I didn't think this name would be so unpopular

I haven't read every single response but an I the only one that read it as being pronounced Keelan?

@Baconisgoodformeee

You said that Irish people can't expect English people to read Irish names phonetically.

But many C words in English have a hard C sound?

Cat for example.

So it does sound correct phonetically in English.

The first time I saw the name (years ago) I thought Silly-an but only needed to be told once that it was actually a K sound. Family are being difficult - it's not that hard to remember!
I really like the name.

Two of dh's nephews have Spanish names, which are unusual Spanish names at that. My PILs who are usually a total pain manage to pronounce them properly. They have 15 grandchildren and can pronounce all of their names, which are an assortment of Irish, biblical, trendy etc
They pronounce my name wrong, it is beloved on Mumsnet and I hate it.
Cillian is a lovely name.

My whole family pronounce it silly-an even when I've corrected them numerous times.

then your family are arseholes - its not fucking hard when you've been told - watch Once Upon a Time as well....

I only know because I looked it up. It's a good name.

And this is why my DC don’t have Irish names. My in-laws are English and my MIL and FIL in particular would just have made a whole song and dance about not being able to pronounce/remember how to pronounce/spell an Irish name. Even none awkward names like Áine and Aoife would have been too much for them.

OP fwiw I think your inlaws are pricks - fair enough if they thought it was pronounced with the soft c initially (that would never have occurred to me but I’ve seen from having read this thread that other people would think that) - but you’d only have to be told once - it’s not difficult!

I would pronounce as Killian.

Never thought of it as Silly - an

Your family are rude. Once you have corrected them, they should use the correct pronounciation. It’s not difficult.

But even if people don’t know that particular name, I’d have thought they would work it out from other names like Ciara or Cian.

I think people who mispronounce Irish names are knobs, to be honest.

I'm Northern Irish, so I'm obviously aware of a lot of Irish names. Loads of my friends have Irish names. However, I'm not Catholic so, as a result, I was never 'taught' how to pronounce anything Irish. Whenever I see Irish names I've never seen before, I always just ask someone how to say it correctly, and then remember it. It really isn't difficult. Anyone who consistently keeps pronouncing it wrong after the second time is being rude and ignorant on purpose. I'm less arsey with those who struggle to spell Irish names because some of them can be quite long, but even then, if it's someone important to you, you should bloody learn how to!

I’ve not heard it before so would have said chilli an or silly an. However once you’re told, you know.

I'd have said Silly-un until corrected.

@GaryWilmottsTeeth

Domhnall /Donal= Doe-nul
Sadhbh/Sadbh = Sive (rhymes with five)

Anna I would pronounce it 'Nee-am'. Although I'm pretty sure that's wrong.

assume English will be able to pronounce names that don’t read phonetically at all.
It is phonetic - in Irish.

My whole family pronounce it silly-an even when I've corrected them numerous times

All unusual names are difficult to pronounce until you are TOLD how to pronounce them but your family are just being downright rude when they have been told told how to pronounce it. You need to start getting cross and correcting them.

That said, for any English person given the welsh name Sian, it is absolutely NOT pronounced cyan!

I know how to pronounce it. But I'm Welsh and so I expect "ci" to be pronounce with a hard "c".

Never heard of it as a name and would have pronounced it wrong. But you only would have had to correct me once!

I thought it was pronounced Silly-Anne until literally this thread! I don’t know why Irish people assume English will be able to pronounce names that don’t read phonetically at all. Obviously, as soon as I’ve been corrected I never do it again, because I’m not rude

It's a great name!
And because of the popularity of Peaky Blinders a lot of people will know how to pronounce it correctly.

After a while those who matter, most people you know and the people you mix with will say it properly.

It's a cool name- I love it!

Killian. Love the name and first learned of it from a novel I read years ago.

Yes Irish names are difficult

I mean, names in foreign languages are very often difficult to pronounce if you only see them written down and don't know the rules of the language.

Very few are impossible to have a proper go at once you've been told though, which is where OP's family is obviously being rude.

No, there is no K, hence the issues when people try to pronounce C names... but really it's not that difficult!!!

I have never heard of it pronounced silly-an, that would never have crossed my mind! I thought it was obvious it is Killy-an?