then again I think people would pick up Meara pretty quickly so no big deal either way” and etc.<\/p>\n
But then as I was cutting and pasting the question, I saw it’s a family surname. Well, goodness. There are few things I like better than a family surname that can be used as a child’s first name, so that was exciting. But also, for me that completely ends the discussion: the spelling should be Meara. Spelling it Mira might be slightly easier in some ways, but it saps it of so much family meaning, it almost feels like it would be better to find another name. In fact, if it were me, and my husband wouldn’t use the spelling Meara, I think I WOULD decide it would be better to scrap the whole idea. Spelled Mira, it’s what people refer to as “a nod”—a little reference to your family surname, but not really using it.<\/p>\n
Anyone who raises eyebrows or has trouble spelling\/pronouncing it can be told, “Oh, yes, it’s a family name!” or “It’s my grandmother’s maiden name” (or whatever it is)—which ought to change them from “Why not spell it Mira?” to “OH HOW COOL I LOVE IT!!” in about 2 seconds flat.<\/p>\n
I don’t think a Meara would be any more confused by her name than a Sophia or a Zach or an Elle or a John would be. Name spellings are often odd, and most children learn the spelling by memorization before they’re even thinking about phonetics.<\/p>\n
I think the first time I saw the spelling Meara I might pause, because I’d be wondering if it was maybe a foreign spelling\/pronunciation I was about to botch (as with Ciara, which can be KEER-rah or kee-AR-rah), and because it’s hard to tell how the sounds should be divided (does the E go with the M or with the A?). But as soon as I knew it was MEER-rah, I don’t think I’d have trouble anymore. The middle part is “ear,” which when we see it alone we pronounce “eer,” so that helps: as soon as I know the pronunciation, my eye sorts the name into the right chunks.<\/p>\n