Please be brutal(ly honest)!

Well, I'm not in Ireland and the OP did ask for an honest opinion and it was the first thing that came to my mind. Surely I can't be the only one?

So, it might be a beautiful name, just not appreciated by me.

I'll pick my up mind from the gutter.

The girl choices are a bit naff-frilly-complicated for me (sorry, that's brutal). What about Daphne? Definitely due for revival.

Clara I like best, but the Dr. Who link puts me off a little.

Max & Joseph/Joe boy choices are okay by me, I don't warm to the others.

It's pronounced klee-uh-nah.

But I've just remembered a horrible Cliona who snogged a boy I fancied about 20 years ago, so please feel free to continue disliking it!

From your list I really like Hero and Clara though Clara is quite popular ATM.
Cliona and Eila are my least favorite, they both look like spelling mistakes to me.
Persephone is trying too hard, Theodora and Darcey will date due to celeb links.
Stella reminds me immediately of the beer, though I do like Estelle.

Cliona is cleaner?

Still dreadful

Girl
Theodora- a bit fussy, but nice.
Persephone-too try hard.
Cliona- the most awful name I've seen or heard in a while.
Hero- nice enough
Elia- no
Darcey- nice
Clara- lovely, the best by far.
Stella- nice

Boy
Max- great
Aengus- minging
Theodore- nice
Ethan- nice
Luca- nice
Jeremiah- lovely
Joseph: I love.

The OP is in Ireland, everyone will know exactly how to pronounce Cliona.

Ps love Ethsn too!

How is cliona like clitoris?!!!! Same 3 letters at the start but vastly different then!!!

I'm in Ireland and currently growing a Luca in my belly (well I think I saw boy parts on a 4D scan but not officially finding out!). A bit worried about growing popularity but I adore it.

Have Clara on our girl's list but I prnounce it with a long sound in the middle, almost like an aw but not quite (that's how I always knew it after s girl in school) but think most would say Clara like Lara which I don't like and would hate to be correcting people all the time.

As others have said never heard of eila, is it like Isla or Ayla?

And how many will get the proper pronunciation first time?
And how many will just see it written down?

Not worth it.

Yeah but Cliona said properly sounds like Cleaner and nothing whatsoever like clitoris.

Poor old Cliona is getting a drubbing . It's such an ordinary name in Ireland a la Niamh and Orla.

I don't usually post on these threads because I always feel so mean fo disliking someone's chosen name. BUT, as you asked.....

Girl
Theodora - No
Persephone - No
Cliona - No (because I don't know how to say it)
Hero - Meh
Eila - If you mean "Isla" then yes
Darcey - No
Clara - Yes, this in my favourite
Stella - No

Boy
Max - I love Max
Aengus - If you mean "Angus" then yes
Theodore - no
Ethan - yes
Luca - LOVE Luca
Jeremiah - meh
Joseph - meh

No to Cliona, Hero and Darcey.

The rest are nice.

Girl
Theodora ...like
Persephone...awful
Cliona...awful
Hero...terrible
Eila...ok
Darcey...ok
Clara...love it
Stella...ok

Boy
Max...great name
Aengus..awful
Theodore...ok
Ethan....like
Luca...awful
Jeremiah...awful
Joseph...great name

Love Clara and Luca. Theodora, Max, Joseph, Angus are perfectly good too. Cliona sounds weird. I'd put Persephone in the middle- gorgeous sound but dodgy connotations/spelling/nicknames. Clara Persephone? YES.

Don't like Darcey, Ethan or Hero I'm afraid.

Girl
Theodora - adorable. But Robbie Williams daughter has this. Teddy as short wonderful. But might get cleb connotations
Persephone - Percy or worse perci
Cliona - oh dear that made me laugh. Are you in Surrey?
Hero - er bit odd. Doesn't mylene class have that too...?
Eila - it's Isla your spelling will always be corrected
Darcey - lovely
Clara - like this too
Stella - yup last 3 are lovely

Boy
Max - love it but I know 4 Max's
Aengus - will always be spelt Angus can you be bothered correcting for 18yrs...?
Theodore - yup lovely here too
Ethan - good
Luca - are you Italian? If not don't
Jeremiah - it's ok but others better
Joseph - can't go wrong with Joe

Am so very sorry that this sounds rude, but you asked for brutal comments:

Theodora- fine but very aspirational at present. Dorothea is the trad English equivalent
Persephone- OK but I prefer Proserpin/ Proserpina
Cliona - as others have said, no
Hero - OK, but, unless you are Greek, sounds rather try-hard
Eila - where does this come from? What does it mean?
Darcey - Darcey Bussel is a truly splendid dancer, but, because of that, it's a hard name to live up to
Clara - the female equivalent of Arlo
Stella - all the people I have known with this name have been really, really nice, but some people will equate it with lager

Max - to me, this is an abbreviation. Maxwell= lowland Scots =perfectly OK; Maximilian/Maximilien = fine although continental. For the UK, has some Daphne du Maurier 'Rebecca' overtones
Aengus - If you are Scottish or Irish, then Aengus is OK, though Aonghus is the more usual spelling:
www.behindthename.com/name/aonghus
Otherwise, plain Angus is a very nice name.
Theodore is fine, but 'Teddy' abbreviation was the fastest-growing new name in the UK last year, if that matters
Ethan - sounds like a film star
Luca - fashionable after Colin Firth and his Italian wife chose this Italian name. If you have Italian connections, then fine. Otherwise, why? Why not Luke?
Jeremiah - why not, if you like it? But Jeremy is the more usual UK version.
Joseph - no problems at all

You've just reminded me of Theodora Fitzgibbon though, my mother makes all her Crimbo recipes.

Girl
Theodora - too long and too fussy
Persephone - too long and too fussy
Cliona - lots of Clionas in my year at school, it's a bit 1970's. No one in Ireland will think 'clitoris' though.
Hero - bit much to live up to
Eila - It sounds nice but have you made up this spelling?
Darcey - will date badly.
Clara - great name
Stella - like it

Boy
Max - okay
Aengus - No way, sounds far too much like anus. And it reminds me of poor old Wandering Aengus and the salmon of knowledge.
Theodore - LOVE Theo
Ethan - nope
Luca - becoming quite common in Ireland
Jeremiah - only if you give birth to a 187 year old.
Joseph - okay

Because you are in Ireland [and I am Irish] I would say:

Theodora - borderline pretentious - will definitely be shortened permanently
Persephone - only if you like Percy, the phone on the end is likely to result in a lot of nicknames, plus will be viewed as the height of pretentiousness
Cliona - haven't heard it for a while, never heard the clitoris connection at home
Hero - depends on your surname. Scores highly on the pretentious gauge but not as bad as Persephone
Eila - yes
Darcey - yes, not really to my taste
Clara - yes.
Stella - yes, though the nickname for the beer in the UK is wifebeater as it's so strong.

Boy
Max - yes
Aengus - quite oldfashioned so some ribbing possibly
Theodore - yes, again will be shortened
Ethan - yes
Luca - not unless you have Italian connections, otherwise it's pretentious imo [you did say be brutal]
Jeremiah - he'll just be called Jerry
Joseph - Joe

Theodora - love this and Thea
Persephone - no
Cliona - definitely no
Hero - absolutely no
Eila - never heard it before so no idea how to say it. Would it be confused with the very popular Ella or Isla?
Darcey - no
Clara - This gets a lot of love on MN but I really don't like it. Also it feels like it is suddenly being talked about all the time.
Stella - OK

Max - great but lots and lots of them about.
Aengus - Is this pronounced the same as Angus? I love the name Angus
Theodore - nice but prefer Theodora
Ethan - No.
Luca - Too feminine sounding
Jeremiah - too frilly for a boy's name
Joseph - OK.

I'm such a fool. For a good minute or so I thought 'Girl' was one of your name ideas and was baffled! (I'm not well - obviously it's affecting my thinking ability!).

I like Theodora and Darcey. I also like Eila but think people would end up writing Ella. Stella, I quite like but I wonder if Estelle is better and then can be shortened etc.?

I like Max, Theodore, Ethan and Joseph.

My reasons for not being so sure about the others are the same as PPs have covered.

You've got some lovely names shortlisted there.

I love Clara and Joseph. Max, Ethan, Stella all nice. Not keen on the rest.