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Baby names

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

Original poster

Neve, Nieve or Niamh?

165 replies

orangeunicorn · 28/08/2018 23:53

Ttc at the moment but already set on a girls name. Just curious as to how people think it's best spelt Smile

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ferrier · 29/08/2018 11:13

Niamh - even though auto correct thinks it knows better Hmm

It's a much nicer looking name than the other two even though in England (or at least the part that I'm in) the pronunciation is exactly the same. I think most people know the name now and I think you'd get just as many getting it wrong if you chose an anglicised version.

maZebraltov · 29/08/2018 11:00

Neeve. By far. I don't like the others.

AdelaideK · 29/08/2018 10:45

Niamh. It's popular now so most people will know how to pronounce it.

RedDwarves · 29/08/2018 10:42

Niamh.

Disagree that Neve is a bastardised spelling though. I had a great, great (however many times) grandmother born in the early 1800s with the surname Neve.

harrietm87 · 29/08/2018 09:40

Definitely Niamh. It's quite popular now so people will increasingly know how to spell and pronounce it.

OutPinked · 29/08/2018 09:38

Niamh

Enko · 29/08/2018 08:16

Go with the traditional spelling. I have an Aoife and yes she (age 14) says she has to spell her name out a fair bit, however she likes her name and likes it is a traditional Irish name that is not as common here in the UK (and we have no Irish roots we know off dh and I just liked the name)

Spelling out your name is not the biggest deal if it is for a name people do not know how to spell (I have pent my life doing so) However spelling out traditionally spelled names in a " individual manner" often causes irritation both for the " Jessykaigh" and the person wanting to spell Jessica (no clue if anyone has ever spelled it jessykaigh I was just making a point)

ReginaPhalange89 · 29/08/2018 07:24

It's definitely common enough that most people won't question how to spell it. I reckon 95% of people would hear her name and assume it's spelled Niamh. I think the other two spellings would be the ones she'd have to spell/correct !

TurquoiseDress · 29/08/2018 02:44

Niamh

It's a nice sounding name but one that I personally would not use as the spellings/pronunciation can be so ambiguous!

Redteapot67 · 29/08/2018 02:37

If you choose not niamh them please use

Neeve so you don’t get nev!

chipsandgin · 29/08/2018 02:34

I know a Niamh & would vote Neve as I know how much grief the misunderstanding of the pronunciation has caused her (she is 9).

Redteapot67 · 29/08/2018 02:22

Niamh

You will need to tell people how to pronounce it. You’ll get ‘ni am’ said to you most often. But it takes 3 seconds to correct then they know.

Neve - you’ll have same issue. People will say ‘nev’

Niamh is a beautiful classy name just use that.

Joeybee · 29/08/2018 01:30

I'd spell it the traditional way. It will mean people will mispronounce or may not know how to pronounce it, but I think that's just what you have to put up with when you pick Irish names.

Grammarist · 29/08/2018 01:21

Niamh.

DramaAlpaca · 29/08/2018 00:53

Niamh is one of those names with definite regional differences isn't it? In Munster it has two syllables & to me it's a nicer pronunciation that way, much softer.

RavenWings · 29/08/2018 00:50

Neve and Niamh aren't really the same, Neve is pronounced Neev but Niamh is more like a soft Nee-uv, if that makes sense.

Definitely not so in my part of Ireland. Niamh is Neev, that's the correct way here. But at the same time I think someone used to being called Neev will answer to Nee Uv.

I agree that for the Irish name Niamh looks classier and much better written down.

Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar · 29/08/2018 00:46

Just spell it Niamh if you want people to “ just know how to pronounce it” Confused

Piebeansandchips · 29/08/2018 00:41

I know 5 little ones called Nieve round my way and one spelt Niamh.

gimeallthecake · 29/08/2018 00:38

Yeah I'm from Cork and we pronounce Niamh, Nia úibh (knee-iv)

I'd go with the original Irish spelling. But that's because I'm Irish and love Irish names. My three kids all have Irish names and we don't live in Ireland but it always leads to lovely conversations about the spelling, meaning and origin of the name.

villainousbroodmare · 29/08/2018 00:29

Niamh. It has two syllables as PPs have said.

SuperstarDJ · 29/08/2018 00:23

I have a friend with a preteen called Neve. She, and everyone else, pronounce it the same as Niamh.

Anyway, preferred spelling:
Niamh
Neve

Don’t like Nieve.

Original poster
orangeunicorn · 29/08/2018 00:23

I'd pronounce them all 'N ee V ", I'm from Leeds and I think that is how we would all pronounce them here. That's what my I thought they were the same name Smile

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Foggymist · 29/08/2018 00:22

Oh yes actually Neve Campbell is pronounced Nev, not Neev (and Nev from Catfish is Neev just to complicate things!).

I'm also in Midlands Ireland but am from Cork/Kerry so I guess I hear Nee-uv up here even if they say Neev!

NiamhNaomh · 29/08/2018 00:19

Are you pronouncing Neve as per Neve Campbell or N ‘eve’?

Otherwise to me Niamh and N’eve’ are pronounced the exact same where I live in midlands Ireland, not so for my friend Niamh from Cork who is Nia uv (or úbh as in egg if I was to give it her full title)

namechangedtoday15 · 29/08/2018 00:19

Spell it correctly - other than as pp have pointed out - if you want it to be pronounced Neve (in England) then the correct spelling is Niamh.

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