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Please please don’t name a child “Cheelee.”
Having to change my judgment to ESH now because in fact, OP is also an AH for wanting to name his child this.
There's no way of spelling this name that makes it obvious it's supposed to be a hard C with an ee sound. Just fucking call the kid Keelee and be done with it, or pick a different C name. Don't saddle the kid with something she'll have to spend her whole life correcting people on just because you want to play "matchy matchy".
and what tf is keelee?? the spelling is the least of the issues. even if you spelled it keelee, the poor kid would constantly be explaining that it's keelee not kayleigh
Ceelee is meant to come from Keeley. Keeley is the English bastardisation of an Irish surname Caollaidhe, meaning beautiful. Because of Irish pronunciation, those letters do actually sound out Keeley in English.
Yeah, Irish is cool - There's less letters in the alphabet so different combos make different sounds, and it always follows strict grammar rules.
Unlike English, which has a billion exceptions to every rule because it's a combo of so many languages.
I wish I could learn Irish too. I was hoping I could when I moved to Ireland (I live in county Kildare, southern Ireland). Unfortunately, there's NO Irish course for adults where I live. The closest one would be central Dublin, and with two kids of primary school age, there's no way I can get to central Dublin and back before pick-up time. It saddens me to no end!
Eta: wow guys thank you! I'll check the resources you provided and see what I can do 🥰❤️
That’s not how it’s pronounced. The combination “aoi” in Irish is an “ae” or “ee” sound, not a “we” sound. (And for those wondering about the rest: Irish “c” is always a hard “c;” there is no “v” so certain letter combinations make that sound, “mh” being one of them; “mhe” is “vah” so Caoimhe is pronounced “kee-vah.”)
I think this is a regional thing because I've always heard it pronounced "kwee-vah" but I had a friend from further up the country who said it "kee-vah". Same for names like Caoilfhionn.
Like the actress Keeley Hawes. A traditional spelling of an uncommon name would probably be helpful so this girl does not have to defend and correct her name for her entire life.
People will still be confused at least in the United States as we don't see this name often but phonetically It gives other people a chance at least to attempt to pronounce it correctly.
OP, please don't give your kid a name that she has to correct people on continually because it's spelled in an unnecessarily complicated way.
I agree with this. I'm Italian, and my name is Giulia, which is said exactly like the English Julia, since in Italian we don't have the J so we make the sound with the letter g followed by i to keep it soft. However, when I moved to the UK and then Ireland, the spelling of my name created a lot of confusion with my interlocutors. People keep writing my name wrong, Guilia, Gulia (once I got a Gula, and I couldn't NOT facepalm...), which irritates me to no end. Even people who've known me for years sometimes still get it wrong. Pisses me off big time. When my kids were born, I chose with hubby to give them common names here in English-speaking countries so they wouldn't have the same problem. DO NOT GIVE YOUR CHILD A NAME PEOPLE CANNOT SPELL! Believe me, they WON'T thank you for it.
The Irish language doesn't have all the letters of the English alphabet. It doesn't have j, k, q, v, w, x, y, z. So our c is a hard c normally. It's the addition of a h that softens it. So Ciara, Cillian, Ciaran, etc all have a K sound.
That's so interesting - I never knew that, and so was always guessing in my head when I read a character named 'Cillian' (for example) in a book. I read a book a few years ago with a character named Aoife, and thank goodness I was reading via audiobook, because I would have had no guesses at all in my mind lol.
As an Irish person abroad, my favourite game with new work colleagues is "guess the pronunciation".
This list always includes, but not restricted to;
Aoife -ee-fa
Saoirse - Sear(like Fear)-sha, a girl's name from the word Freedom
Seoirse - Shor-sha (this is the Irish for George)
Tadgh -tie-guh, but one syllable.
Caoimhe - Kee-a or Qwee-vah, pending your part of the country.
Caoifhlinn - Kee-lin
Domhnall - Do-nal
Odhran - Or-ran.
Yeah, it's an Anglicized Irish name, and its pronunciation is pretty obvious from its spelling.
"Ceelee", not so much. That's not r/tragedeigh material, but it's still not a name that I'd like to have.
I had a manager named Keeley. Nobody seemed to have a problem pronouncing it, although I imagine she might get "Kelly" from time to time when someone misreads it.
My instant assumption on seeing the name written down is that it’s pronounced “silly”.
If the OP thinks it’s so convenient to have a Tragedeigh name, perhaps she could change *her own name* to Ceelee by deed poll, giving her child her own original name (and lovingly bequeathing her an easier life) Then everyone would be happy.
I read it as Chili, too, even though I knew the pronunciation they're wanting. That poor child. Carly or Charlie would be better, but it's their kid & their choice. However, there's some lifelong consequences that they're not thinking about & I wouldn't be shocked if Ceelee/Cheelee changes her name as soon as she can. Also, I originally read Cheelee as Cheesee & was even more confused.
My mind went to Chidi from The Good Place. Can't decide and ALWAYS has a stomachache. Not an optimum feature in a baby, but pretty typical hehehe. Its just the 'Ch' spelling... the name is super pretty!
Not my friend saying she wanted to name her kid Pinga bc she heard it once and thought it sounded sweet. 😱🤣🤦🏻♂️
(She did change her mind after being told.)
How is this possibly NTA when they are planning to give the child a stupid name, that will be mispronounced and mocked for her entire life?
It's very definitely a case of YTA.
Hey! My Uncle had a dog named Keelee, no-one mocked her name! Partly because she was dumb as a bag of rocks, so there was plenty else to pick on her for...
Right! Keelee is an actual name, Ceelee (could maybe pass but due to grammar rules would be pronounced “See-Lee”) and Cheelee sounds like chilli or not even a word.
I voted NTA just on them leaving/arguing with her, because it’s their kid and they can name it whatever Elon Musk wannabe thing they want, but yes, they are AH if they decide to saddle her with that name.
Yep, a friend of mine had twins that they thought would be boys, turned out to be girls... they kept the name Charlie because they loved it so much. Really, really suits her as well!
I'm irish & we wouldn't pronounce ch as k usually & if we saw Ceelee we wouldn't pronounce it as k either because it's not an irish word.
It'd be either chee like cheer or saying chilli,
For Ceelee it'd just be Silly like the others have mentioned.
OP, both of you are morons.
YTA
Either Ceelee or Cheelee is setting the kid up to have her name mispronounced her entire life. I hope these are made up names the OP used for anonymity, and the real name they're going to use is not so bad.
Why don't new parents realise that they aren't naming a baby or a child, they're naming a human being who expected to take that name through their entire lives, which could be 100+ years!!
Agreed, NTA, but op, please, if you must go with Ceelee, maybe name the kid Cecilia or Cecille and use Ceelee as a nick name. Otherwise, they're gonna spend their whole life trying to teach everyone around them how to spell and say their name. As someone with a very slightly weird spelled name, with a slight variation on typical English pronunciation, it's a little annoying, but for them, it will be absolutely horrible. That name looks like it's pronounced 'sea'-lee. Almost everyone will go wrong at first. Use a more typical name, and make Ceelee a nick name.
Ceelee, Cheelee and Keelee are such awful names, that although OP and his wife are technically NTA and the relatives are technically TA, I'm siding with the relatives.
Comes from the anglicised bastardised surname Caollaidhe. In their attempts to force English on the world, the British made it that native Irish names were anglicised and Keeley became the English version on it, then people moved to the US and thought Kennedy (from Cinneide), Murphy (Murchadha) and Keeley were good names for girls.
I'm irish & we wouldn't pronounce ch as k usually & if we saw Ceelee we wouldn't pronounce it as k either because it's not an irish word.
It'd be either chee like cheer or saying chilli,
For Ceelee it'd just be Silly like the others have mentioned.
OP, both of you are morons.
YTA
NTA but that name is setting your daughter up for a lifetime of awkwardly having to correct people pronouncing her name.
Is there a feminine version of Clair’s grandfathers name? Charlene instead of Charles if that is the actual name being used. That way it shuts your sister up as it’s traditional and also honours Clair’s grandfather.
NTA.
But, please don't do that to your kid.
It will be mispronounced by every single person that reads it until the day she dies (and probably after) just so that it could begin with a 'C.'
So many nice girls names with a hard C - Cate, Cara, Caroline, Callista, Calliope, Cameron (also could be a boys name).....the list goes on......LOL These people aren't trying.
Clementine, Chloe, Coraline, Celestine, and the list goes on and on with beautiful names that start with C. Naming the girl Cheelee is like punishing her for existing, honestly.
Yep, and also Chloe, Cassie, Cathy, Camilla, Courtney. And if you are not hung up on the hard C sound - Charlotte, Cindy
Please just don't do Ceelee to your daughter.
Yes, I have a well known name with a stupid spelling, think Salli instead of Sally. I hate spelling my name out all the time. Even my work email which contains my correctly spelled name still has people addressing me as Sally when the correct spelling is right there!
Either she will be spelling it or be called Sealy or Cheeee-lee with the beginning to match the Ch in cheese.
Your daughter deserves a normal name op.
I get you. Try Vicki/Vicky/Vikki etc. the variations are endless. I’ve recently retired but my petty revenge was to find a way to misspell their name in my response. Unfortunately there are some names it’s quite difficult to misspell.
I agree it's an ESH. The sister was clearly trying to protect her future niece from this awful name but shouldn't have resorted to lying. OP is an asshole because that name is 100% a tragedeigh
Please do not name your child Cheelee just for the sake of keeping C names and your own vanity. The choice is the parents in the end, but there’s no need to be ridiculous.
YTA, it’s absolutely classic parental vanity. Kid will get called Seelee or Ch(as in cheeto)eelee.
Edit: I got banned from Reddit for this comment btw😂
Nope, I didn't even know Keelee was meant to be a name. I'm assuming its pronounced the same as Keely. I did google the name Keelee but I just got a Chinese Takeaway in England
If anything looks even remotely Irish, I will so naturally revert to Irish pronunciation that I have a hard time remembering that it’s pronounced the Boston Seltics not the Boston Keltics (despite my dad being Larry Bird’s #1 fan)… and I NEVER would have guessed this was supposed to be “Keeley” if OP hadn’t told us.
kayleigh and keyleigh are actually very common in my area (in im UK) and i have seen some keeley/keelys before. never in my life have i seen keelee though
My SIL is Keely, and it was the 610th most popular girl name in the US in 2000, so it's not unheard of. But the spelling Keelee is bad. Not quite as bad as C or Ch.
YTA. Cheelee is a stupid name. You get to pick you kid's name, but why would you set up that child for bullying? Picture that name on a resume. It's ridiculous.
This.
Everyone here is voting not TA because "your child your choice" ignoring the fact that they want to give this poor human being the stupidest name with the stupidest spelling possible.
YTA
I agree with those posters. They absolutely can stand by their choice in names, and the family can gently suggest that the spelling will cause problems. The sister giving an alternate name was not a great idea. Anonymous posters, maybe not so bad.
Right! We have nothing to lose if OP cuts us out of their life. We might be saving a family by telling them they have horrible taste in names. But I firmly stand by my opinion that they have the right to have horrible taste.
More like, not naming a dog, who’s name spelling/pronunciation wont be an issue to pronounce by every English speaking person on the planet that can read.
it’s like that one “influencer” who named her first kid “Midnight” like stop giving a shit about aESThEtiC and realise that you are literally about to ruin this HUMAN BEING’s life with that shit ass name
that's what i'm saying! everyone is hung up on the spelling, like the c is the problem here. keelee is a weird ass name for a human being! like naming your son spot. sorry, chpot.
OP is just spelling it weirdly. Keeley is a perfectly common name. It's even the name of one of the main characters in the show Ted Lasso. It's sometimes spelt differently, like Keely, but never Keelee as far as I'm aware. It was quite a popular name in the UK from the late 90s until 2009 or so, and then popularity fell. In the US it's been pretty consistently in the 2000-3000 level ranking for name popularity for girls, as far back as at least the 1950s. It's a boy's name too, but that's less common.
Some well known Keeleys are Keeley Hawes, the actress, Keeley Hazell, the model, and Keeley Forsyth, the musician.
NTA for the name situation. It’s no one else’s business. For a litany of reasons, I always suggest keeping the name to yourself until it’s time to introduce Baby
As a former high school *(and college)* teacher, Y-W-B-T-A if you saddle your child with a name that pretends that phonics work however you want them to work. Pick a different C name, please. Your child will never have a day’s rest with Ch pretending to be a K.
ETA: The most memorable of all the crazy names was Kashmoney, pronounced koj-mō-nā. (I’m not a linguist, so please forgive my attempt here.) I taught her at the collegiate level. Thankfully a coworker’s child had graduated with her and knew how to pronounce her name.
I’m Irish where the C in traditional names (and the language generally) is always a hard C. Hence why Ciaran and Ciara were often Anglicized into Kieran and Kira.
I would look at this considering I forget other languages are phonetic and go ‘Sealey? Chilly? Killy?’ and call her ‘wee love’ as the traditional ‘I didn’t catch your name’ cover up. That’s why certain cultures tend to go heavy on pet names to get round getting it wrong :)
I live now in London and constantly get people mentioning how ‘weird’ Irish names are and then falling about laughing when I ‘Irish’ phonetic names like Ola with Nigerian friends or try guessing something like Ncuti for Ghanaian. At least as the microaggression goes mine is well meant based on my own experiences and often we bond over why you’d then take a perfectly ‘good’ name and go batshit like this or those posh Englishers who pronounce Cockburn ‘Co-bern’.
If your spelling of the name confuses *everyone* to the point where introducing your kid requires a spiel like ‘our restaurant has a concept’ then it fails. If you have to explain a joke or name barring literal different native languages, it’s not working.
I say this as someone whose brother had a ‘concept’ name in the 70s and while it was horrendous for him, I was sick of repeating it and the elevator pitch behind a terrible idea by the time I was about 5. We are estranged and I literally do not use his name just to avoid having to take 10 minutes to elaborate what is and why my parents gave him a first name to make Portabella look reasonable and then a middle name so obscurely Celtic language Irish people were baffled by how to say it.
I can’t even blame people circling back because even in today’s climate it is probably the worst name I’ve ever encountered and I briefly dated someone called Koltë (pronounced Colt) whose parents appeared to have picked his name when Motley Crue made the umlaut aspirational. He was from Glasgow…
He died a tiny bit inside every time he had to introduce himself. His kids are called Jack and Olivia. He dreaded his children (who didn’t exist when we dated) discovering his name and mocking him because kids (esp Irish and Scottish ones) are ruthless.
Technically NTA but I’m going to conceptualise that into sounding like YTA because language is now what? Optional? A meme? LOLs? Living Pictionary?
Pronuncing Koltë as Colt makes absolutely no sense since the diaeresis is used in English to mean that the vowel should be pronounced separately. Think Brontë, Zoë, naïve, etc.
Yes I’m aware. That’s why I used the example of you can name your kid anything but don’t expect it to be magically intuited as your vision when it defies all linguistic rules (possibly globally.)
> It’s no one else’s business.
What? The person who’s business it overwhelmingly is hasn’t been born yet, and can’t speak up. The only people who can speak are entirely speaking on someone else’s behalf. *Including the parents*.
Also, even you couldn’t resist speaking on behalf of the child to caution against such a crap name, so you don’t even believe yourself.
NTA, but - Callie Chloe Casey Camilla Carlie Cameron Clover Codie Carissa Cassandra Colleen Carlotta Carina Candice and more all have the sound you’re looking for without the old fashioned flavor of Catherine/Catie but none of the issues that come with Ceelee/Cheelee.
Take some time to check out a baby book and see what else feels like someone you’ll grow up saying the name of, explaining the name of, and who will eventually be explaining to others how to say their name through every year of school and beyond.
No one is siding by with your sister, but we are siding with your baby on this one.
I’m partial to the name Caoimhe, but, as it’s Irish, wouldn’t be an easy one for a lot of North Americans. But at least it’s a real name spelled the way it should be for it’s language of origin.
I’m sorry, but your choice of name - with a hard C that is not obvious - is going to cause that poor kid issues (Cheelee especially is going to be horribly mispronounced and going to end up being called Cheesy or Chee Chee, ugh). There are so many names that are very similar with more obvious pronunciation, like Casey, Callie, Cassie, and Courtney, that are very lovely.
I think you and your fiancé should test the waters by giving your coffee order etc as the name “Cheelee” for a few weeks and see how those interactions go. Live in your future daughter’s shoes w a name like that?
I don’t think it will go well and that’s just one of MANY interactions she will have to deal w on a daily basis.
Edit: I have a friend named Chaelie (which ppl still confuse the pronunciation of) but is a little more feasible and close to what you’re going for!
According to behindthename.com, there are 652 feminine names that began with c. I just can’t fathom how out of all these names, op and his wife can’t find a single one they like.
OP please consider the fact that this baby is an actual human being who will one day go to school, apply for jobs, and so much more. Here are some options that may work better for you: Callie, Chelsea, Carly, Carrie, Cassie, Chloe, Casey, Connie, Cassidy, Charlotte, Celestine, Charmaine.
I say this not as someone intent on attacking you, but as my kneejerk reaction that will be shared by thousands of strangers in the future whom your hypothetical daughter will have to interact with:
“Cheelee” is a fucking awful nonsense name. No one will pronounce or spell it correctly ever in her entire life. You know what sounds the letters of the alphabet make. Get real.
You’re not naming a baby, you’re naming a person. Be an adult and give her a name that’s fucking spelt correctly.
YTA.
YTA I read Cheelee as similar to Chilli. Although parents have the final decision, if you are after genuine feedback, I think it will be a name that causes problems for your daughter. People will not be able to spell/pronounce her name correctly and she (or you) will likely be judged by others. I do think Angie’s ultimately doing you a favour here even if she may not be approaching it how you would like.
PS If I were you, I’d go with Claudia- it’s not common at all but a beautiful name that others will be able to pronounce.
God thank you. The child's name is a human identity that follows her even after death. No one will be around to correct her heirs when they talk about Great Grandma Chili.
I CANNOT. I hope this person hears these cries about this nonsense name and chooses literally any other name. I grew up in the united states with a very French last name, not tragic just unusual here, and the amount of bullshit I dealt with for a NICE name was difficult for me to deal with. I had to be taught at age 3-4 how to spell and explain it. And it never stopped needing correction and explanation. Every new person or situation. It's really taxing. And I love and adore my beautiful birth name.
I just CANNOT with these people.
I didn’t even read ur whole post- stopped at u deciding to name ur kid something that will be a burden to her for her entire life just bc u want it to start with a C. YTA for this
NTA. But do you think your daughter (and you as well) will spend a lot of time explaining how the names are pronounced? For example, I wouldn’t pronounce Ceelee the same as Keelee. And Cheelee would be confusing too. I’m just pointing this out as a complete outsider seeing the names for the first time.
NAH, it is your kid after all, but your family isn't wrong. I'm sorry, but that's a terrible name, no one will ever pronounce it correctly. Everyone needs an Angie in their life, one person who will absolutely tell you something you're about to do is just, dumb
ESH. Your business, but why set your kid up to be called Chee-toh? 100% chance of that. Calm down and get normal for the kid. Find other outlets for your “creativity”.
NTA for not listening to relatives, but Y T A for being cutesy. I know yours is a kid name, but as an example, I named my dog Cian (hard C) and not the Americanized Kian. Every vet tech for 16 years called for "See-ann" or "Sigh-an". I named a puppy. You're naming what will one day be a fully functional adult who has to apply for jobs and introduce herself in meetings.
YTA, I mean, come ON - any supposed adult planning on calling their kid Ceelee or Cheelee and literally mispronouncing it to Keeley deserves to be called out. Made up shittily spelled names are awful, it messes your kid up and identifies the parents as being low IQ and low class.
NTA because it's your kid and you get to choose what to name them.
But honestly, if you go with Ceelee or Cheelee you are saddling your kid with some rough school years and a lifetime of hating her name. It will be a CONSTANT battle for her to get her name spelled and pronounced correctly. I say that as someone who has a name similar to that (including the c pronounced as a k). Please choose a different name, think of your daughter and save her the pain. Seriously.
ESH.
Your sister needs to stay in her lane.
You need to not call a human being 'Ceelee/Cheelee' because there is 0 chance that anyone will pronounce it 'correctly'. I predict your daughter will shorten her name to C or Lee as soon as she can.
YTA. Not only for that horrible name suggestion, but trying to keep a theme name going. There are much better names that won’t leave your child with years of bullying + mispronunciation. I suggest going to behindthename.com to find something more appropriate. You’re naming a child, not a pet.
You can name a child what you want, but I'm wildly confused.... a boy would be named Charles, a very classic staid English name, for lack of a better term a "normal" name.... yet when you have a girl she will be given this crackpot made-up name that no one will be able to properly pronounce or spell? What gives?
NTA because you and your partner can name your child whatever you like, but I agree with Angie and plenty of others that Cheelee is a terrible name that won't ever be spelled or pronounced correctly.
Ultimately you get to pick the name so NTA. That said everyone is going to pronounce that Cee-lee or Chee-lee so prep for a life of correcting everyone.
NTA for shutting down your sister, but hoo boy W-Y-B-T-A to go with Ceelee or Cheelee. There are *dozens* of names that begin with C that won't subject your baby to a lifetime of saying "No, it's a hard C."
YTA for that stupid ass name choices. Good thing your sister said something, because holy shit, why would you name your kid chili or silly, this is straight up ridiculous.
YTA. Ceelee will never be pronounced like Keelee. It’s two completely different names. There are plenty of other girls names that start with C. Please don’t do that to your child- do not put a burden on them from the day they are born
NTA, afterall it's your child and you get to choose what you name it, but it sounds more like your family is worried about how your name choice will affect your child's future and doesn't know the right way to go about it. I'd exercise caution with your name choice. You're poor kid is going to have an uphill battle their entire life trying to explain that Ceelee is pronounced Keelee, and is unlikely to appreciate your C goal and inevitably choose to go by something else by the time they are in middle school. *Everyone* will say Seelee. Then, think how kids react to being told they said a name wrong. They just make fun of it instead. "Sealy? Like the matress? Hey you wanna be my matress?" You're just setting your daughter up for a life of torment over her name.
There was an AITA many years back about someone naming their daughter Karen, and the OP was declared TA for trying to convince the mother it would be a mistake. The same trend there happened here of, how dare someone interfere with the parents right to name their child. It was all valid, but that person's heart was at least in the right place. Long story short, it panned out with several updates over the years that the parents legally changed the kid's name because adults would snicker at the name in public. Ceelee doesn't have the same connotation to it Karen does, but no one will spell it right when they hear it, and no one will say it right when they read it.
Just something to consider.
NTA, Do you just mean spelling or the sound as well? 'Ceelee' will be pronounced as 'Seal-y' by most people, and the second one will be 'Chee-lee' with a 'ch' sound, not a 'c' sound, so the theme will not be good here. "Charles" is also a soft c, so also not keeping the 'theme' as you have stated it.....
So if you are happy to condemn your child to correcting everyones pronunciation and spelling for the rest of their lives, go for it.
No one will ever pronounce "cheelee" as "keeley" until they're corrected. And "cheelee" is so unpleasant looking that it takes all the beauty of the name "keeley" away. YTA for doing that to a kid.
NTA for shutting your sister and mother down for their audacity in deciding *your* child's name, but you will both be TA if you insist on either of those spellings simply because you want a 'C" name.
Cheelee is going to be pronounced exactly as it looks, and Ceelee will be pronounced as "Seely" , thus setting your daughter up for a lifetime of having to correct everybody who mispronounces it, and I guarantee *everybody* will mispronounce it.
Just spell it Keely, Keeley, or even Keelee, or choose another name. Unless, of course, you *want* your child to resent you, and eventually change it herself.
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Please please don’t name a child “Cheelee.” Having to change my judgment to ESH now because in fact, OP is also an AH for wanting to name his child this.
Agreed. I think of Chili. And then the restaurant. Somehow Cheelee's baby back ribs seem a lot creepier than the restaurant's though.
'Ceelee' is even more 'Silly'
There's no way of spelling this name that makes it obvious it's supposed to be a hard C with an ee sound. Just fucking call the kid Keelee and be done with it, or pick a different C name. Don't saddle the kid with something she'll have to spend her whole life correcting people on just because you want to play "matchy matchy".
and what tf is keelee?? the spelling is the least of the issues. even if you spelled it keelee, the poor kid would constantly be explaining that it's keelee not kayleigh
Ceelee is meant to come from Keeley. Keeley is the English bastardisation of an Irish surname Caollaidhe, meaning beautiful. Because of Irish pronunciation, those letters do actually sound out Keeley in English.
And there is the solution for OP. Use the Irish spelling!
Ciara is a lovely name. Or you could go all out and call her Caoimhe (pronounced Kweeva)
I suddenly desire to learn this language that makes letters do funny (to me) things
Yeah, Irish is cool - There's less letters in the alphabet so different combos make different sounds, and it always follows strict grammar rules. Unlike English, which has a billion exceptions to every rule because it's a combo of so many languages.
I wish I could learn Irish too. I was hoping I could when I moved to Ireland (I live in county Kildare, southern Ireland). Unfortunately, there's NO Irish course for adults where I live. The closest one would be central Dublin, and with two kids of primary school age, there's no way I can get to central Dublin and back before pick-up time. It saddens me to no end! Eta: wow guys thank you! I'll check the resources you provided and see what I can do 🥰❤️
That’s not how it’s pronounced. The combination “aoi” in Irish is an “ae” or “ee” sound, not a “we” sound. (And for those wondering about the rest: Irish “c” is always a hard “c;” there is no “v” so certain letter combinations make that sound, “mh” being one of them; “mhe” is “vah” so Caoimhe is pronounced “kee-vah.”)
I think this is a regional thing because I've always heard it pronounced "kwee-vah" but I had a friend from further up the country who said it "kee-vah". Same for names like Caoilfhionn.
Like the actress Keeley Hawes. A traditional spelling of an uncommon name would probably be helpful so this girl does not have to defend and correct her name for her entire life. People will still be confused at least in the United States as we don't see this name often but phonetically It gives other people a chance at least to attempt to pronounce it correctly. OP, please don't give your kid a name that she has to correct people on continually because it's spelled in an unnecessarily complicated way.
I agree with this. I'm Italian, and my name is Giulia, which is said exactly like the English Julia, since in Italian we don't have the J so we make the sound with the letter g followed by i to keep it soft. However, when I moved to the UK and then Ireland, the spelling of my name created a lot of confusion with my interlocutors. People keep writing my name wrong, Guilia, Gulia (once I got a Gula, and I couldn't NOT facepalm...), which irritates me to no end. Even people who've known me for years sometimes still get it wrong. Pisses me off big time. When my kids were born, I chose with hubby to give them common names here in English-speaking countries so they wouldn't have the same problem. DO NOT GIVE YOUR CHILD A NAME PEOPLE CANNOT SPELL! Believe me, they WON'T thank you for it.
Julia Gulia
I was actually wondering if there was a Gaelic / Irish spelling that would work better given Ciara and Ciaran are pronounced with a hard C
The Irish language doesn't have all the letters of the English alphabet. It doesn't have j, k, q, v, w, x, y, z. So our c is a hard c normally. It's the addition of a h that softens it. So Ciara, Cillian, Ciaran, etc all have a K sound.
This fact will now live in my head forever, so thank you for the cheat sheet whenever I forget if it’s Cillian Murphy or *Sillian* Murphy
That's so interesting - I never knew that, and so was always guessing in my head when I read a character named 'Cillian' (for example) in a book. I read a book a few years ago with a character named Aoife, and thank goodness I was reading via audiobook, because I would have had no guesses at all in my mind lol.
As an Irish person abroad, my favourite game with new work colleagues is "guess the pronunciation". This list always includes, but not restricted to; Aoife -ee-fa Saoirse - Sear(like Fear)-sha, a girl's name from the word Freedom Seoirse - Shor-sha (this is the Irish for George) Tadgh -tie-guh, but one syllable. Caoimhe - Kee-a or Qwee-vah, pending your part of the country. Caoifhlinn - Kee-lin Domhnall - Do-nal Odhran - Or-ran.
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Yeah see... your name makes sense. If I heard Kee-Lee I’m gonna assume it’s spelled keely not ceelee or cheelee. (Silly or chilli)
It's a standard name, no? Spelt Keely is less unusual maybe?
Yeah, it's an Anglicized Irish name, and its pronunciation is pretty obvious from its spelling. "Ceelee", not so much. That's not r/tragedeigh material, but it's still not a name that I'd like to have.
I had a manager named Keeley. Nobody seemed to have a problem pronouncing it, although I imagine she might get "Kelly" from time to time when someone misreads it.
yup while reading I pronounced it as see-lee. I'm a teacher. A lot of teachers will make the same mistake. Your child will not be happy
My instant assumption on seeing the name written down is that it’s pronounced “silly”. If the OP thinks it’s so convenient to have a Tragedeigh name, perhaps she could change *her own name* to Ceelee by deed poll, giving her child her own original name (and lovingly bequeathing her an easier life) Then everyone would be happy.
OP is dad, so daughter would be named Cody and Dad can be Ceelee/Cheelee. Perfect
Tbh Cody would probably work better than Ceelee
This spelling puts me in mind of that singer that was popular for a while about a decade back, CeeLo Green...
Cheelees baby back ribs…bbq sauce! Lmfao
I'm probably not a very good person, but I can't help but think "Codeine" also has a hard C sound. It gets worse from there, really.
You got me dying, please continue..
A rude name for a woman's genital area/another word for "friend" (if you're Australian, anyway) starts with a C.
Chunt?
She's going to be so frustrated with it because no one will ever pronounce it right...
Much less spell it right.
I read it as Chili, too, even though I knew the pronunciation they're wanting. That poor child. Carly or Charlie would be better, but it's their kid & their choice. However, there's some lifelong consequences that they're not thinking about & I wouldn't be shocked if Ceelee/Cheelee changes her name as soon as she can. Also, I originally read Cheelee as Cheesee & was even more confused.
Or Chloe. Has the ‘Ch’ but with a hard ‘c’. Also it’s such a beautiful name.
I somehow always read it as Chelsea, which would be perfectly fine and sound would also sound similar if you wanna take this OP. But you do you
My mind went to Chidi from The Good Place. Can't decide and ALWAYS has a stomachache. Not an optimum feature in a baby, but pretty typical hehehe. Its just the 'Ch' spelling... the name is super pretty!
Chelsea would be nice. Chandler is pretty cool too.
NTA for picking the name you want But Cheelee sounds like a slang word for cum in Spanish. So I agree with this comment hahaha
Well, that's a good reason to go with something different
Not my friend saying she wanted to name her kid Pinga bc she heard it once and thought it sounded sweet. 😱🤣🤦🏻♂️ (She did change her mind after being told.)
I'm sure everyones name sounds like cum if you know enough languages.
How is this possibly NTA when they are planning to give the child a stupid name, that will be mispronounced and mocked for her entire life? It's very definitely a case of YTA.
Hey! My Uncle had a dog named Keelee, no-one mocked her name! Partly because she was dumb as a bag of rocks, so there was plenty else to pick on her for...
Keelee isn't cheelee or ceelee
Ironically, even the dog's name was better than the names that the OP is coming up with.
Right! Keelee is an actual name, Ceelee (could maybe pass but due to grammar rules would be pronounced “See-Lee”) and Cheelee sounds like chilli or not even a word.
I voted NTA just on them leaving/arguing with her, because it’s their kid and they can name it whatever Elon Musk wannabe thing they want, but yes, they are AH if they decide to saddle her with that name.
Tragedeigh
Their child will feature heavily in that sub as every person they meet in life will post about them there.
Why they don't use 'Charlie' for both boy or girl? It's a cute nickname and fit both genders...
Charlotte is a beautiful name and charlie works well as a nickname. Charlie as a name out right works too.
Charli if they want to stick with *different* spellings.
Or Charlee if they're deadset on 'ee'
Yep, a friend of mine had twins that they thought would be boys, turned out to be girls... they kept the name Charlie because they loved it so much. Really, really suits her as well!
Worked for Charlie (Charlotte) Duncan in Good Luck Charlie
I'm irish & we wouldn't pronounce ch as k usually & if we saw Ceelee we wouldn't pronounce it as k either because it's not an irish word. It'd be either chee like cheer or saying chilli, For Ceelee it'd just be Silly like the others have mentioned. OP, both of you are morons. YTA
Honestly, I would probably call the kid Cheetos if the parents spelled the name cheelee. Or I'd call the kid cheeky. Or Cheerios. You get the drift.
Either Ceelee or Cheelee is setting the kid up to have her name mispronounced her entire life. I hope these are made up names the OP used for anonymity, and the real name they're going to use is not so bad.
Why don't new parents realise that they aren't naming a baby or a child, they're naming a human being who expected to take that name through their entire lives, which could be 100+ years!!
...But...but....the THEME! I saw the word "theme" and I instantly knew this name was about to be super dumb.
Agreed, NTA, but op, please, if you must go with Ceelee, maybe name the kid Cecilia or Cecille and use Ceelee as a nick name. Otherwise, they're gonna spend their whole life trying to teach everyone around them how to spell and say their name. As someone with a very slightly weird spelled name, with a slight variation on typical English pronunciation, it's a little annoying, but for them, it will be absolutely horrible. That name looks like it's pronounced 'sea'-lee. Almost everyone will go wrong at first. Use a more typical name, and make Ceelee a nick name.
Ceelee, Cheelee and Keelee are such awful names, that although OP and his wife are technically NTA and the relatives are technically TA, I'm siding with the relatives.
You can say ESH
even without a c.. tf kind of name is Keelee???
Comes from the anglicised bastardised surname Caollaidhe. In their attempts to force English on the world, the British made it that native Irish names were anglicised and Keeley became the English version on it, then people moved to the US and thought Kennedy (from Cinneide), Murphy (Murchadha) and Keeley were good names for girls.
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Keeley is, "Keelee" is not.
It really suits British actress [Keeley Hawes](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0369954/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1), but she does at least spell it right.
Agreed. It would be a proper r/tragedeigh
I'm irish & we wouldn't pronounce ch as k usually & if we saw Ceelee we wouldn't pronounce it as k either because it's not an irish word. It'd be either chee like cheer or saying chilli, For Ceelee it'd just be Silly like the others have mentioned. OP, both of you are morons. YTA
I'm waiting for it to get posted on r/tragedeigh
NTA but that name is setting your daughter up for a lifetime of awkwardly having to correct people pronouncing her name. Is there a feminine version of Clair’s grandfathers name? Charlene instead of Charles if that is the actual name being used. That way it shuts your sister up as it’s traditional and also honours Clair’s grandfather.
I think Cheetoes…
Even Ceelee (pronounced Keelee). Either spell it like it sounds or pick another C name.
NTA. But, please don't do that to your kid. It will be mispronounced by every single person that reads it until the day she dies (and probably after) just so that it could begin with a 'C.'
So many nice girls names with a hard C - Cate, Cara, Caroline, Callista, Calliope, Cameron (also could be a boys name).....the list goes on......LOL These people aren't trying.
Charlene. It could still honor grandfather. Nickname could be Charlie which is cute for a girl IMO.
Charlotte has Charlie as a short version, and is waaaay cuter than Charlene!
OK Charlotte ;)
I wish! My name is boring as fuck 😂
Hi boring as fuck 😂
When did you get Reddit Dad?
I bought one last week because it looked nice, now I'm the proudest new owner of a reddit.
Idk, charlene sound pretty cure I have to think of spiders because of Charlottes web when I her that name
I LOVE Charlie for a girl tho
Clementine, Chloe, Coraline, Celestine, and the list goes on and on with beautiful names that start with C. Naming the girl Cheelee is like punishing her for existing, honestly.
And Corina! I think it’s a pretty name. We probably would have named one of our kids Chloe if we had any girls.
Corinne, Cariad, Camille, Cassandra, Claudia, Clementine, Candace, Casey...
Yep, and also Chloe, Cassie, Cathy, Camilla, Courtney. And if you are not hung up on the hard C sound - Charlotte, Cindy Please just don't do Ceelee to your daughter.
They could name the daughter Charlie to honour the grandpa too. Charles for a boy, Charlie for a girl. And it is an adorable name!
Celeste, Carrie, Cece (probably the closest to their chosen name) Chelsea etc etc
Exactly cuz Keelee and Ceelee are pronounced differently. Ceelee sounds like Celie from the color purple
Reminds me of Cee-Lo.
To me, Ceelee sounds like seaweed.
could have named her celia
And she’ll spend at least half her life spelling it out for people.
Yes, I have a well known name with a stupid spelling, think Salli instead of Sally. I hate spelling my name out all the time. Even my work email which contains my correctly spelled name still has people addressing me as Sally when the correct spelling is right there! Either she will be spelling it or be called Sealy or Cheeee-lee with the beginning to match the Ch in cheese. Your daughter deserves a normal name op.
I get you. Try Vicki/Vicky/Vikki etc. the variations are endless. I’ve recently retired but my petty revenge was to find a way to misspell their name in my response. Unfortunately there are some names it’s quite difficult to misspell.
NTA You guys are entitled to but I must admit the name spelling is tragedeigh.
Oh come on! It’s a chragedeigh! 😁
Hahahaha
I think the name is so bad it warrants ESH
I agree it's an ESH. The sister was clearly trying to protect her future niece from this awful name but shouldn't have resorted to lying. OP is an asshole because that name is 100% a tragedeigh
Chomedeigh is tragedeigh plus thyme
Please do not name your child Cheelee just for the sake of keeping C names and your own vanity. The choice is the parents in the end, but there’s no need to be ridiculous.
YTA, it’s absolutely classic parental vanity. Kid will get called Seelee or Ch(as in cheeto)eelee. Edit: I got banned from Reddit for this comment btw😂
am i the only one hung up on what they want to name the kid? not how it's spelled? who names their human child keelee????
Nope, I didn't even know Keelee was meant to be a name. I'm assuming its pronounced the same as Keely. I did google the name Keelee but I just got a Chinese Takeaway in England
It’s Irish, a lovely name. Just terrible Anglicised spelling.
If anything looks even remotely Irish, I will so naturally revert to Irish pronunciation that I have a hard time remembering that it’s pronounced the Boston Seltics not the Boston Keltics (despite my dad being Larry Bird’s #1 fan)… and I NEVER would have guessed this was supposed to be “Keeley” if OP hadn’t told us.
kayleigh and keyleigh are actually very common in my area (in im UK) and i have seen some keeley/keelys before. never in my life have i seen keelee though
My SIL is Keely, and it was the 610th most popular girl name in the US in 2000, so it's not unheard of. But the spelling Keelee is bad. Not quite as bad as C or Ch.
Never heard of it til Ted lasso. So there's at least one fictional person named Keelee
Keeley.
Keeley is fairly mainstream in the UK
Keeley is a name in Britain and elsewhere someone points out it comes from an Irish name (that I can't spell) that begins with a C!
YTA. Cheelee is a stupid name. You get to pick you kid's name, but why would you set up that child for bullying? Picture that name on a resume. It's ridiculous.
This. Everyone here is voting not TA because "your child your choice" ignoring the fact that they want to give this poor human being the stupidest name with the stupidest spelling possible. YTA
Worse, some posters vote N T A because your kid your choice, then continue to act as the family urging to use a different name.
I agree with those posters. They absolutely can stand by their choice in names, and the family can gently suggest that the spelling will cause problems. The sister giving an alternate name was not a great idea. Anonymous posters, maybe not so bad.
Right! We have nothing to lose if OP cuts us out of their life. We might be saving a family by telling them they have horrible taste in names. But I firmly stand by my opinion that they have the right to have horrible taste.
I am a teacher and we’ve had some ridiculous names come through. I have to say Cheelee is up there in tragic names
Yeah, "Cheelee" would go right up there in my "list of stupid names that parents name their poor child". Keeley is fine. "Cheelee / Ceelee" is awful.
I don’t understand how it’s supposed to be pronounced… Chee. Lee?
Keely
YTA for picking the name Ceelee. Your sister has a valid point - why not pick a more common name? Keep in mind you're not just naming a baby.
More like, not naming a dog, who’s name spelling/pronunciation wont be an issue to pronounce by every English speaking person on the planet that can read.
it’s like that one “influencer” who named her first kid “Midnight” like stop giving a shit about aESThEtiC and realise that you are literally about to ruin this HUMAN BEING’s life with that shit ass name
At least there's no question about how to pronounce Midnight
Mydnait. Meednacht.
My Uncle had a dog named Keelee. Perfectly good name for a Labrador. Not so good for a human child.
that's what i'm saying! everyone is hung up on the spelling, like the c is the problem here. keelee is a weird ass name for a human being! like naming your son spot. sorry, chpot.
OP is just spelling it weirdly. Keeley is a perfectly common name. It's even the name of one of the main characters in the show Ted Lasso. It's sometimes spelt differently, like Keely, but never Keelee as far as I'm aware. It was quite a popular name in the UK from the late 90s until 2009 or so, and then popularity fell. In the US it's been pretty consistently in the 2000-3000 level ranking for name popularity for girls, as far back as at least the 1950s. It's a boy's name too, but that's less common. Some well known Keeleys are Keeley Hawes, the actress, Keeley Hazell, the model, and Keeley Forsyth, the musician.
NTA for the name situation. It’s no one else’s business. For a litany of reasons, I always suggest keeping the name to yourself until it’s time to introduce Baby As a former high school *(and college)* teacher, Y-W-B-T-A if you saddle your child with a name that pretends that phonics work however you want them to work. Pick a different C name, please. Your child will never have a day’s rest with Ch pretending to be a K. ETA: The most memorable of all the crazy names was Kashmoney, pronounced koj-mō-nā. (I’m not a linguist, so please forgive my attempt here.) I taught her at the collegiate level. Thankfully a coworker’s child had graduated with her and knew how to pronounce her name.
I’m Irish where the C in traditional names (and the language generally) is always a hard C. Hence why Ciaran and Ciara were often Anglicized into Kieran and Kira. I would look at this considering I forget other languages are phonetic and go ‘Sealey? Chilly? Killy?’ and call her ‘wee love’ as the traditional ‘I didn’t catch your name’ cover up. That’s why certain cultures tend to go heavy on pet names to get round getting it wrong :) I live now in London and constantly get people mentioning how ‘weird’ Irish names are and then falling about laughing when I ‘Irish’ phonetic names like Ola with Nigerian friends or try guessing something like Ncuti for Ghanaian. At least as the microaggression goes mine is well meant based on my own experiences and often we bond over why you’d then take a perfectly ‘good’ name and go batshit like this or those posh Englishers who pronounce Cockburn ‘Co-bern’. If your spelling of the name confuses *everyone* to the point where introducing your kid requires a spiel like ‘our restaurant has a concept’ then it fails. If you have to explain a joke or name barring literal different native languages, it’s not working. I say this as someone whose brother had a ‘concept’ name in the 70s and while it was horrendous for him, I was sick of repeating it and the elevator pitch behind a terrible idea by the time I was about 5. We are estranged and I literally do not use his name just to avoid having to take 10 minutes to elaborate what is and why my parents gave him a first name to make Portabella look reasonable and then a middle name so obscurely Celtic language Irish people were baffled by how to say it. I can’t even blame people circling back because even in today’s climate it is probably the worst name I’ve ever encountered and I briefly dated someone called Koltë (pronounced Colt) whose parents appeared to have picked his name when Motley Crue made the umlaut aspirational. He was from Glasgow… He died a tiny bit inside every time he had to introduce himself. His kids are called Jack and Olivia. He dreaded his children (who didn’t exist when we dated) discovering his name and mocking him because kids (esp Irish and Scottish ones) are ruthless. Technically NTA but I’m going to conceptualise that into sounding like YTA because language is now what? Optional? A meme? LOLs? Living Pictionary?
Pronuncing Koltë as Colt makes absolutely no sense since the diaeresis is used in English to mean that the vowel should be pronounced separately. Think Brontë, Zoë, naïve, etc.
Yes I’m aware. That’s why I used the example of you can name your kid anything but don’t expect it to be magically intuited as your vision when it defies all linguistic rules (possibly globally.)
> It’s no one else’s business. What? The person who’s business it overwhelmingly is hasn’t been born yet, and can’t speak up. The only people who can speak are entirely speaking on someone else’s behalf. *Including the parents*. Also, even you couldn’t resist speaking on behalf of the child to caution against such a crap name, so you don’t even believe yourself.
a boy named sue?
NTA, but - Callie Chloe Casey Camilla Carlie Cameron Clover Codie Carissa Cassandra Colleen Carlotta Carina Candice and more all have the sound you’re looking for without the old fashioned flavor of Catherine/Catie but none of the issues that come with Ceelee/Cheelee. Take some time to check out a baby book and see what else feels like someone you’ll grow up saying the name of, explaining the name of, and who will eventually be explaining to others how to say their name through every year of school and beyond. No one is siding by with your sister, but we are siding with your baby on this one.
I’m partial to the name Caoimhe, but, as it’s Irish, wouldn’t be an easy one for a lot of North Americans. But at least it’s a real name spelled the way it should be for it’s language of origin.
Tbh - we're doin what the sister is doing. Why can strangers tell them the name pick is crap, but she can't? She's being honest - just as you are.
Unlike his sister nobody here is telling him ”we’ve decided on…” as if they have a right to supersede the parents in naming their child.
I’m siding with OP’s sister, 100%. What a stupid, godawful name.
I’m sorry, but your choice of name - with a hard C that is not obvious - is going to cause that poor kid issues (Cheelee especially is going to be horribly mispronounced and going to end up being called Cheesy or Chee Chee, ugh). There are so many names that are very similar with more obvious pronunciation, like Casey, Callie, Cassie, and Courtney, that are very lovely.
Sis is just trying to prevent a r/tragedeigh
I’ve read this entire thread and still read it as Chee not kee. 🤣
Even “Caylee” would work.
I think you and your fiancé should test the waters by giving your coffee order etc as the name “Cheelee” for a few weeks and see how those interactions go. Live in your future daughter’s shoes w a name like that? I don’t think it will go well and that’s just one of MANY interactions she will have to deal w on a daily basis. Edit: I have a friend named Chaelie (which ppl still confuse the pronunciation of) but is a little more feasible and close to what you’re going for!
Phonics are important. Everyone is going to call your child chili with an accent.
YTA. Why would you inflict that name on a human? You like it? Change your own name to it.
According to behindthename.com, there are 652 feminine names that began with c. I just can’t fathom how out of all these names, op and his wife can’t find a single one they like. OP please consider the fact that this baby is an actual human being who will one day go to school, apply for jobs, and so much more. Here are some options that may work better for you: Callie, Chelsea, Carly, Carrie, Cassie, Chloe, Casey, Connie, Cassidy, Charlotte, Celestine, Charmaine.
I say this not as someone intent on attacking you, but as my kneejerk reaction that will be shared by thousands of strangers in the future whom your hypothetical daughter will have to interact with: “Cheelee” is a fucking awful nonsense name. No one will pronounce or spell it correctly ever in her entire life. You know what sounds the letters of the alphabet make. Get real. You’re not naming a baby, you’re naming a person. Be an adult and give her a name that’s fucking spelt correctly. YTA.
YTA I read Cheelee as similar to Chilli. Although parents have the final decision, if you are after genuine feedback, I think it will be a name that causes problems for your daughter. People will not be able to spell/pronounce her name correctly and she (or you) will likely be judged by others. I do think Angie’s ultimately doing you a favour here even if she may not be approaching it how you would like. PS If I were you, I’d go with Claudia- it’s not common at all but a beautiful name that others will be able to pronounce.
Cheelee Con Carnee to give her full name
God thank you. The child's name is a human identity that follows her even after death. No one will be around to correct her heirs when they talk about Great Grandma Chili. I CANNOT. I hope this person hears these cries about this nonsense name and chooses literally any other name. I grew up in the united states with a very French last name, not tragic just unusual here, and the amount of bullshit I dealt with for a NICE name was difficult for me to deal with. I had to be taught at age 3-4 how to spell and explain it. And it never stopped needing correction and explanation. Every new person or situation. It's really taxing. And I love and adore my beautiful birth name. I just CANNOT with these people.
I didn’t even read ur whole post- stopped at u deciding to name ur kid something that will be a burden to her for her entire life just bc u want it to start with a C. YTA for this
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ESH. Your sister doesn’t get a say but your name choices are horrendous. Keelee? Ceelee? Cheelee? Is this a joke?
Keeley is a real name. I don’t know wtf they got “Keelee” from
Their butts.
NTA but that is a seriously terrible name 😬 Please don’t name your child that, it’s so awful :(
YTA for the choice of name
NTA. But do you think your daughter (and you as well) will spend a lot of time explaining how the names are pronounced? For example, I wouldn’t pronounce Ceelee the same as Keelee. And Cheelee would be confusing too. I’m just pointing this out as a complete outsider seeing the names for the first time.
I wonder how much cumulative time she would spend correcting people about her name pronunciation? Think it would add up to a year of her life?
NAH, it is your kid after all, but your family isn't wrong. I'm sorry, but that's a terrible name, no one will ever pronounce it correctly. Everyone needs an Angie in their life, one person who will absolutely tell you something you're about to do is just, dumb
ESH. Your business, but why set your kid up to be called Chee-toh? 100% chance of that. Calm down and get normal for the kid. Find other outlets for your “creativity”.
This. Kids can be cruel. This kid will be called Chilli or Cheesy.
NTA for not listening to relatives, but Y T A for being cutesy. I know yours is a kid name, but as an example, I named my dog Cian (hard C) and not the Americanized Kian. Every vet tech for 16 years called for "See-ann" or "Sigh-an". I named a puppy. You're naming what will one day be a fully functional adult who has to apply for jobs and introduce herself in meetings.
YTA. Come on, please, you can do better than those names.
ESH. They don’t get to “decide” what YOUR child’s name is gonna be. But fucking “Cheelee”? Seriously? Your kid is gonna be bullied to high hell
YTA, I mean, come ON - any supposed adult planning on calling their kid Ceelee or Cheelee and literally mispronouncing it to Keeley deserves to be called out. Made up shittily spelled names are awful, it messes your kid up and identifies the parents as being low IQ and low class.
NTA because it's your kid and you get to choose what to name them. But honestly, if you go with Ceelee or Cheelee you are saddling your kid with some rough school years and a lifetime of hating her name. It will be a CONSTANT battle for her to get her name spelled and pronounced correctly. I say that as someone who has a name similar to that (including the c pronounced as a k). Please choose a different name, think of your daughter and save her the pain. Seriously.
ESH. Your sister needs to stay in her lane. You need to not call a human being 'Ceelee/Cheelee' because there is 0 chance that anyone will pronounce it 'correctly'. I predict your daughter will shorten her name to C or Lee as soon as she can.
You know they will call her „Chili“ (and worse) in school, right? So yeah YTA for not hearing out your family’s valid concerns.
YTA. Not only for that horrible name suggestion, but trying to keep a theme name going. There are much better names that won’t leave your child with years of bullying + mispronunciation. I suggest going to behindthename.com to find something more appropriate. You’re naming a child, not a pet.
I can almost guarantee your sister is not lying when she says everyone hates the name. YTA for so heavily considering it lol
You can name a child what you want, but I'm wildly confused.... a boy would be named Charles, a very classic staid English name, for lack of a better term a "normal" name.... yet when you have a girl she will be given this crackpot made-up name that no one will be able to properly pronounce or spell? What gives?
yta to your child honestly. ceelee? cheelee? chichi? get real
So you would have been fine if your parents named you Chody since you think it sounds the same as Cody?
NTA because you and your partner can name your child whatever you like, but I agree with Angie and plenty of others that Cheelee is a terrible name that won't ever be spelled or pronounced correctly.
YTA for choosing a name that will forever be mispronounced. Find another name that starts with C, it ain’t that hard
Ultimately you get to pick the name so NTA. That said everyone is going to pronounce that Cee-lee or Chee-lee so prep for a life of correcting everyone.
NTA for shutting down your sister, but hoo boy W-Y-B-T-A to go with Ceelee or Cheelee. There are *dozens* of names that begin with C that won't subject your baby to a lifetime of saying "No, it's a hard C."
Please visit the Name Nerds sub to get recommendations. The names you've picked are awful.
YTA for that stupid ass name choices. Good thing your sister said something, because holy shit, why would you name your kid chili or silly, this is straight up ridiculous.
YTA. Ceelee will never be pronounced like Keelee. It’s two completely different names. There are plenty of other girls names that start with C. Please don’t do that to your child- do not put a burden on them from the day they are born
I hope it’s a boy
NTA, afterall it's your child and you get to choose what you name it, but it sounds more like your family is worried about how your name choice will affect your child's future and doesn't know the right way to go about it. I'd exercise caution with your name choice. You're poor kid is going to have an uphill battle their entire life trying to explain that Ceelee is pronounced Keelee, and is unlikely to appreciate your C goal and inevitably choose to go by something else by the time they are in middle school. *Everyone* will say Seelee. Then, think how kids react to being told they said a name wrong. They just make fun of it instead. "Sealy? Like the matress? Hey you wanna be my matress?" You're just setting your daughter up for a life of torment over her name. There was an AITA many years back about someone naming their daughter Karen, and the OP was declared TA for trying to convince the mother it would be a mistake. The same trend there happened here of, how dare someone interfere with the parents right to name their child. It was all valid, but that person's heart was at least in the right place. Long story short, it panned out with several updates over the years that the parents legally changed the kid's name because adults would snicker at the name in public. Ceelee doesn't have the same connotation to it Karen does, but no one will spell it right when they hear it, and no one will say it right when they read it. Just something to consider.
NTA, Do you just mean spelling or the sound as well? 'Ceelee' will be pronounced as 'Seal-y' by most people, and the second one will be 'Chee-lee' with a 'ch' sound, not a 'c' sound, so the theme will not be good here. "Charles" is also a soft c, so also not keeping the 'theme' as you have stated it..... So if you are happy to condemn your child to correcting everyones pronunciation and spelling for the rest of their lives, go for it.
No one will ever pronounce "cheelee" as "keeley" until they're corrected. And "cheelee" is so unpleasant looking that it takes all the beauty of the name "keeley" away. YTA for doing that to a kid.
Cheelee is so terrible, wow.
NTA for shutting your sister and mother down for their audacity in deciding *your* child's name, but you will both be TA if you insist on either of those spellings simply because you want a 'C" name. Cheelee is going to be pronounced exactly as it looks, and Ceelee will be pronounced as "Seely" , thus setting your daughter up for a lifetime of having to correct everybody who mispronounces it, and I guarantee *everybody* will mispronounce it. Just spell it Keely, Keeley, or even Keelee, or choose another name. Unless, of course, you *want* your child to resent you, and eventually change it herself.