updated Sept 2015
Keira ~ Black Haired ~ Irish
A Baby Name with Irish Roots
Ok, I know St. Patrick's Day is over. I don't usually do two names of the same origin in two weeks, but I couldn't help myself.
Ok, I know St. Patrick's Day is over. I don't usually do two names of the same origin in two weeks, but I couldn't help myself.
Keira is fascinating to me because it's an established Irish name that rose so quickly in the US as to make it still seem unique and contemporary to our ears. (Much like last week's name, Declan.) It's a no-frills name but also feminine and pretty. The meaning, which comes from the Irish Ciar meaning black, gives it even more of a sophisticated feel.
Popularity & US Fascination
Keira is currently the most popular spelling in America, thanks to the glamorous Keira Knightly. We know her particularly for playing Elizabeth in the box-office hit Pirates of the Caribbean. When the credits rolled, expectant parents were definitely paying attention. The year it came out, the name Keira gained 321 places in the top 1,000 girls' names in America. That's pretty impressive.
When I first wrote this post, Keira was a thriving and popular name, ranked in the 130s. Today, Keira has fallen about 100 spots as it strives to find its place among other trendy names. But keep in mind other spellings and variants really add up, making its current rank of 228 (for 2014) deceivingly low.
How to Pronounce Keira
The popular spelling Keira is undeniably pronounced KEER-ah. Some of the variant spellings offer different pronunciations, as Kiera can either be pronounced KEER-ah or kee-AR-ah.
Variants & Rank for 2014
Keira is currently the most popular spelling in America, thanks to the glamorous Keira Knightly. We know her particularly for playing Elizabeth in the box-office hit Pirates of the Caribbean. When the credits rolled, expectant parents were definitely paying attention. The year it came out, the name Keira gained 321 places in the top 1,000 girls' names in America. That's pretty impressive.
When I first wrote this post, Keira was a thriving and popular name, ranked in the 130s. Today, Keira has fallen about 100 spots as it strives to find its place among other trendy names. But keep in mind other spellings and variants really add up, making its current rank of 228 (for 2014) deceivingly low.
How to Pronounce Keira
The popular spelling Keira is undeniably pronounced KEER-ah. Some of the variant spellings offer different pronunciations, as Kiera can either be pronounced KEER-ah or kee-AR-ah.
Variants & Rank for 2014
- Keira, 128
- Kira, 350
- Kiara, 353
- Kiera, 592
- Ciara, 673
My daughter's name, pre-pirates, is Kyra! Is that a variant?
ReplyDeleteAlso, you are just kewl.
Hee hee, thanks! You are awesome, and you have such great taste. Kyra can be pronounced the same way but a lot of my references say it's Greek and means Lady. It's interesting because the names are so close, that in my Greek listing of Kyra, Keira is listed as a variant! I think it could be considered either way, depending on your intentions when you use it. :)
ReplyDeleteHi, my name is Titus, I'm from Romania and me and my wife are to be parents in September. The doctor said that the baby seems to be a girl, so after a long search, we agreed that Keira would be the best name for our daughter.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the information :)
Hi Titus, I'm so glad this post was helpful. I LOVE the name Keira, what a great choice!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Laura
How popular exactly is this name? i am looking for something different for my daughter im due in feb 2010. i thought this was really unique name i never heard of it but so was Rylee when i first named my son and every little boy has the name now. After i have been googling the name i have found that i think its pretty common.
ReplyDeletemy daughter is called Keirra-Jayne the
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have any experience/info on people mispronouncing this name? I love it, I lived in Wollongong Australia where Mt. Keira is, but I don't want people to mispronounce her name. I like the KEER-ah, not ki-AR-ah, so I am nervous about her having to correct it her whole life. Any feedback would be great!
ReplyDeletewere having a girl and were trying o figure out if Kiera has some different spelling options other then the common english form
ReplyDelete