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

Interested in feedback: Rory or Dara (for boy), Maggie/Orla or Tara (for girl)

33 replies

thunksheadontable · 21/04/2012 21:01

My child will have an O' something name.

I like Rory (despite the racing car) for a boy at present, but am open to other suggestions. Basically interested in something that sounds vaguely culturally Irish without having a spelling or pronunciation that will pose problems to the average English speaker. Maggie, of course, is not "Irish" at all but a Maggie O' sounds Irish enough for me.

Thoughts? Alternatives?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Orla40 · 23/04/2012 16:11

You're probably right - I stand corrected! Smile

mathanxiety · 23/04/2012 16:03

Yes the name comes from the Hill of Tara, but it was never used in Ireland as a name for anyone until after it had become popular in America, and it started being used as a name in America at the same time that Erin and Shannon were, and neither of those names were used in Ireland either until they made their way east across the Atlantic, along with Kelly.

Margaret Mitchell used the name Tara Hill to emphasise the Irishness of Scarlett O'Hara's heritage. She knew about the high kings, etc. The name suggested royalty, Irishness, a glorious past, all of which made it suitable for the theme of GWTW and simulaneously attractive to Irish Americans in the 1940s and afterwards.

Orla40 · 23/04/2012 15:52

This is taking up too much space on this thread but I have to disagree about the name originating in America. I get the Gone with the Wind connection as Scarlett's dad was Irish and Irish abroad wanting to call their children something from home etc but the name comes from the high kings of Tara / the Hill of Tara. I think it's also a Hindu name but it's defintely not American.

mathanxiety · 23/04/2012 15:32

Tara was used by Margaret Mitchell as the name of the plantation in Gone With the Wind and became very popular in Irish American circles as a girls' name when that was such a huge hit, coinciding with the arrival of the Irish in the middle class and confidence in their ethnic identity. It's a name that really originated in America, like Erin and Shannon. It's sometimes spelled Terra or Tera as that would be how it is often pronounced. (Megan is another name that is big in Irish America as it is wrongly assumed to be Irish. Same goes for Lauren, Kelsey and Michaela/Kayla).

BringBack1996 · 23/04/2012 14:55

I came on to suggest Fionnuala but someone's beat me to it! For me it's pretty, easy to pronounce and spell and has a couple of good nicknames. Shame we're way to english to use it!

CaramelFreddo · 23/04/2012 13:54

Love Dara for a boy. Not so keen on Rory (due to finding it hard not to sing the racing car after saying it).

Not sure on the girls - I do like Orla.

Also just to add I am irish and have a Cara pronounced Cara, as in rhymes with Tara, Dara etc.

Orla40 · 23/04/2012 13:41

No need to apologise at all!! I just wondered.

MagsAloof · 23/04/2012 13:35

Shannon

MagsAloof · 23/04/2012 13:34

Tara is the sort of name Americans think of as really authentically Irish - like Sahnnon, Erin, Eire etc

It is a nice enough name, but it has those connotations for me, sorry

Orla40 · 23/04/2012 13:30

thunkshedontable, I have a cousin called Cara, lives in Ireland to Irish parents and her name is pronounced Cara (as in Tara).

I like Dara but prefer the spelling Daragh. I do like Rory as well though. (not being much help so far, am I?!)

I'm Tara and my daughter is Orla so like them both!!

Mathanxiety - American???? How so?! Do you mean it's been adopted by lots of Americans??

MagsAloof · 22/04/2012 14:17

I love Dara.
Rory not so much, and prefer Gaelic spelling, too.
I like Maggie, but it needs to be Margaret or Marguerite really.
Orla is nice enough.
Not keen on Tara.

KenDoddsDadsDog · 22/04/2012 10:18

Well if it doesn't sound odd to you then that is fine. As I said up thread your choices are all lovely.

Original poster
thunksheadontable · 22/04/2012 10:06

Maeve would be my favourite of the girl's ones, Math but sadly sil got there first. I feel the same about Erin but less so with Tara as I know a few. I don't love any girl's names right now... could name a team of boys without a bother.

OP posts:
Original poster
thunksheadontable · 22/04/2012 10:00

No need to be snotty! It was a genuine question, I don't get it.. I wondered if it was something cultural I'd missed. To me it's like saying James Smith is a bit comedy', it makes no sense.

OP posts:
KenDoddsDadsDog · 22/04/2012 07:40

My opinion and you did ask for opinions? And I'm perfectly conversant with Irish names in Ireland.

HereIGo · 22/04/2012 05:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mathanxiety · 22/04/2012 04:43

I like Orla and Margaret, and like Maggie as a nn. Would you consider Mairead?
Tara is too American to me. I have the same problem with Erin.

How about:
Bridget
Emer
Fionnuala/Finola
Nora
Maeve
Nessa
Una
Roisin

I like Rory and Dara but would spell it Daragh.
How about:
Ronan
Lorcan
Cillian/Killian
Cormac
Fintan
Finbar
Murtagh (that T would be pronounced wrong though)

Snauzenthumpen · 22/04/2012 01:05

haha no a trendy name wouldn't offset squareness but a square name would add to squareness!!!! haha what am I talking about??!

from your reply you have my permission to call her maggie!!!

CointreauVersial · 22/04/2012 01:00

All great names, except not blown away by Maggie.

How about Erin? Not an Irish name, but means "Ireland". Easy to pronounce!

Original poster
thunksheadontable · 22/04/2012 00:52

Percy, one of those is ds1! I like them apart from Seamus (a particularly wimpy beardy moany guy from uni springs to mind Grin)

Snauzen, I am intrigued.. would a trendy name offset squareness? And what counts as square? Is it anything other than roof-gardening, Buddhist bungee jumping bisexual rockstar? Or do you merely mean please don't call her Maggie if her entire wardrobe will be pink?

Also, KenDoddsDad'sdog.... Orla O' could be comedy? Give me some pointers why.. as you can imagine it's fairly common in Ireland so I'm a bit Confused.

OP posts:
Snauzenthumpen · 22/04/2012 00:31

Like Rory and Like Maggie
Like Maggie so long as you are a kind of erm "with it" mother. If you are a bit square then give her a trendier name. My god that sounded rude hope you know what I mean?!!

PercyFilth · 22/04/2012 00:22

Brendan
Declan
Fergal
Seamus

All quite well-known in English but not over-popular at the moment afaik

MrsAmaretto · 21/04/2012 22:47

Rory and Tara are my favourites from your choices.

Original poster
thunksheadontable · 21/04/2012 22:39

Stellan, I laughed when I read that. My father is Donal. We are not speaking! So probably not! I do like the name, but it's another one where pronunciation would irritate me as my father was brought up speaking Irish and if you say it like him, it is pronounced with a soft D, sort of like "Though-nel" if you stopped the air escaping from between your teeth when saying the /th/ sound. So again, I am fecked because of my own pedantry when it comes to Irish pronunciation.

I would have thought Dara was okay and identifiably masculine because of Dara O'Briain but maybe not. I prefer Rory anyway I think.. but dh does insist on singing "the racing car" after it grrrr. I think he's still coming around to it though!

Toobreathless the "oo" bit in Ruairi/Ruairidh is the same - it's the "ua" that makes the "oo" sound (if that makes sense!). It might be that some dialects pronounce it slightly differently, but I will always look at that spelling and think Rooory iykwim, so probably not for me..

OP posts:
Stellan · 21/04/2012 22:31

Before you use Dara or Tara, make sure you know that using one rules out the other. If you really like Tara for a girl and plan on having more children, you might want to hold back on using Dara this time around.

I'd pick Rory as (in the UK at least!) it's clearly masculine; Dara is a bit more ambiguous.

I like Maggie as a nickname and I don't mind either Orla or Tara. They don't set my world on fire but they're all decent choices and if you adore them, they'll be excellent choices for your child.

As far as boys' names are concerned, may I suggest Donal to you?

Swipe left for the next trending thread