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Baby names

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Original poster

I didn't think this name would be so unpopular

716 replies

spookybitches · 21/04/2020 19:06

So all throughout my pregnancy, my husband and I kept our baby name choices to ourselves. My baby is now 2 months old, and nearly everyone we have met or spoken to, have mispronounced it. Granted, we haven't seen many people over the last few weeks, so now I'm starting to wonder if it's just my family or if it's really so unheard of?
My baby boy is called Cillian (DH Irish). My whole family pronounce it silly-an even when I've corrected them numerous times.
Can I ask if you would know how to pronounce Cillian? I'm worried I've set him up for a lifetime correcting people.

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Pangur2 · 21/04/2020 23:01

@Annamaria14 No modh coinníollach for us, haha! (Was that the thing we didn't have to do that honours level did? Like Peig?)

CiderWithRosy · 21/04/2020 23:01

Yes I definitely have heard if it and I know it is pronounced with a hard C. It's a lovely name. I'm surprised people are saying they've never heard of it 🤷‍♀️

Vgtasd · 21/04/2020 23:00

@Annamarie14 you only have to look at St paddys day in other countries

Pangur2 · 21/04/2020 23:00

Fiachra reminds me of teeth. (Fiacla?)

Pangur2 · 21/04/2020 22:59

@OchonAgusOchonO
"Conchubhair.
It's pronounced Croh-hur"

My Irish is so shite I can't even see how that would be pronounced Croh-hur, but I can see how Croh-hur would eventually turn onto Connor, so that is one mystery solved for me anyway.

Is it the Irish Featherstonhaugh? 😂

Annamaria14 · 21/04/2020 22:57

There are beautiful Irish boy names.

But I never liked
Fiachra and
Proinseas - we used to call him princess !! Haha

GlamGiraffe · 21/04/2020 22:57

I read it as killi-un. I've honestly never heard of it before so wouldnt have a clue.

MigginsMs · 21/04/2020 22:56

With a hard C

Annamaria14 · 21/04/2020 22:56

@Pangur2 I think that I got a B in ordinary Irish too!

Pangur2 · 21/04/2020 22:56

@abiirthdaycake

Ah cheers, that makes sense. I bit like the start of Caoimhe so (if you're from Dublin anyway. 😉)

@annamaria14, yeah it's an old name that eventually got simplified to Connor but you see it in the Irish version of the O'Connor surname sometimes. I haven't a clue where you even start.

Mrstwiddle · 21/04/2020 22:55

Another one thinking silly an. I actually prefer that to the hard k, although neither is great, also think it’s a name that may not work as well in England as it does Ireland.

OchonAgusOchonO · 21/04/2020 22:54

@maddy68 - It is pronounced silly an....it's Irish , I have no idea how you're pronouncing it?

Have you not read any of the posts from any of the Irish people who posted the correct pronunciation? It's not pronounced silly un.

Although you are correct that it is Irish.

Passmethecrisps · 21/04/2020 22:53

I have a nephew Cillian but by the time he was born I had already heard of Cillian Murphy.

The fact is it doesn’t really matter how people pronounce it the first time. You correct them and everyone then should get it right for the most part.

And just to add that my absolute pet hate is when adults suggest all the silly names children will 100% call a child at school. Strangely enough children accept names at face value. They only put meaning on when adults have made the suggestion.

Perhaps there is some projection there

OchonAgusOchonO · 21/04/2020 22:51

The other name I have no idea how to pronounce is Conchubhair.

It's pronounced Croh-hur

Pangur2 · 21/04/2020 22:50

@Annamaria14

It's extra funny because I am Irish. Shite at speaking Irish though, I'll give them that. One of the jobs on the lockdown list is to download and actually use the DuoLingo Irish app. Sure I only got a B in ordinary level Irish back in the day but there is still time to catch up!

Neednewwellies · 21/04/2020 22:50

@maddy68 Confused

ThunderR0ad78 · 21/04/2020 22:48

I would pronounce it Killian - i really like it but then I'm from an Irish family!

Queenest · 21/04/2020 22:48

Sorry I read it as silly un too but I’ve never heard of it before.

maddy68 · 21/04/2020 22:48

It is pronounced silly an....it's Irish , I have no idea how you're pronouncing it?

Neednewwellies · 21/04/2020 22:48

I’d pronounce it Kill-ee-an too or maybe more like Kill-ay-an.

Annamaria14 · 21/04/2020 22:46

@Pangur2 is that a name

abiirthdaycake · 21/04/2020 22:46

@Pangur2 Caoilfhionn is pronounced like kweel-unn but not really. No idea how to write it phonetically

Pangur2 · 21/04/2020 22:46

Now to re-dress the balance English people.

Featherstonhaugh.

What is that all about?

Annamaria14 · 21/04/2020 22:46

@pallisers Cillian Murphy is Irish and he pronounces it like that

Neednewwellies · 21/04/2020 22:46

It is none of my business but why would you do that? The child will be called ''silly'' at school ( unless it will live in Ireland I suppose).
@tara66, no, children at school just accept that names are names. They’ll learn it’s pronounced as Kill-ee-an long before they register how it’s written so that won’t happen. Plus, there’s such a wide spectrum of names in most classes that they all just accept what each other is called without question.

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