Is Saoirse too unusual, and are we allowed to `adapt` the pronunciation??!!

I've read the name heaps while reading the thread and keep testing myself on spelling -and STILL can't 'get' it.

It may not be off-putting to you, but I'd get sick to the back teeth of having things slept wrong, and reminding a d correcting all the time. I have fairly average name but one which has maybe 2 or 3 correct spellings and it is a pain in the neck spelling out loud whenever you have to have name taken down.

Thinking about it, I guess it is mor Sare-sha than ser-sha! A
Anyway, it's a great name!

Saoirse was on my list for DD. DH felt it was still a bit up the RA so we crossed it off. If I ever have another DD I would railroad persuade him.

God those wrap the Green flag types. How dare they be so patriotic and want to use Gaelic words to name their children, the bastards!

There are two pronunciations of Saoirse, in my experience. Seer-sha (most common) and Sare-sha (I have heard this mainly in parts of SE Ireland).

I have never heard Ser-sha or Sor-sha.

Sorcha I have always heard pronounced as Sorrica /Surrica

This is about the only girls name dh and I can agree on
! He is Irish and pronounces it ser-sha so I believe either way is acceptable!

I am Irish myself and have heard Saoirse pronounced as both Sehr-sha and Seer-sha, so either is correct I would think! Lovely name. As for Sorcha I have only ever heard it as Sur-u-ka, not as nice imo

Actually thinking about it saor is definitely pronounced to sound like Sayer (as in Leo), so sehr-sha is arguably a more correct pronunciation than seer-sha.

I don't like it either, but a little English Saoirse would seem more likely to be inspired by Saoirse Ronan than "You'll never take our Saoirse!"

I really think pronouncing it ser-sha is fine. Dublin pronunciations are not the only ones that count. Half the time they're not even right.

If you pick a name that is not of your culture and mispronounce it, you look ignorant and you condemn your child to a life of people despising her! Why would you do this?

I don't like it. Personal associations, but because it means 'freedom' the girls I knew called Saoirse all came from families that were a bit wrap the green flag round me boys. Although that may not be the case now.

I prefer Siofra or Saedhbh

I don't really think ser-sha is wrong, I'm sure there are Irish speakers who would pronounce the word like that.

Saw-sha is wrong, wrong, wrong.

Ch in Irish is never pronounced "sh"

sorcha = surr-uh-ka

Haha, Bluddy, my sister is a Chloe and has the same problem- most people know there's an h in it somewhere, so they just stick one in anywhere! Fairly understandable when she was younger and it was quite an uncommon name, but it's become so popular in recent years that I think it's amazing she still gets Christmas cards addressed to... cloe, clohe, clowee, cloie, khloe, among others!

As far as Saoirse is concerned, It's seer-sha rather than ser-sha. But then, as others have said, it can depend slightly on accent. For example, if I make an effort to say 'seer'-sha so that the first syllable rhymes with 'beer', it sort of sounds like I'm putting on a (bad) fake Irish accent, whereas if I just say it naturally, it sounds more like 'sair'-sha, so that the first syllable rhymes with 'bear.' Other accents might not distinguish so much between those two sounds, though.

My 2 ds have irish names.However we couldnt agree on an irish name for dd(dh wanted roisin and I wanted Clodagh) so she has a greek name! I like the name you have chosen but she will get asked to pronouce/ spell it ALOT. Eldest ds gets this and his not that unusual-Colm.

Sorcha = Sur-ih-ka where I'm from (Wesht of the Shannon). There is a woman in my office with that name from Dublin and she pronounces it Sore-sha.

Saoirse = Seer-sha. I teach in a Catholic primary where there are many Saoirses, which to London ears should be pronounced 'Ser-sha'.It's a lovely name which means 'freedom'.

Lots of name regional variations - where I'm from Caoimhe is 'Qweeva' but up north it's 'Keeva'.

x post. What MillsandDoom said

candleshoe - break it to her gently

Bex - again, consulted the DH (he's from a more "Irishy" part of Ireland than me so I usually defer to him on this stuff!) and we both would say "Seer-sha". There are a lot of regional variations in the Irish language, so maybe that's where the difference arises. Coincidentally, I was talking to a friend today about "weird" Irish names and she brought up Saoirse as an example of a really tricky one (a girl in her DC's class at school). This girl pronounced it Ser-shah, which sounded odd to my ears, but I guess you wouldn't be setting a precedent.

Lots of other lovely Irish names on this thread!
Night night all!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/baby_names/872229-I-need-some-advice-on-the-name-Sorcha/AllOnOnePage

An old MN thread on a similar topic!