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Original poster

Naming my mixed race child and Irish name?

155 replies

ihateyousarahm · 01/05/2026 10:52

I'm pregnant with a child who will be mixed race. My family are Irish but we've lived in England for a couple of generations.

We want to respect the heritage and name our child a traditional Irish name. Some people have said it will be hard to pronoumce as it's an Irish name and we don't usually see the name and others have said it's a mixed race baby so don't. However when I said what name we should use, they don't know.

A girls name like Charlotte etc is English and although we have both lived in England for a couple of generations I'm torn.

Ideas please?

OP posts:
WendyFromTransvisionWamp · 01/05/2026 20:56

I work at a secondary school (UK) and we have a Y11 student, of black african decent, no Irish heritage whatsoever and her name is Cliodhna.

harrietm87 · 01/05/2026 20:54

PlumPuddingandGravy · 01/05/2026 10:59

I think Irish names are beautiful but you are consigning your child to a lifetime of having their name mispronounced and misspelled.

Not necessarily. Even idiots can pronounce Orla, Nora, Cara, Lorcan, Conor, Ronan without any issue.

Maeve is one of the most popular girls names in England now.

Sinead, Siobhan, Sean - most people are familiar. Aoife, Niamh, Saoirse, Cillian becoming more common too.

Also not everyone is closed minded and unable to learn new things.

TheKeatingFive · 01/05/2026 20:46

allchange5 · 01/05/2026 18:52

How many people in Ireland actually use Irish Gaelic on a daily basis (outside of schools)? Isn't it only about 1%?

No. Approx 8% of children go to fully Irish speaking schools, which would have to be supported by home usage, and their popularity is growing.

Far more give their children Irish names.

I'm not sure what your point is?

TunnocksOrDeath · 01/05/2026 19:45

I've a lot of Irish family who, if they lived in England would be constantly correcting people on how their names are supposed to be said. e.g. most English folk just do not know that Grainne is pronounce a bit like "Grawn-ya". Having spent most of my life correcting people over my name, and even on one occasion missing a smear test because the nurse mangled the pronunciation so badly that I didn't even recognise it as an attempt at my name, I'd say do the kid a favour and whatever you go with, pick one that people in the country where you intend to raise it will be able to pronounce.

Unexpectedlysinglemum · 01/05/2026 19:31

Seorsia (incorrect spelling- seer sha pronunciation)
Aida

Naomi
for girls

arran
kieron
Rory
Aidan
for a boy

Eadwearde · 01/05/2026 18:55

allchange5 · 01/05/2026 18:52

How many people in Ireland actually use Irish Gaelic on a daily basis (outside of schools)? Isn't it only about 1%?

It’s not really relevant as far more than that choose Irish language names for their children.

allchange5 · 01/05/2026 18:52

How many people in Ireland actually use Irish Gaelic on a daily basis (outside of schools)? Isn't it only about 1%?

HughManity · 01/05/2026 18:51

Keelan.

Eadwearde · 01/05/2026 18:51

allchange5 · 01/05/2026 18:44

How would you pronounce Caoilfhionn? Never seen that one.

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https://forvo.com/word/caoilfhionn/

allchange5 · 01/05/2026 18:44

TheKeatingFive · 01/05/2026 17:40

I don't understand what the problem is, name your child whatever you want. Not all Irish names are hard to pronounce either. Just maybe avoid something like caoilfhionn.

How would you pronounce Caoilfhionn? Never seen that one.

Mixedmix · 01/05/2026 18:34

HughManity · 01/05/2026 18:16

Mixedmix's last sentence was not pointless.
She can call herself English as she was born in England.
She can call herself Chinese-English if she so wishes. (I'd take it to mean one parent English, one parent Chinese-heritage)
I'd describe her as British-Chinese because I'd take that to mean British born to Chinese-heritage parents.

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One parent is white so I’m English Chinese. One parent is Chinese but born in England so you’re right that they’re British Chinese because they have a British passport.

Going back to OP she can call her child whatever they want and it doesn’t matter if they’re Irish or not.

HughManity · 01/05/2026 18:16

Coffeeandbooks88 · 01/05/2026 18:06

I was on about nationality. Your ethnically Chinese parent can call themselves English as well if they wished. English-Chinese as well as British Chinese. Ignoring the last comment from you as it was pointless!

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Mixedmix's last sentence was not pointless.
She can call herself English as she was born in England.
She can call herself Chinese-English if she so wishes. (I'd take it to mean one parent English, one parent Chinese-heritage)
I'd describe her as British-Chinese because I'd take that to mean British born to Chinese-heritage parents.

Coffeeandbooks88 · 01/05/2026 18:06

Mixedmix · 01/05/2026 17:38

One of my parents was born in England but ethnically Chinese (British Chinese). The other is white English. I’m describing myself! But I guess white people know better?

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I was on about nationality. Your ethnically Chinese parent can call themselves English as well if they wished. English-Chinese as well as British Chinese. Ignoring the last comment from you as it was pointless!

Sunshineandgrapefruit · 01/05/2026 17:43

This is why you never tell anyone what your name ideas are! Pick whatever you want, this is your child.

TheKeatingFive · 01/05/2026 17:40

I don't understand what the problem is, name your child whatever you want. Not all Irish names are hard to pronounce either. Just maybe avoid something like caoilfhionn.

stample · 01/05/2026 17:38

If anything I literally know a mixed race girl called Saorise! BUT the paternal grandmother really struggled to pronounce her name for the first year . If you like a name, use it. I know a full English woman with the Sri Lankan name Jayanthi too

Mixedmix · 01/05/2026 17:38

Coffeeandbooks88 · 01/05/2026 17:37

They can call themselves English if they are born here.

Edited
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One of my parents was born in England but ethnically Chinese (British Chinese). The other is white English. I’m describing myself! But I guess white people know better?

Coffeeandbooks88 · 01/05/2026 17:37

Mixedmix · 01/05/2026 17:34

If someone was born in England but both their parents and all their grandparents aren’t ethnically English then they’re not English. They’re Chinese, Nigerian, Italian etc but their nationality is British. If someone is English Chinese then one parent is white and one parent is Chinese.

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They can call themselves English if they are born here.

Mixedmix · 01/05/2026 17:34

Pollyanna87 · 01/05/2026 13:04

If the ‘Chinese looking’ family have been in England for ‘a couple of generations’, then of course they’re English. You’re massively overthinking the name thing, by the way.

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If someone was born in England but both their parents and all their grandparents aren’t ethnically English then they’re not English. They’re Chinese, Nigerian, Italian etc but their nationality is British. If someone is English Chinese then one parent is white and one parent is Chinese.

HughManity · 01/05/2026 17:17

Coffeeandbooks88 · 01/05/2026 16:54

Would you have used British if I had said Scottish or Welsh instead of English which is what was being talked about? Probably not.

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I would.

It might depend on whether the individual identified strongly with being Scottish, Welsh or Irish, but the ones I know describe themselves as British-[nationality] not English-[nationality] and I think they are English by birth.

Coffeeandbooks88 · 01/05/2026 16:55

I know a family who I think are Nigerian. Their son is a Edwin. Not many of those about!

Coffeeandbooks88 · 01/05/2026 16:54

HughManity · 01/05/2026 16:48

Most people use British if they identify as British-[nationality] IME.

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Would you have used British if I had said Scottish or Welsh instead of English which is what was being talked about? Probably not.

Itsanewdawnitsanewdayitsanewlife4me · 01/05/2026 16:48

I am not sure I understand the issue. I live in Ireland and am white and one of my nieces is called Cara who lives abroad and is mixed race. We have mixed race and black people born and raised in Ireland too with Irish names.

HughManity · 01/05/2026 16:48

Coffeeandbooks88 · 01/05/2026 16:45

They are both English and Chinese. Your child can be seen as English and to be honest they will feel English and whatever heritage they are maybe more so than Irish.

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Most people use British if they identify as British-[nationality] IME.

Coffeeandbooks88 · 01/05/2026 16:46

DeedsNotDiddums · 01/05/2026 12:14

I would say they are British of Chinese origin.

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English and British. They are allowed to be both.