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Baby names

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

Original poster

What can we call Orlaith's sister?

58 replies

ItsMyLastOne · 25/08/2012 11:18

DP likes a few names and I have no idea, we're just going round in circles.

He likes Anya, but I'm not sure, I suggested Aine but I don't know whether it's right either.
His other names are Mia/Mya/Maya, Ava, Eva. I think that's it.

We both like quite short 'pretty' or unusual names, but are open to suggestions.

Please help!

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MrMiyagi · 27/08/2012 13:15

manicinsomniac its pronounced saw-ra-hah

WeeLors · 27/08/2012 11:20

A friend of mine has Orla and Esme, I think they go lovely together. Absolutely no idea if there's an Irish version of Esme though if thats what you would prefer

KenDoddsDadsDog · 27/08/2012 08:10

I hadn't heard Aine before (DH is Irish not me) and then it was in a storybook he was reading to DD. Shamrock Sean or something....

mathanxiety · 27/08/2012 06:31

The Meath Geeltacht was created during the early years of the Irish state when Irish speakers were transplanted to Meath from Connemara and settled on estates of absentee landlords whose land was appropriated. The dialect there is Connemara Irish.

A similar transplantation occurred near my mother's family home a single family was moved from somewhere in Connemara to a little cottage in Carlow. The locals called the man The Irishman Hmm. His wife gave birth practically as soon as they arrived. Nothing much was done by the county council to help the family get used to different farming (on productive land as opposed to bog and rocks) and their farm wasn't a success; they moved to the UK after a few years. They had great difficulties communicating with the locals and the woman was miserable, cut off as she was from friends and relatives nobody understood what anyone was saying on either side (the local accented English is hard for English speakers to understand too).

Now that I think of it, in that part of the world nearly all EE sounds in English are pronounced as long A sounds.

Original poster
ItsMyLastOne · 26/08/2012 22:35

*one not me

OP posts:
Original poster
ItsMyLastOne · 26/08/2012 22:34

How weird KDDD! Grin

I just did the MN baby name finder and me of the 10 names it came up with was Anya! Shock

OP posts:
KenDoddsDadsDog · 26/08/2012 22:18

I have an Orlaith and her sister will be an Aine ! Smile

PenisVanLesbian · 26/08/2012 21:46

yep. And there are more irish speakers in leinster than the west of ireland now.

anniewoo · 26/08/2012 18:35

Isn't there now a Gaeltacht in Meath

mathanxiety · 26/08/2012 16:35

How about
Elsa
Elisa
Emilia
India
Eithne pronounced Enya
Emma
Sonia
Iona
Sylvia
Lydia
Celia
Livia
Zinnia
Julia

mathanxiety · 26/08/2012 16:27

There is a fairly common pronunciation of AOI that is more Ae than EE. A lot of my extended family lives close to Leinster's last gaeltacht (The Rower in Kilkenny) - two of my under 5 rellies there have names pronounced Kaelin and Aevan (spelled Caoilfhionn and Aoibheann)

PenisVanLesbian · 26/08/2012 16:09

No its not, its jsut been partly anglicised, its completely different.

Stokes · 26/08/2012 16:04

But it's like calling your son John and pronouncing it Ben! The only part of their name that they are pronouncing correctly is the v sound in the middle and the n sound at the end.

PenisVanLesbian · 26/08/2012 15:55

If there are lots of them, they aren't pronouncing their own names wrong (arrogant much Hmm ?) its a variation. And, ime, the most common pronounciation in fact.

Stokes · 26/08/2012 15:36

There are many girls out there called Aoibheann pronounced Ay-veen but I'm pretty sure they're all pronouncing their name wrong, whatever the dialect. Aoi is always pronounced "Ee" (see Aoife) and eann doesn't spell "Eeen" - that would be ín. So Ay-veen could be written, say, Éibhín.

And despite coming from Leinster, I've never heard of Leinster Irish - just Munster, Connacht and Ulster.

Original poster
ItsMyLastOne · 26/08/2012 15:34

My name which is also up there ^ is one which is pronounced differently depending in where you're from. My family all pronounce it different as some are in Ulster and some are in Leinster.

So far DP is only liking Anya, Maya, Mia and Freya. I've given him loads of these suggestions but he doesn't like them.

Luckily we have another 3 months (all being well) to decide!

OP posts:
CremeEggThief · 26/08/2012 14:29

Aoibheann can be pronounced either as Ay-veen, Even or Eveen.

PenisVanLesbian · 26/08/2012 12:22

It is pronounced Ay-veen in at least one dialect. My cousin for one (of many) is pronounced that way.
Lots of names are pronounced differently depending on whether you are using say leinster irish or munster irish.

Stokes · 26/08/2012 12:04

Aoibheann isn't pronounced Ay-veen btw, it's Ee-vin (very like the english word even).

JamieandTheOlympicTorch · 26/08/2012 11:31

All the names you mention OP are very popular (in England - not sure where you are)
I don't know many Irish names but there are some lovely suggestions.

Or What about

Leah
Callie
Claudia

anniewoo · 26/08/2012 10:04

Cara/ Caragh ( friend in Irish)
Alana / Alanah

anniewoo · 26/08/2012 09:46

Cara / Caragh ( means friend in irish)
Caragh
Alana / Alannah/ Alanna ( darling in Irish)

Original poster
ItsMyLastOne · 26/08/2012 09:32

I quite like Roisin, but the only Roisin I know is always known as Rosie.

I do like Aoibhe, and we had considered Eva and Ava but I like the idea of an Irish version.

I also like Freya.

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 26/08/2012 01:39

Lyra
Moya (Ulster pronunciation of Máire spelled phonetically)

Aimeetree · 26/08/2012 00:50

Evelyn?