Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Unflip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Baby names

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

Unflip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

Kieran or Keelan

88 replies

Babybatman · 05/02/2020 12:45

Which do you prefer? Please don't say you hate both as I'm 39 weeks and finding this naming business very hard. These aren't my favourite names but they are the only ones we both like as we have polar opposite taste.

Baby will be half Irish and although we both like the Irish spellings Caolan and Ciaran we both want to for the spelling most likely to get pronounced correctly in England where he will grow up.
Also do you think either will get nicknames/shortened? I don't think so but would be interested to hear thoughts. Thanks!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

ScrummyDiva2 · 06/02/2020 14:23

Whichever name you go for, definitely spell it the correct way! ( ie the Irish way) . Changing spelling to aid other people in their pronunciation is pointless- and is what makes the name 'chavvy'. It appears like you heard the name , had no idea of its origin, and just spelt it how it sounded! I have a very English surname that I'm constantly having to correct people's pronunciation of- so you can't win!
Ciaran gets my vote!

PlantPotting · 06/02/2020 14:06

Love both names

LizzieAnt · 06/02/2020 13:50

Colm? Pronounced Kuh-lum.
(Might get Koh-lum in the UK though...hmm)

Original poster

Babybatman · 06/02/2020 13:43

@evilharpy Fintan feels a bit alien to me. It's my Dh's favourite 'Fin' name. We have an F surname but it actually sounds quite good with it. I'll consider it for a bit, thanks. I just wish there weren't so many Fin's running around, feels so popular now.

OP posts:

evilharpy · 06/02/2020 13:29

Just to confuse things I know a Kieron (pronounced like Ciarán would be in Irish). He's half Irish but lives in England and was born before Irish names became popular/well known here.

I love Ciarán. Not sure I've ever met one in England with that spelling though.

Not a K (or hard C) name but do you like Fintan?

Original poster

Babybatman · 06/02/2020 13:08

This is the issue I'm finding about pronunciation. I started a thread about Caolan and the variation on pronunciation amongst the Irish posters was enough to put me off that spelling, let alone English people who chuck Cow-lun and Chow-lan into the mix. I don't think he would thank me for it.
I love the sound Cay-lun so would go for that but I guarantee he would have a lifetime of people getting it wrong.

That's why my DH likes Keelan so much. He went to school with a couple so it's normal to him but he isn't that familiar with the class connotations in the UK which he finds baffling.
I'm in a serious quandary. Tempted to scrap the lot and start again.

OP posts:

eggandonion · 06/02/2020 12:41

If you're taking votes I will go for Cillian or Seamus depending on your surname, or Malachi which is my current favourite for when I am that Mil.
Pronunciation varies so much across the provinces, it can be a minefield

MindyStClaire · 06/02/2020 12:37

Not read through the whole thread but how about Kiyan? I know of one who's family are half Irish.

Sorry, but . No K or Y in Irish. Cian is a perfectly acceptable name though.

MindyStClaire · 06/02/2020 12:35

Yeah agree, Caolan and Keelan aren't pronounced the same. Caolan would be Kay-lan or Kway-lan, or with a fada on the second a the second syllable would be pronounced -awn.

Keelan is to me an anglicised spelling of the girl's name Caoilfhionn.

There's no K in Irish so I prefer Ciaran (fine without the fada on the second a in my book, which gives it the same pronunciation as Kieran), but I know a lot of Scottish names have a K so it might be fine if you think of it as Scottish rather than Irish.

I really wouldn't have thought you'd have any trouble with Cillian in the UK but maybe that's naive!

diddlediddle · 06/02/2020 12:33

Yes im in the southeast U.K. I'm really not trying to offend here at all, but Keelan with this spelling would totally be lumped in with names like Keenan, Kyle, Kayden, Kian, etc which are seen as chavvy.

If you use the Irish spelling then people will get that it's Irish and that changes it completely. I'm not saying this is "right" I'm just giving a heads up that I don't know if your son will want people making unfair judgements about him.

🤷🏼‍♀️

LizzieAnt · 06/02/2020 12:33

I don't think Kiyan can be an Irish name though, there's no y in the Irish alphabet.

itshotterthanthesun · 06/02/2020 12:30

Not read through the whole thread but how about Kiyan? I know of one who's family are half Irish.

LizzieAnt · 06/02/2020 12:28

I do like Séamus but it is stereotypically Irish all right. The Séamus's I know (in Ireland) are both christened James and use Séamus day to day (just to introduce a whole new level of confusion here). It can be tricky having a different name on your birth cert so not sure I'd recommend that option! Cormac, Cillian and Ciarán are all lovely. I'm sorry, I don't know how much trouble people would have with them outside of Ireland. I'm not that keen on Keelan, sorry. To me it would need to be Caolán (quay-lawn) to be legit and that's unusual even in Ireland. I only know girls called Keelin.

Original poster

Babybatman · 06/02/2020 11:59

I am a huge peaky blinders fan and obsessed with Cillian Murphy so the pronunciation seems obvious to me, but not sure about the general population.

I actually like Seamus too but I've had such mixed reactions to it. People saying it's too stereotypically Irish and it's an old man name and a bit of a joke name etc.
I think our DS would have rocked Seamus. Big pink cheeks, curly blonde hair!

OP posts:

VirtualHamster · 06/02/2020 11:52

I think Ciaran spelling would probably be fine in the England, I think it's sufficiently well known

TurduckenFucken · 06/02/2020 11:49

Surely since Peaky Blinders the pronunciation of Cillian is much more familiar in England? Do people really pronounce the C as an S to get silly 'un?

TurduckenFucken · 06/02/2020 11:48

Neve/Neeve/Neev = Niamh for people who feel the need to Anglicise. That's what Keelan is to me.

Seamus is fab. I know a few Ciaráns, and not all of them pronounce the end as 'awn', some do the more 'un' sounding ending.

Original poster

Babybatman · 06/02/2020 11:36

God you are all confusing me . What is Neve territory??
Do you think Cillian will always get Silly-un?
Anyone with a Cillian in the UK that has had experience?

DH likes Kieran but said it just makes him think of second generation Irish painter decorators whatever that means 🙄
He said the name should he Ciarán and pronounced 'rawn' at the end to be legit but is fine with Keelan, which a lot of you seem to think is chavvy or girly or made up.
He wants Seamus! I've got 6 days people, help!

OP posts:

Sulkypatsy · 06/02/2020 09:38

My vote is for cillian, keelan is a girl's name to me, I know three female keelans never heard of it for a male. #irish, Dublin, Tipperary

TurduckenFucken · 06/02/2020 09:27

I really like Caolan, but only spelled properly. Keelan is getting into Neve territory I think. People live in England with names from all over the world, and manage to learn how to say and spell them.

Also love Cillian and Cormac. Not so keen on Kieran, but Ciarán is fine.

Conleth?

Omashu · 06/02/2020 09:13

I like Kieran a lot but I LOVE the spelling of Caolan so that one wins it for me! But only if it’s spelt Caolan.

Sockwomble · 06/02/2020 09:12

I prefer kieran with the ciaran spelling. I've taught a few ciarans (England). All were known by their full names.

LizzieAnt · 06/02/2020 08:54

Your DH is right about the pronunciation of Cormac. There's more emphasis on the first syllable. If you try pronouncing an 'o' instead of an 'a' in the second syllable it might help? Love that name too. In the part of Ireland I'm in, it's a lot more mainstream than Keelan is for a boy. That probably doesn't make a difference as you're in the UK though

Freyanna · 06/02/2020 08:18

Kieran

Astronica · 06/02/2020 08:14

I much prefer Kieran.

Unflip

1 2 3 4

Swipe left for the next trending thread