Having doubts about chosen Boy's Name

Donacha is fine as a name, not my favourite but not my choice however the NN Don/ Donny would be the thing that put me off.

There are definitely nicer Irish boys names.

Not a fan.
I would assume it was a girls name too. Or that it was Donaghadee gone wrong.
If pronounced Dun-aka it makes me think of "sunny", which is Oz slang for loo.

I do know a female Dannika

It's pronounced DUN-a-Ka?

I'm very crude. My first thought was that it sounded like Done-a-cat.

As in fucked one or killed one.

I'm really sorry.

I've never heard it, I wouldn't have a clue how to say it and I would assume it's a girls name. I'm in SE England.

Sorry , it's not that I don't like it but it's not going to be an easy name. That said, so many names from so many cultures now that people would get used to it pretty quick!

Don't like it at all - the shape or the sound. It's kind of dumpy and fussy looking at the same time. I would have guessed donna-cha.

Don't mind Donny as a nn but Donny Blair - no! Just too close to Tony.

OP if you love it, go for it, but if you're unsure, have a rethink.

Love it - but I'm Irish so 'get it'

I like Dulta too

I think it sounds quite feminine, what about Donal?

Just googled Donny and it also has a number of other connotations

abbreviated nickname of the town of Doncaster in south yorkshire, England.

a dick
Man, that guy sure is being a huge donny right now.

Slang term for McDonald's.
"Let's go to Donny's and get some double cheeseburgers."

to get very high by smoking the reefer
Guy: How come you missed your frist day at school?

Girl: I was so donnie last night that I even for got what a school is...

Also connotations for the nickname Don
In light of the previous definitions stating that the "Don" is the "boss" or in charge of an organized crime family, this hip-hop / rap slang term was derived from the first name of "Don Vito Corleone" the main character and "boss" of the Corleone crime family in the classic blockbuster "Mario Puzo's The Godfather"

I'm not entirely sure that i would want any of those things to be associated with my child's name.

Where I live a donny is a slang term used by young people for a close friend, 'he's my donny' .

I wouldn't usually post to say "I don't like it" OP, but you have asked what people think!

I too think it sounds like a girls name as it's very like Danika or a Donna/Anika hybrid. I don't think people will struggle to pronounce it - it's pretty straightforward. The spelling is very reminiscent of 'Doncha' (don't ya) though, so that might be something to be aware of. In terms of personal preference I don't like the sound of it. Quite clunky. Also, for me, Don/Donny is in the same category as Roger, Terry, Malcolm ... quite 'your friends dad's name in the 80's' if you know what I mean. Perfectly fine if you like that genre of name, but I'm definitely not a fan.

Sorry OP!

Love it, love it and it sounds great with your surname!

But it will generally be pronounced the way you, and later your child, pronounce it. My UK-born son is called Naoise which is pronounced 'NEE-shuh' and to some people in this country, that sounds like an Indian girl's name, Nisha.

But it never occurred to me to privilege consideration of other people's preferences/ethnic backgrounds/preference for the familiar when naming him - I chose a name I loved, and still love. I'm honestly baffled by the sheer fearfulness that so often manifests on naming threads, as if the best thing we could all do for our children is call them all Jack and Sophie Smith, so they never have to spell their names or correct anyone's pronunciation, or stand out in any way.

I find myself wondering where it comes from, and whether it's some middle-class English trait about blending in and not looking overtly 'other', foreign or show-offy that as a foreigner I simply don't get...?

I also agree that it does sound like a girls name. It's too much like Danica.

The Don/Donny nickname is also consistent with the Donna-ka pronunciation. You'll have real trouble if you want him to be called Dun-a-ka and then Donny as nn. Switching between the D-u-n and the D-o-n will be too much for our tiny English brains.

I only know one, but it definitely gets pronounced 'Donna-ka'. With a hard D and a hard K. I would say it is likely that is how it will be pronounced in London, unless you're going to correct people all the time.

No one ever says oh don't give your child that Polish, Nigerian, Korean, Indian name, it's just impossible to say. Somehow its ok for Irish names to not be good enough though. Strange.

I like it. Also love Diarmuid, Declan and Daithi if you need more Irish boys names beginning with D!

It's nor pronounced remotely like Donna, it's 'DUN - uh - ka', but the 'D' is like the 'th' sound from the beginning of 'thou', and the 'k' is the soft 'ch' from the end of 'loch'.

Do it, OP. Reclaim it from Donnacha O' Dulaing!

I really like it!

"Being called Donna by your enemies" that really made me laugh for some reason. Do people have enemies?

I have a DS with an unusual Irish name and the spelling and pronunciation have rarely caused issue in England despite the warning that it would. I wouldn't let that put you off at all. The Rugby connection also makes it more recognisable. I'm not personally too keen on the name though but not due to spelling, just my preference. If you like it, stick with it!

I can't imagine that Donnacha will be problematic for London given the huge diversity of names there. Plus Don/Donny is pretty mainstream sounding although still probably fairly unusual. Not sure about Don Blair though.

do you have any reserve names OP?

Terrible, sorry. A lifetime of answering to Doh-nah-ch-ar, and correcting people, plus likely being called Donna by your enemies.

I thought it was a girls name, insofar as I've never seen such a name. And initially read it as Doncha. (Don't ya ).

OP, use it if you like it, and discount the usual Little Englander 'ooh, no one will ever be able to pronounce it and your child will be laughed to scorn in the playground' views which are encountered tiresomely often in relation to Irish names on here.

I like it and think it's overdue a revival. For what it's worth, I have an Irish name and surname, live in England, and my son has an unusual Irish name and my surname, and neither of our lives is blighted by not being called Sophie and Jack Smith.

I think Donnacha is a great name. I know several (I'm in Ireland) and they are all interesting, lovely people so I am very well-disposed towards the name.

I love it but when I say Donny Blair I sound like I'm trying to say the ex prime minister with a blocked nose.