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Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Baby names

Ciorstaidh

34 replies

Gerrof · 16/04/2013 21:59

I have just seen this on another thread, apparently this is the Irish version of Kirsty.

Not disputing this but have only ever seem Kirsty as a version of Christian. So it would be nice to think it has a Gaelic route.

I suppose I could google it but there are always name geniuseses on mumsnet baby names.

(My name is Kirsty btw, hence the interest)

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Dadmaq · 16/04/2013 22:03

It's a fantastic name. Wow!

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pooka · 16/04/2013 22:04

Apparently is pronounced KEEERs-tee.

Rather than KUURS-tee.

DOn't know the origin - obviously Ciorstaidh has gaelic background. But I don't know whether Kirsty and Ciorstaidh share a root.

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pooka · 16/04/2013 22:05

Puts me in mind of Jimmy Corkhill off Brookside saying Kirsty.

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ThatsNotAKnifeThatsASpoon · 16/04/2013 22:07

Sorry but that's sounds completely made up. I'm Irish and have never heard of it.

If you like how 'Kirsty' sounds just go with that rather than a pseudo traditional Irish spelling of that sound.

(I could be wrong of course but I don't think that's in any published book of traditional Irish names)

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Gerrof · 16/04/2013 22:07

Lol at Jimmy Corkhill

It's a cool name. Better than crappy old Kirsty.

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Gerrof · 16/04/2013 22:08

No, no I am not intending to call a child that. Kirsty is my name, I was just wondering if thee was a Gaelic equivalent.

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ThatsNotAKnifeThatsASpoon · 16/04/2013 22:09

Sorry just realised you're not looking to actually use this name for a baby, apologies for the confusion!

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ThatsNotAKnifeThatsASpoon · 16/04/2013 22:11

Sorry, cross posted.

I doubt it has a gaelic equivalent. Though I will admit that whoever came up with it knows their Irish, as the spelling is spot on for how you would pronounce it like 'Kirsty', if it was an actual Irish word.

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oscarwilde · 16/04/2013 22:20

I've never ever seen this in Ireland. It might be a translation but its not used and imo not a pretty looking name.

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Chaoscarriesonagain · 16/04/2013 22:24

It's fairly common in Scotland as Gaelic for Kirsty

I like it, although where am from (western isles) it's a very traditional name.

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Gerrof · 16/04/2013 22:25

Oh well. Poor old Kirsty will just have to remain non jazzed up.

I wonder where the person who mentioned it on another thread today got it from.

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Gerrof · 16/04/2013 22:26

Ooh cross posts. Would it be Scottish Gaelic instead then? (Sorry for displaying complete ignorance here)

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ThatsNotAKnifeThatsASpoon · 16/04/2013 22:33

I did actually intend to say in previous posts that it might be scots gaelic rather than Irish! The spelling looks more like Irish to me though, is that the spelling in scots gaelic?

Have to agree with oscar, I think it looks a bit cumbersome.

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MummyBurrows · 16/04/2013 22:41

Looks to me like some leaned on their keyboard and pressed send lol.....looks like a completely made up name and if nobody had said I wouldn't of had a bloomin' clue how on earth it could possibly be a name let alone how to pronounce it or what it was supposed to be lol!

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soontobeslendergirl · 16/04/2013 23:40

it was me that posted it - it's gaelic probably scottish rather than Irish given that Kirsty is more commonly a Scottish name rather than Irish, but I find that with a lot of the Scots/Irish gaelic stuff the lines are not very clear.
I have a Ciar - we thought we were choosing the Scots gaelic spelling but it could very well be Irish - when we named my son there was not the big Internet community and resources to check with. btw I know that Keir has a completely different root - my OH liked Ciaran and I liked Keir so it was a compromise - plus we didn't think he would be little - which he isn't :o

I've come across a couple of Ciorstaidhs before.

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soontobeslendergirl · 16/04/2013 23:48

...and the reason I remembered the name was because Kirsty was one of our top choices for our boys if they had been girls - other choice was Mairi. So, when I came across people with the Gaelic spelling of the name we had liked it caught my eye. Not that we will be having any more and I think I'd be tempted to keep it simple - it's my OH that has the interesting spelling bug, not me. I did win when he wanted to spell Craig "Creag". We have an Irish surname that people presume is Scottish too.

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Foundapound · 16/04/2013 23:53

As Chaos says. 2 of my aunts are Ciorstaidh (though they'd always write in English as Chrissie) and we tend to call them Ciorstag (pr. Kirstack), but that's the diminutive form generally I think. We're from Western Isles too.

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chickenfactory · 17/04/2013 00:11

Have to agree its Scottish Gaelic, can't comment on the spelling but with the Kirsty's I know it's pronounced 'kirstack' as soon as they are north of Oban.

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NatashaBee · 17/04/2013 00:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

KenDoddsDadsDog · 17/04/2013 07:25

I'm going to change the spelling of my name to this. So I will not be an outcast with a chav K name on MN

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thermalsinapril · 17/04/2013 09:27

Custard here too.

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Gerrof · 17/04/2013 11:47

Oh thank you for this - it's really interesting. I have always thought that Kirsty was a Scottish name anyway, so very interesting to see the gaelic influence. Not that I think that had any bearing on it, as far as I know my gran just plucked the name Kirsty from the TV Times when I was born.

I am like Ken, going to change my name to Ciorstaidh, better than this ol' boring Kirsty name (and avoids the Kardashian chavvness )

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Gerrof · 17/04/2013 11:48

I read a very interesting thread on here ages ago which said that the name Mhairi is pronounced Vari when you are speaking to the person, but pronounced Mari at other times, which I think't fascinating (if I have got that right).

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badtime · 17/04/2013 11:59

Gerrof, not exactly.

The name is 'Mairi', (pronounced 'mari'). A Gaelic speaker, speaking to Mairi would address her as 'Mhairi' (pronounced 'vari'). Sort of.

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soontobeslendergirl · 17/04/2013 12:51

badtime - someone said to me once that it was pronounced Vari when you were shouting at the them :o Sure that is not exactly true either.

We just liked the name.

We got back in touch with some family that we hadn't heard from for years not long after my eldest was born to find that my Cousin had two children her boy had the same name as my new baby and her daughter was Mairi - the name we would have used had he been a girl - he looked more like a Mairi than a Kirsty if that makes sense!!

Neither of the names have been used in the family before, just pure coincidence. No2 son could have well been a Mairi so we would have matched completely - it wouldn't have put me off using it - my cousins children are much older and we don't mix in the same circles except for funerals nowadays.