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Baby names

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Original poster

Irish name growing up in the UK? too much of a ball-ache?

33 replies

monkeymoma · 18/06/2012 19:18

I love Cliona, tested it on DH, he pronounced it wrong, but quickly picked up the correct pronounciation once corrected

I thought about changing the spelling, but is that a bit tacky? and IMO Cleona would be pronounced like Leona (very long O sound, wheras the O in Cliona is shorter) which I don't like

I used to have an Irish surname and it was a PAIN in the UK, however it was the type of Irish name which people still didn't get/pronounce/spell even when corrected IYKWIM, is Cliona an easier one to get, I can see it would need to be corrected once but its not that hard is it?

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AThingInYourLife · 18/06/2012 19:50

"English DH pronounced it Cl-eye-ona at first glance so nothing like cleaner"

Yeah, but if they pronounce it right(ish) (as right as you can expect) it will sound like cleaner said in an English accent.

StepOutOfSpring · 18/06/2012 19:49

Cliona is pretty. Not sure most of us UK folks would get the "short o" thing though. I'd pronounce it to rhyme with Fiona.

Certainly makes a change from Erin, Aoife, Orla, Niamh which seem most popular with those in England with an Irish connection.

chipmonkey · 18/06/2012 19:46

Because it looks like Fiona, you have to remember that.

chipmonkey · 18/06/2012 19:46

Well a lot of people in the UK manage to get Aoife, Niamh, Siobhan and Caoimhe right.
Cliona is a walk in the park after that. But... I do think you would probably get a lot of people saying Klee-OH-na.

misslinnet · 18/06/2012 19:45

I would have pronounced it in the same way as your DH on first glance.

Original poster
monkeymoma · 18/06/2012 19:27

yeah in the UK
English DH pronounced it Cl-eye-ona at first glance so nothing like cleaner - we are down south

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AThingInYourLife · 18/06/2012 19:26

My worry with Clíona is that it would be pronounced the same as "cleaner" in an English accent.

Are you in England?

Original poster
monkeymoma · 18/06/2012 19:23

(oh and DH loves it too now that he knows how it should sound but he is put off by the idea of always correcting people)

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