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[Opinions] Kali and Cassia
1. My cousin is pregnant and has told me she wants to name her daughter Kali (or Callie or Kally they haven't decided on a spelling). BUT she said it's going to be short for California! So the baby's name will be California Leanne. Eek! Do you hate California as much as I do? What is the best spelling of KAH-lee so it doesn't look like KAY-lee or CALL-ee?2. I love the sound of the name Cassia (which is CASH-ah, like Cassius) but everyone will say it like cass-ee-ah. Do you think I should spell it more phonetically, like Kasha?
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1. Yes, California is horrid for a person's name. Callie would be perfectly fine on its own, and I'd really take any spelling of it over California. :-/ BTW, Kali looks like KAH-lee to me (and the association is not a nice one - click the link) but she'd probably get KAY-lee a lot. Callie is the safest and most appealing, imo. 2. I see Cassia like Marcia--she'll have to correct people, and even moreso because Cassia is much less common than Marcia, but if you like it, go for it. I don't care much for the "cash" sound in Cassia, but it's not a bad name by any means, and I definitely prefer the Cassia spelling over any other kre8tyv or more fonettik one. ;)
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I would go with Cali or Callie. I'm just going to pretend that her name isn't really going to be California :)Cali is a cute nn, but there are so many other Cal- names that it could be short for.Cassia is one of my favorite names and I pronounce it Kah-sha or Cash-ah. I only like this spelling. Or maybe even Kassia. Kasha doesn't look right to me. I agree with the person who mentioned that if people don't pronounce her name right, it will only take 1 correction to remember it. Even if they do mispronouce it, at least it doesn't sound bad when they do.
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I don't like California as a name, but I think the best spellings for the nn would be Cali or Callie (which I prefer to the others because it looks more legit). I know a girl whose name is Kali and she pronounces it KAY-lee. I also think Calla would be a cute nn for California if they're really set on using that as the fn.I think that most prn things like that, once everyone knows the child & how to prn their name, they won't make the mistake anymore. Sure, maybe she'd have to correct people the first time, but to me, that's better than watering down the name & making it seem trendy by changing the spelling to Kasha. Cassia is so much more sophisticated & respectable than Kasha.

This message was edited 7/19/2007, 9:37 AM

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I nanny a little girl named Kalli. I love it! I call her California as a nn, but not for a full name! Ick!
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I don't like California as a name. But if she is going with that name. The best nn spelling would be Calli. Not Kali. There isn't even a K in California. I just find it odd sorry.I like the name Cassia also but I do pronounce it cass-EE-ah. Casha or Kasha does look more like your pronuniciation in my opinion. I would go with Casha.
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1. California... at least sounds pretty and feminine. It's yet another tryndee place name, but at least it has that. And California flows well with Leanne as a middle name. It has that too. Yep.Do not let her name the baby Kali, though: that's the usual English name of a fearsome, dark, and violent Hindu goddess of annihilation (although she has other, more positive aspects too): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C4%81l%C4%AB. Encourage the spellings Callie or Cally. In fact, I would recommend staying away from all K spellings of the nickname, unless your cousin wants to go full tryndee and misspell the kid's name as Kalifornia.How about suggesting Calla, Calanthe, Calista / Callista, Callisto, Calixta, Calliope, or even Calypso? All at least real names for people, rather than places.2. I say Cassia KAS-ee-a (and, by the same token, Cassius KAS-ee-us), and I suspect a lot of other people do too. But I wouldn't recommend tinkering with the spelling to clarify your preferred pronunciation, as a misspelled name just adds confusion and hardship to a kid's life imo. In particular, don't use Kasha, which would be like naming your kid Oatmeal, Grits, or Cream Of Wheat: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasha.
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California... hmm, I don't really like it. You could try to convince them to use the nn as a full name or do Calista? Callie or Cali would be nice. Then Kallie. Kali looks strange, and Kally doesn't look like it would be pro. KAL-ee, more like KAY-lee.Cassia is pro. CASH-ah? Trufthfully, I didn't know that. Probably a lot of people will get it wrong, but I don't think you should change it, Cassia looks nice, and Kasha isn't appealing imo. You just have to tell people how to pro. it the first time and it shouldn't be a problem.
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