Does anyone have/know an Ailbhe?

I know an Ailbhe in her late 20's. She's lovely but has told me people constantly got it wrong (London) but she pronounces it Al-va

Zombie thread!

Ailbhe is absolutely meant to be pronounced Alva, and is known as a female name.

Op, Ailill might be what you're looking for - similar to Ailbhe but is a guys name (though not something I've ever heard used or would expect to hear, it's from an old Irish legend). I've seen it spelled Aillil or Ailill.

Also: Oran (Odhran), Niall, Dara/Daire/Daragh, Padraig, Colm, Eanna, Fionn, Donnacha, Ruaidhri, Naoise, Finbar, Fionan, Diarmuid, Rian, Cian, Ciar, Cillian, Fiachra, Ciaran, Daithi, Senan, Iarfhlaith (Iarla or Jarlath), Caoimhin, Peadar, Emmet, Fergus, Lorcan, Lochlann.

All accepted boys names - some popular, some less so.

My niece is called Ailbhe but they pronounce it alby. Seems strange to give a child a name that isn't pronounced how it should be. Is it meant to be pronounced Alva? Poor kid will always have to explain how to say and spell her name to everyone she meets.

I'm Irish and know a few Ailbhes, all female, pronounced Al-vuh . It's a lovely name but most definitely seen as a girls name here.
How about Odhrán , Senan, Fionn, Darragh or Oisín ? They're all well known names.

St ailbhe was male but there's also a female Irish warrior called ailbhe. It's technically unisex but more commonly female these days. I think your (ex) GP is extremely cheeky! It's none of his/her business! Could you imagine the outrage if you said the same about an Asian name for example. I would have told them off!

Ailbhe can be a boys name too but is mosre popular as a girls name at present

Really HardCheese? That's mad, I'm Irish too and never heard of a male Ailbhe before in my life! You learn something new every day!

The thing that annoys me is pronouncing the surname Moran with the emphasis on the second syllable instead of the first. Grrrrrr.

But I don't think the different phonetic quality of the /d/ is something we can expect British people to know!

Irish, and I know two male Ailbhes in their thirties, and no female ones. Both pronouce it roughly as 'AL-va', but with a slightly softer final syllable, more 'AL-vuh'. I really like it.

I adore the name Setanta, and the toothsome S. O'hAilpin has done a lot to revive it. For god's sake, though, any of you considering calling a baby 'Dara' or any of its variants, make people realise it's not pronounced 'DAA-ra' with a long first syllable, just plain 'Dara', with the same short emphasis on both syllables. It drives me nuts when Dara O'Briain introduces himself, and then everyone else on Mock the Week apart from Ed Byrne calls him 'DAA-ra'.

There is also the issue of the Irish initial 'D' sound, though - which is soft and more like the 'th' sound at the beginning of 'though' ...

Oisin

is a LUUUUVERY name

What about Senan or Annraoi? Have fun choosing and congrats on your new baby.

The one that I know is a girl and she pronounces it Al-be.

Tadhg is the best Irish boy's name. :)

Isn't the name of a sports channel now though, Maryz? I like Dara too. I like all of those names.

Oh didn't think of that re: Ronan Keating. Good point!
How about Séamus, Eoin (or Eoghan), Conor, Cian, Liam, Oisín, Cormac, Cillian, Ciarán
Oh you don't want C names, duh! Sorry, loads of Irish boys names begin with C. Hmm what else ... Eamonn, Barra, Diarmuid, Dónal, Tadhg, Lorcan ... can't think of anymore for the minute.

p.s. Ailbe might be easier to pronounce as well, with the b sound.

Oh I really like Cathal. And if it's spelled Cahal, then it won't be mispronounced either. I never heard of Nuada before! How about Ronan? That's an Irish name isn't it? And easy to pronounce.

Haven't looked at the thread, but have had several bad reactions to some names I have suggested so have decided from now on to keep my gob shut! People always know someone of that name they dislike, or else suggest names that I dislike. So it's easier to say nothing I reckon!

People are always rude about other people's choice of name, for some reason. Think I won't tell anyone the name we choose until the baby is actually here, then they may be less likely to say anything!

Irish names (and Scottish I presume) can be difficult due to different letter combinations for sounds (the -bh-, for example, being pronounced as -v-). I think go ahead and call your child what you want! Everyone else can get over it.

Having said that, so many people I know get so frustrated with people getting their names wrong all the time, e.g. Siobhán being called See-o-ban instead of Shovawn, or Clodagh being pronounced Clo-dag instead of Cloda and you can see why are the spelling really is quite different in Irish. But if you're happy with that, then why not! Are there any other boy names in Irish or Gaelic you've been thinking of?