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Baby names

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

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Original poster

How would you pronounce this?

84 replies

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 12/11/2016 18:51

Aoife

I love it. When I was expecting DD, it was one of my two favourite names but we didn't go for it because I was worried DD would have a life of "How do you pronounce/spell that?"

OP posts:

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ThunderR0ad78 · 19/11/2016 08:36

Eefa - but I've a big Irish family so obvious to me! I think it's lovely!

My best friend just called her DD Aoibhinn! This one confused many - not as common in England! It's pronounced Aveen!

BeingATinselTwatItsABingThing · 19/11/2016 06:39

My DP is Irish so she does have Irish heritage.

Glitterspy · 18/11/2016 08:11

Eefer. I wouldn't give the name to a child unless it had some Irish heritage

BroomstickOfLove · 18/11/2016 08:09

in English, 'e' is generally pronounced with a sort of 'eh' sound, like in 'bed' or 'tennis'.

'Ee' makes a completely different sound, not 'eh-eh' at all.

You are just so used to English that it seems obvious and logical.

mathanxiety · 18/11/2016 04:31

Gruffalosfriend Sat 12-Nov-16 21:56:35
How does Aoi make the sound Ee?

Different language.

Ll in Spanish is 'y', W in German is 'v', and so on.

(It's not really a silent O. The sound is expressed as an E sound. Without the O it would be Affeh.)

nooka · 17/11/2016 23:29

Well my mind wants to say A-o-fee. Sorry OP! I went to an Irish Catholic school, but I don't recall any classmates with Irish names. Now I think Irish names are relatively common and so people are less likely to be thrown.

ExitPursuedBySpartacus · 17/11/2016 22:44

You don't say.

cmxx · 17/11/2016 22:02

The correct pronunciation is Ee-fah

Enkopkaffetak · 16/11/2016 18:42

I have an Aoife. I just fell in love with the name.

She gets called Ah oH Ifeh when we go out and about where people need to call her name out.

we pronounce it Ee -fAh

I adore the spelling and when I hear an Irish accent saying the name I melt a little..

We are not Irish btw I just feel in love the name.

I have a " thing " about silent "o"s though as 2 of my dd's has names with silent "o"

harderandharder2breathe · 16/11/2016 15:08

I have a family member called Aoife (Irish family) so would know

I thInk people might need telling but not over and over again

I love the name btw

Enidblyton1 · 16/11/2016 13:54

Lovely name. I can pronounce it correctly, but would have to check the spelling before writing it down.
But as soon as you know someone with that name, it never takes long to learn the spelling. Some people will probably spell it wrong, but that can happen with many names.

steppemum · 16/11/2016 13:46

I know it because there is a girl in dds class called Aoife.

just as years ago, Siobhan was popular and we all knew how to write and spell it. Names do become familiar over time.

DoinItFine · 16/11/2016 13:43

Aoife is easy for English people to say, so it really only takes one explanation if people aren't familiar with it.

And many are.

ohmygodyouguys · 16/11/2016 13:39

I have a niece called Aoife. I really like the name Saoirse and it will be on my list if I have a girl one day.

PolkadotsAndMoonbeams · 16/11/2016 13:30

I loved the ALW programmes too. There's a similar thing with Gary Barlow starting at some point, but I'm not sure it will be as good.

Thinking about it, the ALW shows had a Niamh and a Siobhan as well as an Aoife - sterling work in getting Irish names more heard in England

vegmum21 · 16/11/2016 13:25

I'm not familiar with the name and wouldn't have known how to spell or pronounce it until now. I don't think I've heard it before.

Original poster

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 16/11/2016 12:59

People spell DD1's name wrong all the time. It's 4 letters and spelt how it sounds but still!

People spell my name in all sorts of weird and wacky ways. I have a bog standard, run of the mill, plain name but still spelt wrong.

OP posts:

YouMeanYouForgotCranberriesToo · 16/11/2016 12:50

I've heard AyOiffEe before. that's what I think when i see it written. But dd2 has a hard to spell/pronounce name and I feel a bit sorry for her as she wil always have to xorrect oeople, but I love it! You could call your baby anything and someone would manage to get it wrong at some point.

MaisyPops · 16/11/2016 12:30

Ee-fa. But I've also had pupils who've pronounces it ee-feee which took some getting used to.
(A bit like one who pronounced Megan as meee-gan)

Lutrine · 15/11/2016 06:39

I only know how to pronounce it because I taught a lovely child called Aoife. She must have been well used to it,as she saw me hesitate slightly before my first reading of her class register and said "it's Ee-fa Miss!"

TeachingPostQuery · 14/11/2016 15:35

Gruffalo - because "aoi" in Irish and "ee" in English make the same sound.

Bertucci · 13/11/2016 12:19

I vaguely know a Tadhg - it's Tyge.

ExitPursuedBySpartacus · 13/11/2016 11:27

How is Tadhg pronounced?

and there's a name that shows an aversion to vowels if ever I saw one

BuntyFigglesworthSpiffington · 13/11/2016 01:28

I used to love those Lloyd Webber programmes, where the ditched girl of the week would have to wave goodbye whilst (bawling her eyes out) singing a song and being hoisted away on a perilous swing

PolkadotsAndMoonbeams · 13/11/2016 01:18

She was one if the Marias, not Dorothies actually - even longer ago!

I'd know it too, I think it's relatively usual.

Is that the same Vicar of Dibley sketch with "missing u always"?

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