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Baby names

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Original poster

Irish names for English babies

135 replies

harrietm87 · 29/10/2016 10:31

Hello. Not pregnant (yet!) but would love to give my future babes Irish names. I'm Irish, DH English. We live in a multicultural bit of London. Interested to hear people's favourite Irish names and opinions on how traditional/obscure it's possible to go without being accused of child abuse! (Guessing Sean is ok, Feidhlimidh not...). For context I love Ruaidhri, Seamus, Siofra and Ailbhe (but so many good options!)

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SausageSoda · 29/10/2016 23:00

Conleth is nice for a boy.

ManonLescaut · 29/10/2016 19:55

Cara - Caraiosa - love that. And cara also means dear/darling in Italian.

justinelibertine · 29/10/2016 19:24

I have a Bridget :)

MitzyLeFrouf · 29/10/2016 19:21

We're mad for the silent consonants!

To (mis)quote Braveheart (and ignoring the fact he was Scottish) 'they can take our lives, but they'll never take our silent consonants!' Grin

ElspethFlashman · 29/10/2016 19:19

It's only the ones that have silent consonants that people have a problem with.

Not that many other languages with names with silent consonants, to be fair.

Shutupanddance1 · 29/10/2016 19:15

TBH in multicultural cities I'm sure people come across many different spellings of many different names in various languages - not sure why people always give Irish names such stick.

Cloeycat · 29/10/2016 19:11

We're planning on calling our little girl (due in March) Ailish.

Before we decided this we were thinking:

Aoife or
Boys names: Fionn,Conor, Ferdia.

I myself have an Irish name and while people struggle and I have to spell it on a daily basis I love it and regularly have people compliment it. For what it's worth people who hear me say my name before they see the spelling seem to have no problems, if they see it written down first they can't seem to get their heads around it even after hearing it many times.

CremeEggThief · 29/10/2016 19:09

Conor*

CremeEggThief · 29/10/2016 19:09

Declan
Liam
Conon
Fergal

Niamh
Orla
Caitriona
Fiona

228agreenend · 29/10/2016 19:05

Patrick
Dara
Diarmuid
Sean/Shawn
Fergal
Aidan
Niall
Brendan
Cormac

Aileen
Siobhan
Teresa
Dervla

Sorry, not so good at girls names

Littleelffriend · 29/10/2016 19:03

Caoimhe for a girl pronounced keeva. We chose aoife

user1474627704 · 29/10/2016 18:57

What works in London, doesn't work in say Swindon

Shockingly enough, people outside of London are capable of grasping names that are not white bread and one syllable.
How bloody insulting.

OP, as you know, Irish people go everywhere, there are Caoimhes and Fachtnas all over the world, managing to get by just fine with their Irish names. Call them whatever you like!

MitzyLeFrouf · 29/10/2016 18:52

Bláithín is a bit sickly sweet. No offence to any little Bláithins!

I suppose it's similar to Posy.

HRarehoundingme · 29/10/2016 18:50

Cara - Caraiosa
Orla
Niamh

TheRealMrsClarkson · 29/10/2016 18:47

I think you need to think quite broadly & long term. A very distinctive name may work in an area with a big irish\multi cultural community, but your child may live their life in many different places. What works in London, doesn't work in say Swindon.

Having to constantly spell your name is boring and sometimes embarrasing. Mostly children want to fit in and to be the same as their friends. I longed to be called Catherine, or something as equally english.
Whilst my parents are Irish, I am not, I consider myself english. Whilst I'm interested in my heritage, it isn't who I am, its who my parents are. I can only know what it is to be 2nd gen irish. It's a different experience to theirs.
I cringe when I meet Irish parents with very english names themselves who then give their children very irish names.
FWIW I went to school with serveral Dearbhails, Finolas, Orlas etc. The register at school with new teachers was painful and took a while. :-)

hollyisalovelyname · 29/10/2016 18:39

Blathín - little flower
Blawheen

MaryWortleyMontagu · 29/10/2016 18:37

We live in London and know a Blaithin (sorry can't remember where the accents go) but I've always thought that it's a lovely name.

IHaveBrilloHair · 29/10/2016 18:34

I have a Niamh, it's much more popular and heard of now but lots of people struggled when she was younger, she's 15 now.
I probably wouldn't choose something way out, spelling wise, but a little different is ok.

MitzyLeFrouf · 29/10/2016 18:33

I agree Sausage. Fionnuala seems very dated to me but the ones I know are in their forties.

ElspethFlashman · 29/10/2016 18:30

I wouldn't inflict silent dh and bh names on a child living in London, tbh.

I think if I was living in London it'd be something like Maeve or Tara. No matter what accent you have it sounds the same.

SausageSoda · 29/10/2016 18:29

Fionnuala/Finola is a bit fuddy-duddyish IMO but I think that's because the only ones I know are pensioners

Sugarpiehoneyeye · 29/10/2016 18:26

I love Finola.

squoosh · 29/10/2016 17:58

I love Iseult too.

squoosh · 29/10/2016 17:57

Orla isn't really an Anglicisation. In fact it's more correct than some of the more authentic 'looking' versions. That said I think Orla is a bit boring! Grin

I quite like Siún (SHOO-un) for a girl and Ferdia for a boy. Although I recently found out that Enda Kenny has a son called Ferdia. Worrying to have the same taste as old Enda!

SpunkyMummy · 29/10/2016 17:50

I don't know a lot (anything...) about Irish names. But I really like Orla and Finola :)

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