Seamus. Do you have to be Irish?

[impatientlywaiting]

We found out we're having a boy yesterday and we're thinking about baby names.

We both like Seamus, but not sure if people would be confused with our choosing it as in my head it's a typically Irish name. I'm half Irish, DH is English.

What are people's thoughts?

[SS3J]

I don't think it matters at all, and if you are half Irish then there is enough of a link anyway. Go for it!

[Mumpiring]

Well, any other name, say, Diarmuid or Donnach or Fionn (random) I'd say no, go ahead, but isn't Seamus a bit like "johnnie english" in the UK? like the irish equivalent of that. I'm not articulating this well perhaps. I lived in the uk for a while and that was the perception that I got, that Seamus was not just any Irish name. That it represented all Irish names?!

[Middleagedmotheroftwo]

My DH is of Irish extraction. Has Irish first name, middle name and surname, and it drives him to distraction because people assume he's Irish. He feels very much English.

[Brandnewmamma]

I love it but it is a very Irish name. Some people (heard jeff brazier on This Morning for instance) pronounce it see muss

[Brandnewmamma]

Meant to add if you are half Irish why not go for it? I also like Eamon, Patrick, Aidan, Ciaran, Joseph, Brendan

[Mollydoggerson]

No point in taking racial prejudices into consideration, if you like the name, then go for it.

[impatientlywaiting]

Thanks for your comments everyone. I think that we like the name as much as about 4 others and the fact that some people mispronounce it might move it down the list of favourites slightly.

Thanks again.

[Weegiemum]

My ds's best friend is a Seamus. He's not Irish, but a Scottish Gaelic speaking family.

My ds also has an Irish name, partly as dh is from Northern Ireland, regards himself as Irish.

[sandfrog]

It's a great name, and you do have an Irish connection to relate it to as well, so I think it would be fine.

[forgetmenots]

You're half Irish!

Anyway, no if you like it go for it. it's a pan-Celtic name, Scottish spelling often Seumas. If you live in England people might mispronounce it, but they mispronounce my very common name too, so just do it.

Lovely name btw :)

[hawkmcqueen]

I would only use Seamus if it had a family connection, as other posters say it can be seen as a bit of a 'plastic paddy' name iykwim. There are loads of more sophisticated Irish names out there that are more related to mythology and history such as Senan/Sennan.