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Baby names

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

Original poster

Breagh (Bree- ah)

42 replies

Didyeeaye · 23/02/2019 22:16

Not pregnant but just discovered this name and completely love it!
Breagh, it means beautiful in gaelic which I love! Haven't seen it on any name sites etc which is surprising so wondering if I'm missing something? Could also spell it Brea I suppose but prefer the original way.

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lanclass1 · 25/02/2019 13:42

@Thistles24 Eilidh by any chance?

Thistles24 · 25/02/2019 12:22

It seems to be gaining in popularity in the highlands&islands (pronounced Bree-ah!). I feel it started out as just a word, then evolved to a dogs name and now a girls name- it seems that the world and his wife all have a cockapoo/labradoodle called Breagha right now.
I’d also be wary of using an overly Gaelic name, despite being a fluent speaker. I’ve had too many phone calls that start of “Can I speak to...Eyelid???!!” 🤦🏼‍♀️

Fantababy · 24/02/2019 20:58

I'm in Scotland and know a little girl called Breagha (Bree-ah). She's lovely and I think it's a lovely name.

overitnow · 24/02/2019 20:28

Scots Gaelic and Irish Gaelic are two different things. It's a Scottish Gaelic name and it's lovely! Pronounced correct in the OP

Quintella · 24/02/2019 17:54

Yes the pronunciation differences between Irish and Gaelic can be vast. For example Mairead: In Irish it's pronounced muh-raid but in Gaelic it sounds like my-ritt (or thereabouts).

Either way Breagh is a weird 'name'.

FairfaxAikman · 24/02/2019 15:49

Definitely needs an a on the end.

To the posters saying it's pronounced bra, worth noting that Orish and Gaelic can pronounce the same name differently - my dog is Dubh (Doo) but my Irish-born vet pronounced it more like Dove to begin with.

Horses4 · 24/02/2019 15:44

I don’t want to rain on your parade but I know a gorgeous Scottie dog and equally gorgeous Alsatian called Bria (not sure of their spellings). It’s a nice name but I will always associate it with them. They are lovely though!

Original poster
Didyeeaye · 24/02/2019 15:40

Thanks for the comments. Glad to see other Scots would also pronounce it Bree-ah! I still love the name but wont be pregnant for some time so my taste may change.
Re. the comments about naming a child a language I don't speak. There's names that stem from a variety of languages I.e Hebrew, Greek, French etc so only naming a child a language you speak would be very narrow! However, being Scottish born and bred I reckon naming my child a Gaelic name isn't too far fetched ( FYI My son also has a Gaelic name)
Anyway, interesting how the Irish pronunciation is so different.

OP posts:
DorisDays · 24/02/2019 13:33

I'm in Scotland and know somebody who recently named their daughter this - it's pronounced Bree-a

SparkiePolastri · 24/02/2019 13:31

So in Scottish Gaelic, it's the masculine spelling? Sort of like calling a girl Beau instead of Belle?

I would probably default to pronouncing it bra (to rhyme with fleadh), but on opening the thread, my first thought was 'bleagh'. Not great.

paperandfireworks · 24/02/2019 12:19

A local area has this name, pronounced Bray.

RancidOldHag · 24/02/2019 09:35

Of course it's a Scottish name!

And a lovely one!

Pronounced just as you describe OP (ignore insular types who don't realise other languages and their pronunciations exist!)

florascotia2 · 24/02/2019 09:34

Breagha is an adjective (meaning 'fine' , 'good looking' etc). (In Scots, it has become the word 'braw', with the same meaning.)
Gaelic adjectives normally agree with (change to fit) the noun they describe. The Scottish Gaelic for 'fine/beautiful girl' would be 'nighean breagha'.

You can look it up in this Gaelic dictionary: www.ceantar.org/Dicts/MF2/mf01.html
And hear it pronounced here: www.faclair.com/ViewEntry.aspx?ID=3F1640EEFE22A57380F5DFA54407B2CB

PS There is/used to be a CBeebies TV character called Breagha www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/watch/feeling-better-theme-song

Cosmoa · 24/02/2019 08:52

My friends daughter is called Breagh pronounced bree-ah. I love it!

MercyBodle · 24/02/2019 07:16

Going with the Scots pronunciation I think this is quite a beautiful name. And it would stick with the Breagh spelling.

SD1978 · 24/02/2019 00:42

One of the few with you who think it's a lovely name. And regardless of Irish pronunciation citation, wouldn't be pronounced bra in Scotland.

PCohle · 24/02/2019 00:26

The only one I've come across, and this was in Scotland, pronounced it Bree-Ah. I'm not a Gaelic speaker but her family were.

Tbh I think it's a bit weird when non-gaelic speakers give their kids really Gaelic, controversial to pronounce, names. But each to their own.

ineedtostopbeingsolazy · 24/02/2019 00:19

If you want to call her Bria then spell it like that

ineedtostopbeingsolazy · 24/02/2019 00:18

Seeing it written down I wouldn't know how to pronounce it.
Bree-g or maybe Bree-a-g

But if it's pronounced Bra then it's probably not something you want to name your daughter.

WitBeyondMeasure · 24/02/2019 00:07

I personally veto names that sound anything like the sound one makes whilst vomiting.

Bumblebeesmum · 23/02/2019 22:55

I think it’s hideous irrespective of heritage or pronounciation

NOHOLIDAYS · 23/02/2019 22:35

It's Breagha in scottish gaelic pronounced Bree-ah. I think it's a lovely name.

Original poster
Didyeeaye · 23/02/2019 22:34

Thanks AuntieStella and Looksbetter Thought I was going mad there lol

OP posts:
ElspethFlashman · 23/02/2019 22:34

No it's not the "gh". It's the "agh". The gh doesn't exist alone. So it's not that the gh is silent, it's that agh or eagh = ah. It's not silent letters really, it's just a group of letters that sound like one letter.

That probably makes no sense whatsoever, lol.

LooksBetterWithAFilter · 23/02/2019 22:33

If you google it comes up as a Scots Gaelic name no idea about Irish but it’s not unusual in the Highlands.