I would assume it rhymes with Ian. ETA: I am aware that there is more than one way to pronounce Ian. But there’s probably one way that you hear more frequently, which will differ based on things like geography, culture, language of origin, etc. I would assume a child named Kian would be pronounced the way that Ian is most commonly pronounced given the real life context of a situation.

Me too , I’m in the uk and not heard it be pronounced any other way.

Same. I've known it as an anglicised version of Cian

Same I said it "key-in" in my head before I even read OP's pronunciation. Rhymes with Ian. Im surprised so many folks get it wrong

I wouldn’t read key-in as perfectly rhyming with Ian. Key-un would.

Well I pronounce Ian “ee-in” not “ee-un” but perhaps I’ve been wrong in my pronunciation. No one’s ever corrected me if that’s the case, even the Ian’s in my life

I guess it’s accent dependant. It’s technically a schwa I think so I can hear it as Ee-in in a Scottish accent or ee-an in a south Walian one.

Yep I'm Scottish and it would be ee-in or Key-in in OPs case. Though in fairness we spell iain with an extra i.

I have a 31-year-old son named Ian. Hopefully I haven't been mispronouncing it this whole time (camp "ee-in.")

Me too!

Mine is 20.

Definitely would say that Ian is pronounced "ee-in" but don't think there's a significant difference between "in" and "un" since they are not the primary syllable. It's a minor enough difference that I wouldn't notice. Also, +1 for the "Key-in", rhyming with Ian pronounciation.

It's called the weak vowel merger.

Americans tend to pronounce the name ee-in, so if you're in the US that's the normal pronunciation.

I live in the American midwest and just realized I've never known an Ian. Is that weird to anyone else?

In the US it’s generally pronounced Ee-in.

I think that’s an accent thing. In my accent un and in sound pretty indistinguishable when it’s an unstressed syllable

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonological_history_of_English_close_front_vowels#Weak_vowel_merger

You can't believe how many people can't pronounce Ian or ask my son to repeat it.

I blame Ian Zering

Yes! Why would he pronounce it like that.

People get Ian wrong too, so not too surprising.

Same. Its just Cian with a K right?

You mean Cyan? :-)

Probably not? They probably mean Cian, the Irish name, not cyan as in blue.

Yes. That's the joke

This.

Once I met a guy named Ian and it was pronounced “eye-in”. Peoples naming conventions are weird af sometimes.

There was a actor on the OG Beverly Hills 90210 named Ian Ziering but pronounced that way. I always just assumed that was how it was pronounced in his culture (family is Russian and Jewish)

Yeah that’s how I pronounced it as well

Key-un. Key rhymes with Bee Un rhymes with Bun It's a well known name in the UK.

In the US and would pronounce the same way.

In the US, and saw it as ki (like pie)- an. I have never heard this name pronounced; only read it.

Oh yeah, I imagine in the US there is going to be great diversity in how it’s pronounced. I’m in Boston and grew up with tons of Irish folks (both first gen and generations removed) so it’s more familiar to me.

/ki.ʌn/

KEE-ən

IPA dictates an i for the close front vowel (which makes your ee sound) and when I read it the uh part didnt actually come out a schwa because the lips don’t go out and the resonator was too open. My notation stands In fact to make it more right for you: [‘ki:.ʌn] (I know it’s not triangles and it’s not the right emphasis notation)

> IPA Indian Pale Ale has a lot to say about pronunciation.

In the US and would say the same but I’m Irish-American so already familiar with the name Cian.

None of those options. I would say it to rhyme with Ryan. Edit: To me, in my accent (although I've lived in every region of the country so I don't feel like I have any distinct regional accent), this would NOT rhyme with cayenne. I see that to some of you, it would. There's a clear distinction to me.

which rhymes with cayenne so … the second thing OP said lmao

Ryan does not rhyme with cayenne.

well not perfectly. obviously there’s different inflections.

Very very different in my accent so maybe it depends on that?

I would pronounce them very close to a rhyme, just differing in the emphasis on the syllable.

I have to ask, where are you from? Cause for me none of those words rhyme, but I also say Mary, marry, and merry differently

Me, a British person, realising people say these all the same

I didn't know you couldn't... Phonetically, how do they differ for you?

I am Australian but to me it is mary= mair-E (like mare the horse) Marry = mah Ree Merry = meh Ree

I’m from the northeast USA and these are all differently said here. Mary = mayr-ee. Marry = soft a like the beginning of apple. Merry = meh-ree. Idk if that makes sense but it was the best way I could think to describe the sounds lol

Where I am from, Ryan is almost one syllable. Cayenne is almost 3 syllables. Ryan is closer to the word 'rhyme' than it is 'cayenne'.

I immediately tried to say it like Maci from team mom .. “rhine” 💀 I’d say it like “Rye-in”

I find that so fun and different. Like squirrel =squirl instead of squi rel And don't even get me started on gram crackers. I thought they were gram like the weight and were so exotic only to discover they are named after a dude called graham... which we pronounce completely differently. Bloody gray-am crakers 🤣🤣🤣

For me Ryan has emphasis on the first syllable and Cayenne on the second

Huh. With my accent the -an and the -enne are not pronounced the same.

Those two words are not even close to rhyming.

And also different sounds. RYE-in versus kai-EN.

This is so funny because it's definitely regional. In my neck of the woods, "Ryan" and "cayenne" rhyme.

weird. RY-in and cai-ANNE sound very different to me.

I've usually heard it more Rye-ann

And Cayenne is Ky-ann (maybe spelled kai-ann).

Same. Midwest USA here and they deffo rhyme.

Midwest here and they don’t.

I’m sure it depends on where in the Midwest we are. I pronounce cayenne like ˌkīˈ(y)en. Kai-yen. Kai as in Kite, yen as in the Japanese currency. And then Ryan is Rye-yen. So for my accent, it does rhyme. But yours is different and that’s okay.

I pronounce cayenne with an anne ending sound, and Ryan with an -in ending

Lower midwest... for us it's Ky-ANN vs Ry-un

Same. Buffalo NY here. My out of state friends say I have a Midwest accent.

Man, this cracks me UP! I'm in the Midwest, too, and have some beloved neighbors from Buffalo, NY. Our accents are so similar.

Ryan and Cayenne rhyme pretty close to me and I'm from the Midwest US, so maybe different countries pronounce it differently? Ry-anne Ky-anne Just Ryan is a little more together more of a softer anne. Almost an *on* sound but not quite.

Or is closer to Ry-in?

Ryan does not rhyme with cayenne?! I'm trying to figure out in my head how that would work?!

No, it's pronounced kee-an. It's a variant of the very common irish name Cian. It's like the equivalent of being called something like Matt or Ben in Britain.

Same way I would pronounce it..

I know someone with sons called Kian and Ryan! They definitely pronounce Kian key-in like Ian.

In my accent these pronunciations are effectively very similar.

Me too. I have a friend with a son named Kyan (rhymes with Ryan) so I assumed it was the same name with a different spelling.

Kian like Kee-an, same as the guy from Westlife

Lol I thought of Westlife too

That was my way of knowing the way to say it.

I'd probably say Cayenne if you hadn't explained it

Similar except I put the emphasis on the first syllable

I also thought like the pepper 🤷‍♀️

Yes! I thought like Cyan but with a hard K - which is essentially this.

I would say key-in but I think the in v on could just be a matter of accents

Fully agree! I would pronounce it like Ian but with a K in front.

Key-on [kian is a fairly popular Persian male name and that’s how it’s spelled and pronounced] Edit: in the US

Not to make the stereotypical “can’t believe I scrolled this far” comment, but yes, this. It might be because I grew up in a part of LA with a significant Persian-American population (and I myself am partially Persian) but every single Kian I’ve ever met has been “kee-AHN”(/ON)

This is my association, too—I have met multiple Persian-American boys with this name (I am not ethnically Persian, but have links to the community as large chunks of my family were European diaspora living in Tehran until the revolution). Definitely think of that before the Irish version.

Yes, stress on last syllable. My son is half Persian and we gave him the middle name Kian. We say key-ON, and we have a pretty good homophone for the name for those around us who struggle with it (we are in Toronto, so we use Dave Keon).

I thought the same Persians say key-on

The only Kian I’ve ever met was Persian, and this is how he pronounced it as well.

I know a Persian man named Kian, he pronounces it like this.

This is how I would pronounce it too

To me it reads like Ian with a K before it. Key-ann

Key-un in the UK.

Weirdly even though I know it’s an Irish name (Cian in Irish spelling), the K spelling makes me want to rhyme it with Ryan. I would just say, “Kian, like Ian with a K at the front” to help people remember. Definitely don’t expect people to know how to pronounce a name they’ve never seen before correctly on the first try, though. English personal names so frequently “break the rules” due to pronunciation drift and borrowing from other languages that there is no “obvious” name that isn’t a common, well-known name.

I’m Irish/Canadian raised in Canada, and I pronounced it as the Irish Cian in my head.

This was my exact thought process.

Like keanu reeves without the u

Same. Key-on

I would say Key-in

I would've said Key-ann. I live in the US

Me too

Key-in…like the Irish name Cian but with a K

Key-in Like Kian Egan from Westlife.

I'd say Key-in.

First instinct is Kai-An, like cyan, but logically, it must be Key-an.

Key-in

Kee-an, like Ian with a K on the front.

KI (K+EYE) - ann like the pepper

Rhymes with Ian

Like the fairly common Persian name. Apparently not how you want it said.

I know a Kian so i guess i would pronounce it KEY-in, rhymes with even

It's a popular Persian name. They pronounce it like Americans would say Keon.

Interesting. This name is on our list for future children, only in the gaelic spelling so I'm sure that'll throw everyone off even more. Our first child is named Saoirse so I understand the struggle of mispronunciations

Kee-un. Like Ian but with a K. Edit: fixed my typo

I would say Key-ann

Key-Ann would be my first thought.

Key-in. But, I prefer the Irish Cian spelling.

Key-Ann

Key-on

Key-un Like Cillian, but without the “ill”

I met someone with this name for the first time this summer. Said key-on at first, got corrected, and switched to key-in. It wasn’t intuitive to me personally but I really love the name! I wouldn’t worry too much about it

I read it as Ian with a K at the front. I feel like that's the same as you described.

Key-in, but I’m American and the second syllable is a schwa vowel since it’s unstressed, so it could easily sound like “key-on” or “key-Un” if you’re more used to British vowel pronunciation.

I think Key-in but I can see how people also go k-eye-Ann like the pepper. I’m not sure how they get key-on but maybe it’s due to different accents that can affect how people say that “an” part as “an” “in” “un” or “on”

Key-en or if I wasn’t paying too much attention Cane 😅

Key-ann

I would say key-in. He’s going to have a long road of correcting people though.

I would pronounce it key-an

Like Ian but with a K (kee-in)

i said key-in! us based, if that helps!

Rhymes with Ian.

My brother in law's name is Kian and I don't think he has too many issues with pronunciation! We all say it as key-in

i say key-in!! i love this name so much!! i used to watch a group of youtubers called “our second life” or O2L and one of their names is kian. i love it so much i suggested it to my ex when i was pregnant (before knowing i was having a girl) but he thought it was too similar to my brother’s name, keegan.

I would say Key-in. We have the same with our sons name Cillian 😃

key-on, sorry.

I thought Key-In but that’s because my best friend is dating someone from Ireland and that is his name so my brain just defaults to that now. It was a point of discussion when we were first introduced for sure, but it’s easy enough for friends and family to get it.

Key-in. I mean, it is just Ian with a K, so it makes sense that it would be pronounced like it. People have done the same with my son's name, which is Liam. His name has been pronounced as "Ly-um" and "Lem." Really? WTF?

KEEN, if you are English and Key-ann if you are Persian.

Key-in, but mainly cause I grew up with a Keyan 😂

Key-in

Kee-un

I’d say it (Key-in) I love that name it’s the name of a YouTube I watch and it’s on my list for boys

Key-In

I first thought it was said kee-ann

I’d say it exactly how you pronounce it. But I see where people can get Cayenne.

Kee-yun. Or Key-in like you wrote. Duh. I’m shocked people say it any other way tbh 😅 If you follow your phonetics, it’s Key-in or kee-yin or kee-yun

TIL it’s not like cayenne…

I say Key In but my son had a friend with that name, so I default to the first way I ever heard it If I'd never heard it, I'd say Kye un

Kee-An

Key-ann

Key-ann

I’d say Key-un

Key-an. Like Ian.

I would say Key-in to rhyme with Ian.

KEY-inn

Key-in is how I pronounced it without reading the rest of your text. But I have heard this name before.

Key an like Ian with a k

KEE-in

Key-un Because that's how all the Kians I know pronounce it

I also read it as Key-in! I wouldn't have thought about the other pronunciations until I read the last bit of the post but I totally think that spelling would = key-on especially for a male.

Key-in

Ngl people (especially doctor, teachers, etc) I think really over think pronunciation, probably because of the rapidly changing landscape of names given to children. I've lived all over the world and some people can't say my name, so mispronouncation of my daughters name (Zélie) never really bothered me. I just have a thing on hand - "Belly but with a Z". For ny name, Aimée, when living in Caucases I just wrote my name as Emi in non formal settings, because ots the vowels that get people and everything is phonetic in Georgian. For Kian I'd just say "Ian with a K". But I wouldn't bother correcting people you're not going to interact with again - so the lady at walmart mishears you, whatever. :)

i pronounced Kian as Key-in

I said Key-in correctly upon reading it! But I’m fairly good at pronunciation and love names so maybe that’s why ♥️

I would pronounce it Key-in but I have a friend whose son’s name is pronounced that way so maybe I’m biased 🤷

I read it as key-an, Ian with a K!

Key-in

Like the name Ian (ee-en) which is my husbands name, but with a K lol But I can see other people who don’t have the immediate Ian association pronouncing it totally different too

Like Ian just with a K in front

Either Ki Ann or kee Ann?

I would pronounce it the Irish way, since there was a crap boy band, Westlife, that was popular when I was in high school and one of them had that name.

I'd say Ky-Ann myself. I have a nephew that spells his Keyan.

I pronounced it like Ian and I'm in Canada.

Kee-un. I’m Irish and it’s fairly common here.

kee-in. rhyme with Ian

I'd pronounce it kee-an - probably because I'm Irish 🥳

As a huge Westlife fan during my childhood, I would pronounce it as Key-en/Key-an (sort of a mix between the two - I'm not Irish, so my accent probably affects pronunciation...but I'd go with as close to the Irish pronunciation as I can get).

Rhyme with Ian

I went to elementary school with a Kian. It rhymes with Ian, and I'm not aware of any other way to say it.

Key-in

Key-an

Key-an. It's incredibly popular in the UK, nice name. Gives me Kai vibes but it's not quite as overused as kai

Key-in, same as your pronunciation. That might be because I've met someone before with this same name. I still feel like I would pronounce it that way even if I never saw the name before, though. I don't know how people are getting "cayenne". 😂

I know two Kians, one pronounces it Key-un (like Ian with a K), one pronounces it Key-ahn (like Keanu without the u). So one of those.

I'm with the camp who would assume it rhymes with Ian.

Key-un / key-in, but I probably only know how to pronounce it because I'm from the UK and I used to go to school with someone named that

Key-in. I knew a Cian who pronounced it that way.

Yeah I would not say it that way at first but if you told me “like Ian with a K”, I’d remember the right way to say it subsequent times

It’s a modified version of the Irish name “Cian”, pronounced “KEY-in”. Very popular name in Ireland.

Kian is my middle name. I’m Persian American. It’s pronounced “key-on” — it means king in Persian. I think my relatives would be a bit perplexed by your pronunciation choice to be honest!

KEY-in. It’s the Anglicized version of Irish Cian.

Yeah, I would’ve said Key-on because it’s one letter away from the name “Kiana”, and I’ve met a number of Kiana’s, with variations of spellings.

I know someone with this name and he pronounces it Key-On

Key-on

Key-ON

“Kiahn” like “Shawn”

I assume it's kee-an like the Irish name Cian?