Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Can I please ask French and Irish speakers (or anyone really) about Eoin and Owen?

29 replies

FindTheLightSwitchDarren · 01/10/2017 13:45

How would you pronounce these please?

I would probably say oh-win for both, (non Irish speaking, Irish woman here).

The reason I ask is a bit complicated, but it's to do with how Owen is pronounced in French. Owen, pronounced oh-wen, sounds like the letters o and n in French - I read a thread on here recently where a boy wanted to change his name as he lived in France and hated the o n thing - c'est oh-wen sounds like c-o-n, which is a derogatory word in French)! We have (vague) ties to France and it isn't beyond the realms of possibility that we could end up living there at some point. So, is Eoin more likely to be pronounced oh-win than Owen iyswim?

We are also considering Rowan / Rohan.

Finding boy names really difficult!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Original poster
FindTheLightSwitchDarren · 07/10/2017 15:35

I like Ioan, but I have zero connection to Wales. I also know two utterly dreadful adult Euans and Ioan sounds a bit too similar.

OP posts:
MissWilmottsGhost · 07/10/2017 14:50

I know of a Ioan, pronounced yo-en, which I really love.

Liadain · 07/10/2017 14:44

I'm Irish, I would pronounce Eoghan/Eoin/Owen the same - OH-en or OH-un I think. I'm not a fan of the Owen variation but I like the other two.

FizzyGreenWater · 07/10/2017 14:39

Why don't you go for the Breton name Yann? It's lovely.

Or: Owain, Iwan, Ioan (yoh-ann)?

BriechonCheese · 07/10/2017 03:10

I have a relative named Eoin and he has never mentioned struggling with it in France - where he lives.

Like Liv above I probably pronounce it (I am Irish) OH-un, although it is hard to write it down specifically because so much is led to the language and accent.

Jiggler · 06/10/2017 21:45

I know an Eoghan who lives in the UK and he gets called Yoggun a lot. Grin Which I suppose is a fair attempt if you've no clue how Irish pronunciation works.

clearsommespace · 05/10/2017 05:14

I know an Eoghan who lived in France for a while. People who saw his name written first said Ay-o-gan.

mathanxiety · 05/10/2017 05:00

Eoghan and Eoin are two different names. One is Eugene (Eoghan) and one is John (Eoin). Pronounced the same as Owen to me.

Eugene isn't so bad - slightly retro but ahead of its time a bit, maybe.

TBH, I would avoid names beginning with vowel combinations for a baby whose name may be pronounced by French people. I would avoid too much of the letter R too. No Oisin, for instance.

Suggestions:
Patrick
Killian
Columba
Colman
Cormac
Declan
Lorcan
Fiacra
Ferdia
Liam (very popular in France right now)
Tomas
Oscar
Kieran
Brendan

PattyPenguin · 02/10/2017 21:57

The Welsh name Owen comes from Owain or Ywain, and was taken into French in Arthurian romances as Yvain (see Chrétien de Troyes).

There's also the French saint Ouen, after whom a whole host of places in France are named, including one in the suburbs of Paris.

May be alternatives?

cheminotte · 02/10/2017 21:38

As a French speaker - no idea where to start with Eoin.
But my DS's name has 'th' in and my French family coped. If it's only a tenuous link, I wouldn't worry too much. Just give him a simple middle name so he can use that instead

TatianaLarina · 02/10/2017 21:32

Ce Eau en = c o n

Qwebec · 02/10/2017 21:05

I would not know how to pronounce the two other names. Owen is the only one that is clear to me. I don't think the con thing would be an issue, it is rather far fetched, not an impossible connection par very far fetched.
I don't mind learning a new name, but maybe he might mind having to teach everyone.

OlennasWimple · 02/10/2017 20:55

I had never heard of the Owen / con thing before that thread, and TBH I still can't see how it works ("c'est Owen" =/= "con", surely??)

MikeUniformMike · 02/10/2017 20:45

or Yoan

MikeUniformMike · 02/10/2017 20:37

How about a Breton name? Yvan is one I think. Perhaps there's a list online somewhere

Original poster
FindTheLightSwitchDarren · 02/10/2017 17:34

Thanks all. I like the Eoin spelling best, but I knew an Eoin when I was at school in Ireland and even there he was always correcting people on the spelling.

We had more or less decided on Rowan / Rohan, but it seems to produce spelling and pronunciation issues too.

OP posts:
squoosh · 02/10/2017 13:16

Eoin, Owen, and Eoghan are all pronounced the same by me.

GaucheCaviar · 02/10/2017 11:31

Yes I asked French DH and he went, uh, Wang?

NotBurpeesAgain · 02/10/2017 11:29

I am French. I have taught a couple of Owens. No issues with pronunciation and I had never heard about the C-O-N thing before the Mumsnet thread.
99.9% of French people would have no idea how to pronounce Eoin. It would probably be come out as "Ay - oh - inn".

LivLemler · 01/10/2017 22:08

I'm Irish but not a native speaker. I'd pronounce Eoin, Owen and Eoghan the same. Closest I can write would probably be OH-un.

GaucheCaviar · 01/10/2017 20:47

Pretty sure he's pronounce Eoghan ay-oh-gan!

GaucheCaviar · 01/10/2017 20:47

I know a couple of French Owens, fwiw, the CON thing hasn't come up. I'll ask DH how he'd pronounce Eoin when he gets in.

Original poster
FindTheLightSwitchDarren · 01/10/2017 14:05

Oh I like Eoghan... wonder if DH would go for it.

OP posts:
falalalaoops · 01/10/2017 14:03

How about Eoghan?

Original poster
FindTheLightSwitchDarren · 01/10/2017 14:01

"(Sp?)" Not "(so?)"

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread