irish baby girl names

Also love Grainne (Grace).. think it is pretty and timeless
I thought this was the Irish 'Hannah' not Grace?
Sorry but this name just sounds horrible, like grotty or granny.

I love Roise (Row-sha) as an alternative to Roisin, I came across Tiarnagh (Teerna) that I thought sounded nice recently and Saileog (Sal-oh-g) is different!

I wouldn't dumb down a name just for fear of having to spell it. Some people are going to get John or Mary wrong.

Lasairfhiona is brill imo.

Also Damhnait and Beibhinn.

Sorcha is a bit of a minefield

I much prefer Sorcha to Saoirse. I really like Aoife but think Caoimhe is just OK, I don't know why! I'm watching this thread with interest too!

My XP is Irish and he has a niece called Eimaer (pronounced EeMer) which I think is very pretty.

I am expecting in ten weeks and was always going to go for Maeve only we have a special reason for using Mary (if it is a girl).
Also love Grainne (Grace).. think it is pretty and timeless.

I don't like names that are very 'out there' though as I know what a pain it is to have to spell/explain your name constantly.

I have recently heard a baby Kathleen.. now I never thought it would be nice on a baby but it actually really suits her and is/will be unusual growing up/can shorten to Kate which I love.

I have a Caoimhe and a Maeve. Wanted a Clodagh but he's a Seamus instead. Love all the names. What about Eilis ( eilish)

Out of your choices Caoimhe is my favourite.

Other irish names I like are Cliodhna (pron Klena) and Caoileann (pron Keelin.)

I am in N.Ireland and I wasnt aware that Saoirse had those connections.

I met a Lasairfhiona recently! That's one tricky mo-fo of a name to be stuck with, even in Ireland.

I'm a bit blah about Irish names, they're so unexotic to me but I can appreciate that people from other countries see them as fresh.

I'm Irish, living in London, as are a lot of Irish young people of my generation. My first name is not Irish, but a lot of my friends living here are middle-class Dubliners with names of the Caoilfhionn variety. I really do thank the stars that my parents didn't burden me with a name that I have to explain every single time a stranger asks, and that realistically, no one can pronounce. My friends have fake English names that they use when they're short of time.

Personally, I prefer names like Una, Mary, Bridie, Kitty, Maud, Sadie (BOD shout-out there). I realise that these names aren't everyone's cup of tea, and aren't exclusively Irish, but they're the names of my grandmothers' generation, and are, for me, a far stronger link to my Irish heritage than the Lasairfhionas of this world.

All that said, I do like Naoise ('Neesha') or Banbha ('Banva')

duffle I thought Aoife could be spelled phonetically as Efa,however it was pointed out to me it's a Welsh name pronounced Air-va (roughly).

How confusing!

I'm in the mid-west of Ireland & you'd be looked at sideways for using Saoirse (which is pronounced sare-sha here too) because of the above mentioned reasons.

When I first lived here and was unaware of how Irish names are pronounced I misheard someone's daughter's name as Saoirse when it was actually Sorcha. I got a very stern correction & an explanation as to why her daughter was very definitely not called Saoirse!

I actually think it's a beautiful name.

Caoimhe is lovely too. It's pronounced Queeva where I live, rather than Keeva.

Aoife is my favourite Irish girl's name, and was on the list if I'd had a DD.

love love love Roisin!

Interesting, I don't associate Saoirse with Republicanism at all. I doubt many people who use the name do anymore either. I think of a more hippyish type of 'freedom'! To me it's a very middle class Irish name.

I pronounce it sare-sha, although seer-sha and ser-sha are legit too.

I'm in Dublin and I wouldn't consider Saoirse for reasons mentioned above.

Maeve!
I hate any of those Caoimhe, Caoilfhinn names - they sound so whiney (or maybe the Caoimhe's I knew were just whiney)
Cara
Aoife is lovely and spelling could even be phonetic (Efa) if she gets fed up spelling it out for people.
I think Roisin is too popular - there must be 10 in our local school of 200 pupils.
Aine (Awyna)

I like Ailish and Mairead

I love the name Saoirse and have spent time living in the Republic of Ireland and never heard of any negative associations of it. Depends where you live I guess, Northern Ireland may be more aware of such things.

If you live in mainland uk then a popular Irish name like Aoife may well be easier than a less well known one.

It is avoided because of its associations with slavery. "Aunt Jemima" is the equivalent of "Uncle Tom"

DD was almost Saoirse, but in the end we went for a much more conventional name.

As long as you at aware of the political connection to the name and are prepared to justify the use then I think go ahead. A lot of people will not be aware but for some it will cut to the bone. Similar to the use of Jemima in the USA.

agree about 'Saoirse' i think it was a republican group in London too.

I love Aoife

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