Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Baby names

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

How would YOU say this name?

139 replies

3luckystars · 18/01/2016 10:25

It's a girls name, just looking for your first reaction to it if you have a minute to reply. I don't want to pick a name that would cause confusion if she lived in another country. Thanks very much.

Aoibh

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Melonaire · 19/01/2016 20:37

You can say they're ignorant and rude though.

TheSecondViola · 19/01/2016 19:12

You cannot possibly say people are thick because they cannot pronounce a name which is foreign

What I said was if you see a name you don't know, and instead of simply asking how you say it, use some mangled attempt of your own, you are a bit thick.
You see a name you can't say, you ask the owner of the name how to say it. Job done.

squoosh · 19/01/2016 16:03

My Dad knew a woman who up until she died at some grand old age in the 1970's insisted on calling 'Dun Loggery' Kingstown.

MissBattleaxe · 19/01/2016 15:58

That doesn't make them thick. Presumably the person corrected them and then they got it right. Not thick, just making a polite guess so as to use the person's name when addressing them.

HeavyFrost · 19/01/2016 15:46

No, MissBattleaxe, but someone who encounters an unfamiliar name on someone's nametag can just ask how it's pronounced, rather than making wild guesses and turning Grainne into Grey Knee? Perfectly reasonable not to know how to pronounce a name that, like Gráinne, is obviously from another language/culture, not so reasonable not to take the obvious, polite approach and ask.

Like no one would have expected you to know how to pronounce Dun Laoghaire. Calling it Dun Loggery would only be unreasonable if you'd lived there for twenty years and still got snitty with cab drivers for not knowing what you meant when you jumped into cabs shouting 'Take me to Dun Loggery!'Grin

MissBattleaxe · 19/01/2016 14:49

That just implies the people she worked with were a bit thick

I only know how to say Grainne because I was at uni with a girl of that name. Prior to that I would have had no idea. You cannot possibly say people are thick because they cannot pronounce a name which is foreign, new to them and spelled in an unfamiliar language. There's a difference between thick and never having heard a name before.

Tirfarthoin · 19/01/2016 14:34

I have an English name with phonetic spelling, I live in England. I still have to spell my name most of the time.

MissBattleaxe · 19/01/2016 13:33

I think unless you knew the pronunciation already you might say AY-OB. Well I might anyway. It looks like that to me. You would probably have to spell it and or pronounce to anyone not familiar with the language or the name. If she's going to be raised in Ireland, more people will know it.

Irish spellings really fox me. I used to have lovely Irish flatmates that laughed at me saying "Dun Loggaire" instead of Dunleary.

squoosh · 19/01/2016 13:31

Actually yesterday I was signing for a parcel and the courier knew how to spell my surname.

He was like, 'oh as in -vaguely famous person- of the same name'. That was nice. Grin

squoosh · 19/01/2016 13:28

Oh I've got to spell my surname all the time too Rafa. It's just my brother has got the first name/surname double whammy.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 19/01/2016 13:26

You get to the point you don't notice it, squoosh. I start spelling my surname before I even realise I'm doing it half the time.

MamaLazarou · 19/01/2016 11:21

Eve

TheSecondViola · 19/01/2016 11:17

And I'm sure it's phonetic in its own language, but the point of the OP was to ask about other contexts

Yes, but you may have missed that the point about phonetics was to the poster who complained it was spelled wildly differently to how it is pronounced. Which it isn't, unless you think all foreign languages need to conform to the rules of English.

It's a seperate point to the OP's question.

squoosh · 19/01/2016 11:14

I personally favour names that work well internationally. But at the same time I don't think there's anything wrong with people choosing a name that's specific to their culture. One of my siblings living in London has an old Irish name that totally foxes people and he accepts that having to explain his name to people on a regular basis is just one of those things. I'm a very impatient person so would be bored after three day of having to do this! Grin

Lweji · 19/01/2016 11:13

Yes, Viola. But it's not obvious. And she'll have to spell the name all the time.

And I'm sure it's phonetic in its own language, but the point of the OP was to ask about other contexts.

TheSecondViola · 19/01/2016 11:09

Anyone who couldn't tell from reading it yet didn't bother to ask and just make up a pronunciation would be a bit thick.

Only1scoop · 19/01/2016 11:06

We weren't thick, knew exactly how to pronounce her name....although you are implying that many of our Passengers onboard wereShock

TheSecondViola · 19/01/2016 11:03

*Although had used to feel sorry for a girl I worked with years ago she was Grainne with correct spelling on her name badge.

She got called Grey Knee*

That just implies the people she worked with were a bit thick.

TheSecondViola · 19/01/2016 11:02

She didn't specify England, and her question doesn't negate the fact that it is phonetic in its own language.

Lweji · 19/01/2016 10:52

The OP said "I don't want to pick a name that would cause confusion if she lived in another country."

Well, it probably will, if that is a concern, including in England.
It was the OP who asked about it.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 19/01/2016 10:49

I would say Eve, based on my knowledge of Aoife and Siobhan.

Agree that it's phonetic, just not English phonics.

Only1scoop · 19/01/2016 10:37

Agree with Pp

Although had used to feel sorry for a girl I worked with years ago she was Grainne with correct spelling on her name badge.

She got called Grey Knee

HeavyFrost · 19/01/2016 10:03

Oh, the Little Englanders come out in force every time someone mentions an Irish name. Because they once knew someone who knew someone called Caoimhe who moved to Ipswich from Cavan and her life was blighted by mispronunciation and cold-shouldering and being called 'CAW-immy', and she died alone in her bedsit because of her name.

And clearly Irish people, given that we also speak English, should not be presumptuous enough to give our children funny foreign names from our other funny, foreign language and expect people who aren't Irish to learn how to say them but should give them sensible, easy names like Jack and Sophie.

Fortunately, my own experience of almost 20 years living outside of Ireland suggests that an Irish name and surname (DC ditto) has never presented any issues. And honestly, if you are someone who is crushed and humiliated by having to spell your name for a GP receptionist, then I think you have more issues than your name.

TheSecondViola · 19/01/2016 09:42

I find names that are wildly different to their phonetic spelling a bit frustrating tbh

Except its entirely phonetic. In Irish.
British people are so english-centric.

Melonaire · 18/01/2016 23:46

I'd imagine that the spelling is phonetic in the language it's written in.

Swipe left for the next trending thread