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Baby names

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

Original poster

Irish Boy Names

84 replies

RaisedByPuffins · 18/03/2019 13:22

Help needed for DS2 due in a couple of weeks!

Husband is Irish, I'm English and we live in London. We already have a 3 year old boy called Cuilean (pr. Quillan) and are totally stuck on boys names for this one. We want to give him a fairly unusual but not too hard to say Irish name. Particularly as we live in London so lots of lovely names won't work so well without the accent.

The spelling is less of a thing as I have a very dull/ordinary name that has 3 spellings so I always have to spell mine as do so many people I know Claire/Clare Sara/Sarah Rebekah/Rebecca etc.

We like but are not totally in love with:

Diarmuid
Ferdia
Lorcan
Donnacha
Tiernach

Middle name will be Thomas and we like but can't have:

Cillian
Colm
Ronan

Any suggestions gratefully received!

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NaughtToThreeSadOnions · 27/03/2019 09:12

Not really i happened to be pn the phone to my friend as i read the thread we speak qt that time in the morning every morning

Wgich is why i didnt mention it in my reply it just happen i could prove that they sound bugger all like each other on the phone 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

HarrietM87 · 27/03/2019 09:05

Wow naught you’re really invested in this 😂

NaughtToThreeSadOnions · 27/03/2019 08:32

Depends how sensitive you are to that sort of thing. I personally wouldn’t want to be called eg Whitney Spears

Totally different, whitney and Britney rhyme

Eion/ronan is more like saying kerry minogue sounds like kylie minogue because they both have a Kand a Y in.

Or isabel minogue sounds like danielle minougue.

I said both names over the phone this morning asked my best friend eion and ronan sounded the same in fact i was on the phone to her as i typed the message and she said nope they sound very disimilar

She was comunting on a busy bus. If some one with noise distraction can tell the difference over the phone i'm pretty suee everyone can

Heratnumber7 · 27/03/2019 08:06

My favourite Irish boy's name is Jarlath.

HarrietM87 · 27/03/2019 07:38

To be fair I know what nevertalkstostrangers means- they’ve both got the O and the N so quickly/over the phone could sound similar. Depends how sensitive you are to that sort of thing. I personally wouldn’t want to be called eg Whitney Spears.

NaughtToThreeSadOnions · 27/03/2019 06:46

i know Eoin/Owen doesn't sound like Ronan (I'm irish), but put together with the surname Owen Keating sounds a bit like the pop star

No it doesnt it sounds like owen keating, the pop stars name is RONAN which you've said stounds NOTHING LIKE EION/EIOGHAN. because it doesnt.

EION is OWE-N
RONAN IS RO-NAN

two totally differently sounding names even with the same surename

NeverTalksToStrangers · 26/03/2019 09:59

I know Eoin/Owen doesn't sound like Ronan (I'm irish), but put together with the surname Owen Keating sounds a bit like the pop star.

NaughtToThreeSadOnions · 25/03/2019 02:07

Tadhg is one of my favorite names.

Daithi i like

Hollyhobbi · 25/03/2019 02:02

Eoin/Eoghan is pronounced as Owen which doesn't sound like Ronan at all. What about Eamon/Eamonn which is the Irish for Edward? Don't think it was on any previous posts.

NeverTalksToStrangers · 25/03/2019 01:40

I love Cormac too but it doesn't work with Keating imo.

Finbarr
Eoin (or does that sound too much like Ronan?)
Lorcan
Odhran
Rory
Conor
Ryan
Sean
Liam
Declan
Daithi
Cahir
Padraig
Aiden/Aidan/Aodhan
Seamus
Cian
Conall
Fionn
Brendan (means smelly hair though, according to some name meaning things, also means king I think)
Niall
Tiarnan

Hollyhobbi · 25/03/2019 01:39

Cathal with only one L. Stupid autocorrect! Love Conor which should have only one n and Cormac.

Hollyhobbi · 25/03/2019 01:36

What about Emmet? One of my nephews is called this. It goes with his surname which starts with a K too. Should be no problem pronuncing it. Although it is also a surname here in Ireland it is becoming more common as a first name now. Oscar? Cillian and Cathall are my favourites and were on boys names list. What about Donagh? Daithi is nice too. Irish for David. Caelan which means warrior or Torin which means chief?

Hollyhobbi · 25/03/2019 01:23

A lot of so called Irish names are surnames like Reagan and Flynn. Americans tend to use them as first names. Drives me batty.

pearldeodorant · 25/03/2019 01:11

Another vote for Tadhg here. Such a beautiful nameSmile

Nogodsnomasters · 25/03/2019 00:56

Shea/shay Oisin and cathal are my top 3 Irish boys names. My ds already has one of those names so I'm biased on it!

MollyYouInDangerGirl · 25/03/2019 00:13

A few people have already mentioned it but I love tadhg :)

Corcra · 24/03/2019 23:55

Iarla
Séadna

SheisMammyof2 · 24/03/2019 23:43

Mactíre
Macdara
Diarmuid
Olan
Conal
Finn
Daithí
Lachlainn
Éanna
Feilim
Finian

Keener · 24/03/2019 23:33

And definitely no to Hurley or those surname-y namesAmerican websites claim are echt-Irish.

Keener · 24/03/2019 23:32

My name has two fadas, as does my son’s, we live in England and have never had problems, in person or on forms.

Ferdia would get my vote. DS was nearly a Ferdia.

HarrietM87 · 24/03/2019 19:07

God you can’t call a child Hurley! That’s the stick you play hurling with. May as well call him golf club.

The other names suggested by the pp are all surnames, not first names.

GivemeGinandTonic · 24/03/2019 18:25

Also some others I like that are Irish or Irish roots, Leonard
Hurley (means sea tide in Irish)
Coleman (could get cole for short)
Rafferty
Buckley
Mulloy

GivemeGinandTonic · 24/03/2019 18:23

Love the Irish version of Rory but prefer the shorter version of Ruairí, always pronounced so nicely by Irish people too

Maisymay12 · 24/03/2019 18:16

I agree with HarrietM87, Cormac is lovely but doesn't really go with Keating. Since you can't have Cillian, would Ciaran or Cian possibly work?

From your list, I love Donnacha and adore Lorcan.

autumnkate · 24/03/2019 11:29

Finbar? Niall? Pretty easy for English spelling and pronounciation.