Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Sorcha... pronunciations?

392 replies

pinkytheshrinky · 11/09/2011 06:45

I know that for the most part this name is pronounced Sor-kha but I met a nice older lady years ago who was a Sor-sha - I do really like this name and it is top of the list for my new dc. What do you think?

I do also have two other dds with Irish names who's spellings have been Anglicised so I do have form for this....

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
KenDoddsDadsDog · 12/09/2011 21:21

Orla is not anglicised!

PootlePosyPerkin · 12/09/2011 21:20

My great aunt's name was Maria - pronounced Mariah Confused. I also know a Marie pronounced MAR-eee, but he's a man Grin.

No idea how to pronounce Sorcha though - sorry!

HelenDamnation · 12/09/2011 21:11

I'm Irish, living in Ireland and I've heard Sorcha pronounced Surraka, Surragha and Sorka here but never Sorsha, that sounds to me almost identical to Seoirse which is Irish for George and a boy's name. Maybe there is some Scottish variation with a soft "sh" in it? Def. not in Irish.

mathanxiety that was a top post! Did you cog it from Progress in Irish?

Aphria · 12/09/2011 20:58

Sorcha pronounced Sorsha will always be an Irish name that's mispronounced as far as I'm concerned.

grumplestilskin · 12/09/2011 20:02

Orla is perfectly acceptable (and common) in Ireland so not sure what that point was?

mathanxiety · 12/09/2011 16:30

SlinkinOutside -- it's the 'se' or 'si' that makes the SH sound.

In Irish, vowels are categorised as broad (A, O, U) or slender (I, E). Broad (leathan) and slender (caol) vowels affect the way the consonants are pronounced. A broad S is S. A slender S is SH. A broad L is L. A slender L is more of a Ly sound. A broad D is D (like a French D sound though), while a slender D has more of a J or DZH sound. And so on.

On either side of a consonant, the vowels must be either broad or slender, never a mix of both. For instance, if there's an A before a consonant or combination of consonants, the vowel letter following the consonant(s) must be A, O, or U, and same goes for the slender vowels.

Orla isn't an anglicised form of Orlaith. It's a perfectly acceptable modern Irish form of Orlaith, which was itself an updated form of Orfhlaith.

The CH in Sorcha isn't really a plain H sound and it's not a K sound either. More like the Russian Kh or the 'ch' in Scottish loCH.

Hedwig3 · 12/09/2011 10:36

I know a 10 year old girl named Sorcha, pn sorsha.

BuntyPenfold · 12/09/2011 09:51

I know 2 older women whose names are very confusing. One is Marie, one is Mary, both pronounced MARee with the emphasis on the first syllable.

Choose whatever name/spelling combination you like, but be tolerant of the many who will get it wrong.

Original poster
pinkytheshrinky · 12/09/2011 07:41

Yes I think I will

I just found another pronunciation which is sor+ra - so it seems like they might all be right depending on regions etc

All our female Irish relatives are called Bridget or Kathleen, or so it seems......

OP posts:
parentfailure · 12/09/2011 06:57

FWIW, I have an Irish relative who has lived in Ireland all of her life and she is ORLA (Not Orlaith). As far as I know, no-one has ever commented on the spelling of her name.

Just go for the name, spelling and pronunciation that you like Smile

Original poster
pinkytheshrinky · 12/09/2011 05:39

And... according the the Celtic name book Sorcha is pronounced Sor+ha and has nothing to do with Sarah either - the plot thickens........

OP posts:
Original poster
pinkytheshrinky · 12/09/2011 05:34

I am not sure it really is an Anglicised spelling though - the sorcha I met years ago was an older woman, she was Irish (no idea from where to be honest)

And when I say I have Irish Anglicised names I mean one of them is Orla - this is an Anglicised form of Orlaith and the other more extraordinary spellings, so am I judged for this too, or is this ok because there are more of them? Lots and lots of people on here have mentioned this name on their baby name lists and i cannot recall one incidence of those people being called ignorant and accused of mis-spelling the name.

Fuck it, i think I might have to live with the judgement - short of giving one's child a ridiculous (and potentially harmful) Armani/Chardonnay type name I cannot believe anyone's life is so empty that they would care enough to judge.

I also think it might be a Scottish Gaelic pronunciation as someone else here has mentioned. It appears there are a lot of Sorchas pronounced with the sha so it cannot just be lots of ignorant people getting it wrong.

OP posts:
SlinkingOutsideInSocks · 12/09/2011 03:10

I thought the single 's' created the 'sh' sound the OP seems keen on, as in Sean, Siobhan.

I am not Irish (DH is though) but I would think someone choosing an Irish name and then using an Anglicised spelling to be, I'm sorry to say it, but pretty ignorant. Like Neave for Naimh, etc.

Sorry, I would smile and say 'lovely name' to your face, but would be quietly judging you in my thoughts. I'm sure a lot of people would though they'd never admit it.

TinyPawz · 12/09/2011 00:26

Saoirse, although a lovely name, unfortunately has "political" implications

mathanxiety · 12/09/2011 00:22

Talkingninsense, Saoirse is pronounced Seer-sha.

mathanxiety · 12/09/2011 00:20

It's not Sor-sha. That's just for the benefit of people who find forrin names challenging.

Sur-uh-kha is how I would say it. The middle syllable is barely noticeable.

Avinalarf · 11/09/2011 23:22

'ch' is never pronounced 'sha' in Irish. It is Sor-uh-ka.

Saoirse?

grumplestilskin · 11/09/2011 23:12

its sor-ah-ka, very irritation when people pronounce the ch "shh" or "ch", its K with a vowel sound after the r

CointreauVersial · 11/09/2011 23:11

DD2 is Sor-sha, and she has an Irish daddy!

Lettinggo, apparently it depends where in Ireland you are from.

I know two others Sorchas in the UK, both are also Sor-sha.

Go for it! It's a lovely name, and is much commented on.

lettinggo · 11/09/2011 23:08

Forgot to add, in Irish the "ch" blend always makes a "k" sound in the middle of a word and anyone who pronounces it with a "sh" sound can't read Irish.

lettinggo · 11/09/2011 23:07

I'm Irish and hate when the pronunciation of names are changed.

Sorcha is Sor-a-ka.

Why would you change it? It would be like naming a child Mary and pronouncing it Marie.

stleger · 11/09/2011 22:09

DD2's friend is a Sor-sha - in Cork.

HorseyGirl1 · 11/09/2011 21:59

I always thought it was Sor-sha too. There are always different pronounciations for the same names. I once knew a Nicola who pronounced it Nic coal a.

MrsHuxtable · 11/09/2011 18:16

I know a Sorcha and she's sor-sha.

sqweegiebeckenheim · 11/09/2011 18:01

Sir -i - ka where I'm from