caoimhe

I'm in Scotland. I knew a girl called Caoimh with no e at the end - pronounced Keev. No one had any difficulty pronouncing it once they'd been told. Took a little longer to learn to spell. Lovely name you should go for it.

How do you pronounce Sadhbh?

I must admit that I've seen Caoimhe written down but until just now would not have known how to pronounce it. Similarly I knew the spelling Siobhán from written down, and knew people with that name, and never knew it was the same name!

Depending on which part of England I suspect that she will need to tell people how to spell it a fair bit? I don't think you should let that put you off though.

I knew a little girl called Caoimh - no e at the end. Pronounced Keev. Lovely name. In Scotland by the way. No problems with pronunciation once i'd been told. Took me a little longer to remember the spelling. Then again there are lots of names I can't spell.

When I first saw it I guessed at cami for pronounceation, and I'm usually quite good with Irish names though I'm English. I've only ever heard Keeva and spelt as such.

Munster Irish here, Kweeva; it hurts my eyes to see a gorgeous name spelled like that.
I anticipate the same problems with my two favourite girls' names, Sorcha and Sadhbh.
I think I'll use them still.
If you are still casting about for ideas though, I also love Emer and Orla for girls, which would carry no such issues.

Caoimhe is really popular at the moment, as is Saoirse - I'd say by the time she's leaving school they will be fairly common names here, similar to Siobhán and Sinead in the 80s. So I wouldn't worry too much about the spelling holding her back. And I say that as the owner of a fairly rare Irish name myself.

It's Kweeva to me (Munster Irish), but if I knew the parent was Northern Irish I would know it to be pronounced Keeva. I know several little Caoimhes of both pronunciations.

I was working with someone in a hotel with the name when I was younger, we called her Keeva. However customers would always call her Kay-oh-me.

To my English ears I've always taken my Dublin relative to be called Keeva not Queeva. People will call her whatever pronounciation you use.

The real problem will be people learning how to spell it or people shouting it out in the waiting room who are not familiar with it. But this goes for lots of names. I come across a lot of names I don't know how to pronounce especially traditional African names. But it's up to me to find out the correct pronunciation and spelling.

I don't understand why people say don't use a traditional Irish name in England, especially if there is an Irish connection. Caombhe is a beautiful name.

I'm English and would automatically pronounce Caiomhe as Keeva.

When I say i know - there was a girl at school with this name and that is what I was told.

I'm English and I know it is said Keeva. I think the spelling Keeva is really ugly and if you are going to use it I would stick to the traditional spelling, though you will have to tell all/most English people how to pronounce it.

The two I have met are both Keeva, but I think either is correct. Donegal and Fermanagh origins

NI and I'd say Keeva but know a Caoimhe from Cork who pronounces her name as Kweeva.

I met a little girl with this name. Easy to pronounce ONCE you have been told how.

Northern Irish and my cousin is Keev-ee.

But the others I know are Keeva.

I don't like the sound of the kwee iyswim.

I'm English and would say keeva. Beautiful name.

I've never seen this name before and wouldn't have a clue. I'm in SE England and work in a school so I see a lot of names! I'd say there would be issues in England with it.

I'm from Galway and would say qweeva but I'd know to say Keeva if she was from Donegal/Northern Ireland.

Beautiful name and FWIW I have an impossible to pronounce Irish name but it wasn't a problem when I was little and living in UK. I'm not a bit bothered if someone gets my name wrong. Sometimes don't even correct them. But that wouldn't stop me choosing an Irish name (I picked a consonant-rich name for DD) as I think if it's a situation other than, say, a receptionist calling out your name, most people will make the effort to learn the correct pronunciation. Plus I love Irish names and I'd hate to see them die out because they aren't intuitive to pronounce for non-Irish speakers. End of gentle rant.

Ulster here and Keeva.

I wouldn't know by looking at it, but as a best guess I would liken it to Niamh and pronounce it Keeeiv. Then I'd blush for getting it wrong....

My mum is from Dublin and would say Keeva. But it should of course be spelled properly.

Keeva. Love it, it's going to be eventual DD2s name.

I'm in England, people learn!

I'm English and would say Keeva. Love the name but the English might struggle with the spelling.

I'm from Dublin there is was kweeva ,I lived for years in the north west of Ireland there it seemed to be keeva. One of my closest friends is called this she now lives in London the pronunciations are anything from Kevin to cammy !!

Dublin-ish (Munster Irish at school): Qweeva.

I love it. But my husband's Kiwi relatives would have mangled it, so I couldn't use it