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To not use proper spellings when naming your child

934 replies

Catterpillarsflipflops · 19/03/2025 18:17

Am I being unreasonable to think it's ridiculous to use a funky spelling of a normal name. I spent today dealing with lost paperwork for a child as the person that took the details didn't think to check the spelling as there is no other spelling of the name.

It looks silly and just causes no end of problems for the child. It also disadvantages them as straight away people get an image of what the child is like.

I've seen

Jaymz
Ezmay
Lil-leigh

OP posts:
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10
Scorchio84 · 22/03/2025 12:09

lifeonmars100 · 19/03/2025 20:49

I sometimes wonder if there is an app that generates these new style names, you type in your hobbies, favourite music,food, tv show, colour, etc and it conjures up a special moniker for your little one.

My child has an ancient Irish name.. it's still a head scratcher, it's not Microwave O'Murphy but I get your point, this thread is savage

EmpressaurusKitty · 22/03/2025 12:03

OchonAgusOchonOh · 22/03/2025 09:50

It's an Irish lament "Ochón agus ochón ó" meaning "Alas and woe to me" except I changed the ó to oh as that's how it's pronounced.

Those of us of a certain age had to endure the most awful book for our leaving cert called Péig. In the book based on the life story she told the author, she had the most miserable life, although apparently he left out the more raunchy bits of her story. I don't think the term was actually used in the book but it basically epitomised it for all of us poor kids who were tortured with it. The phrase is used as a lament in the song Caoineadh na dTrí Mhuire https://songsinirish.com/?song=caoineadh-na-dtri-mhuire-lyrics

Thank you!

Scorchio84 · 22/03/2025 11:56

Heggettypeg · 19/03/2025 22:40

This sort of name was a bit of a fashion in Puritan England too. I seem to remember some character called Praisegod Barebones. Not sure now who he was, but the name stuck in my head.

I had a "Gift" in third class & he truly was.. all rounder, academic AND sporty! talk about nominative determinism

HaddyAbrams · 22/03/2025 11:53

Whoshotjr · 22/03/2025 11:29

Yes, correcting a C to a K is definitely a mistake if you want an Irish language spelling.
There are no letters j, k, q, v, w, x, y, z traditionally, although you sometimes see some of them today in words of foreign origin, eg zú for zoo (pronounced the same).

Exactly. It was just so weird that this teacher got so annoyed that a load of 10/11 year olds didn't know an Irish name (Siobhan) but at the same time happily told me I was spelling another Irish name incorrectly, even though I wasn't.

Scorchio84 · 22/03/2025 11:49

RedOrangeSky · 19/03/2025 19:31

Isnt that just the Polish or similar spelling?

You are in danger of judging people for being foreign.

few Irish names getting it too...

Scorchio84 · 22/03/2025 11:41

SnoozingFox · 19/03/2025 19:16

I have an Irish friend called Ciara which is a very standard Irish spelling and nobody seems to have an issue with Ciaran which is the male equivalent.

She regularly gets Cee-ah-rah and Sierra.

it's a conflation.. like the Rn'B artist Ciara (Sierra)

AlbusSeverusMalfoy · 22/03/2025 11:37

CaptainCallisto · 19/03/2025 18:31

I had to write a four year old reception child in the accident book at lunch today (primary school TA), and he didn't know his last name. Couldn't find Jack anywhere on the class list. I don't work in EYFS, so didnt know I should be looking for Dgaque!

What the actual dfuaq???

Scorchio84 · 22/03/2025 11:37

MidnightMillie · 19/03/2025 18:56

I wouldn't assume that.

I'm Irish and for many years a lot of us have been moving away from Gaelic spellings.

I have a cousin named Shinaed and she's in her late 40s.

Really? I don't know any Irish people who are changing traditional Gaelic spellings

OchonAgusOchonOh · 22/03/2025 11:34

HaddyAbrams · 22/03/2025 11:25

Along those lines yes (trying not to out myself if they are on here)

I knew there was no K in Irish, not sure how the lack of other letters passed me by Grin

So I won't start listing off all the C/K boys' names then 😁

Whoshotjr · 22/03/2025 11:29

Yes, correcting a C to a K is definitely a mistake if you want an Irish language spelling.
There are no letters j, k, q, v, w, x, y, z traditionally, although you sometimes see some of them today in words of foreign origin, eg zú for zoo (pronounced the same).

HaddyAbrams · 22/03/2025 11:25

OchonAgusOchonOh · 22/03/2025 11:13

Ciarán but corrected to Kieran?

Edited to say there is also no K in the Irish language.

Edited

Along those lines yes (trying not to out myself if they are on here)

I knew there was no K in Irish, not sure how the lack of other letters passed me by Grin

OchonAgusOchonOh · 22/03/2025 11:13

HaddyAbrams · 22/03/2025 10:45

Thank you to you and @Whoshotjr , i didn't realise there isn't a Y in the Irish alphabet. My mum always told me it was the Irish spelling, but I guess she just assumed that.

The brothers name started with C but my teacher used to incorrectly correct it to K.

Ciarán but corrected to Kieran?

Edited to say there is also no K in the Irish language.

HaddyAbrams · 22/03/2025 10:45

OchonAgusOchonOh · 22/03/2025 09:19

Hayleigh is not an Irish name nor an anglicisation of an Irish name. What was the brother's name?

Thank you to you and @Whoshotjr , i didn't realise there isn't a Y in the Irish alphabet. My mum always told me it was the Irish spelling, but I guess she just assumed that.

The brothers name started with C but my teacher used to incorrectly correct it to K.

RaraRachael · 22/03/2025 10:23

I remember our school staff getting shouted at by a parent because "No-one spells her bleeding name right"

I felt like saying that if they'd spelled it normally there wouldn't be an issue.

Whoshotjr · 22/03/2025 10:20

Interesting rather than enjoyable really, too many tragedies for that. But it makes you think, it was very different than life today.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 22/03/2025 10:03

Whoshotjr · 22/03/2025 09:54

Love that song ❤️

ETA but then I quite liked Peig too. I’m an aberration 😂

Edited

You're definitely an aberration. I've never heard of anyone enjoying Péig before.

tulippa · 22/03/2025 10:02

BuntyNuffins · 22/03/2025 08:24

In this example the 'c' is likely a 'ç' which makes an 's' sound and the name probably belongs to someone european.

Yes I have already been corrected by multiple people. Thank you. I learnt something new on Wednesday. 🙂

Whoshotjr · 22/03/2025 09:54

Love that song ❤️

ETA but then I quite liked Peig too. I’m an aberration 😂

Whoshotjr · 22/03/2025 09:51

Oops sorry misunderstood 😅

OchonAgusOchonOh · 22/03/2025 09:50

It's an Irish lament "Ochón agus ochón ó" meaning "Alas and woe to me" except I changed the ó to oh as that's how it's pronounced.

Those of us of a certain age had to endure the most awful book for our leaving cert called Péig. In the book based on the life story she told the author, she had the most miserable life, although apparently he left out the more raunchy bits of her story. I don't think the term was actually used in the book but it basically epitomised it for all of us poor kids who were tortured with it. The phrase is used as a lament in the song Caoineadh na dTrí Mhuire https://songsinirish.com/?song=caoineadh-na-dtri-mhuire-lyrics

Caoineadh na dTrí Mhuire lyrics and chords - SongsInIrish.com

Lyrics as Gaeilge, English translation and pronunciation of words in Irish, guitar chords/tabs with YouTube video. Keening of the Three Marys

https://songsinirish.com/?song=caoineadh-na-dtri-mhuire-lyrics

Whoshotjr · 22/03/2025 09:49

@EmpressaurusKitty
If you mean Hayleigh there seem to be a variety of origins given if you look it up.
Old English, Norse, Irish.

It’s possible there were multiple origins? One of them could be an anglicisation from the Irish language. I’m not sure.

Hayleigh is definitely not an Irish spelling though as pp thought it might be, though she wasn’t sure.

EmpressaurusKitty · 22/03/2025 09:28

OchonAgusOchonOh · 22/03/2025 09:19

Hayleigh is not an Irish name nor an anglicisation of an Irish name. What was the brother's name?

Not related to the thread but I really want to know what OchunAgusOchonOh means / where it comes from!

OchonAgusOchonOh · 22/03/2025 09:19

HaddyAbrams · 22/03/2025 00:19

I know Siobhan is an Irish spelling, which was why her lack of knowledge about other Irish names was so strange.

The girls name she kept correcting in my work was Hayleigh. Which may or may not be an Irish spelling, the brothers name was though.

Hayleigh is not an Irish name nor an anglicisation of an Irish name. What was the brother's name?

RominaDina · 22/03/2025 09:12

Namechangetry · 22/03/2025 09:10

It's good you mentioned that, because no one has pointed it out in the previous 32 pages of the thread.

😂I do hope @tulippa has learned something since Wednesday with all these kind posters pointing out her error.

Namechangetry · 22/03/2025 09:10

Anyotherdude · 22/03/2025 03:31

@tulippa
Now that is a Polish spelling! Those are completely forgivable…

It's good you mentioned that, because no one has pointed it out in the previous 32 pages of the thread.