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Baby names

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

Original poster

saoirse

35 replies

MissMoodyMoo · 27/06/2020 20:42

What are peoples thoughts? We are living in central Scotland and our other DD has a Gaelic name also!

Obviously it's quite a common name where we are and there is a few "celebs" with the name

Yay or Nay

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Destroyedpeople · 28/06/2020 15:07

I wouldn't it's too sectarian.

nannyplumsmagranny · 28/06/2020 15:05

I loved it and was going to use it for my dd but decided against it because of the constant need to spell her name and have it mis pronounced.

We tried it out for a few hours after she was born but it didn't sound right on her and went with a different name.

It's a beautiful name though.

RuthW · 28/06/2020 14:57

I always say Sore Arse in my head and can never remember how to say it.

DanniArthur · 28/06/2020 13:20

Love it! My friend's DD is Saoirse, she also pronounces it Seer- sha. We are in Glasgow and she doesn't seem to have issues with people mispronouncing it.

abiirthdaycake · 28/06/2020 13:15

Might be worth noting that the "soresha" mispronunciation of Sorcha can't be blamed on Scottish Gaelic - ch in Scottish Gaelic is still the same as in Irish (they don't say Losh Ness)

Thistlegirl4 · 28/06/2020 13:07

Saoirse is a lovely name and not an issue here in Scotland. Although Scotland does have it's version, which was mentioned in a recent thread , Saorsa but is pronounced differently.

Nihiloxica · 27/06/2020 21:41

@cremuel

Oh, also, to clarify, I’m talking about this from a Scottish Gaelic point of view. The names are often common to both (I would see Sorcha as just as much a Scottish name as an Irish one) but the pronunciations can be different.
Ah good, I was wondering.

So Sorcha is also a Gaelic name? Interesting.

I know Irish Seoirse is equivalent to Seoras in Gaelic (which is much nicer IMO), so I wondered if there was a slightly different version.

Seoirse gets mixed up in the Saoirse discussion, even though it is a boy's name. It is SORE-sha (or more properly SHORE-sha).

IdblowJonSnow · 27/06/2020 21:38

I really like it although tricky for a little un to spell! However that phase won't last long!

icedaisy · 27/06/2020 21:37

Thanks everyone, really helpful.

Sorry OP for derail, lovely name though.

Yay!

BilboBercow · 27/06/2020 21:37

The pronunciation of the name is lovely but agree the spelling makes me think Sore Arse every time

cremuel · 27/06/2020 21:36

Oh, also, to clarify, I’m talking about this from a Scottish Gaelic point of view. The names are often common to both (I would see Sorcha as just as much a Scottish name as an Irish one) but the pronunciations can be different.

cremuel · 27/06/2020 21:34

I think it is often pronounced differently by Gaelic speakers and non-Gaelic speakers. Gaelic has short vowel sounds that aren’t written, hence the ‘a’ sound in the middle of the name. Non-Gaelic speakers often don’t include these vowels. I know someone who pronounces in more like sor-sha, but I would consider so-ra-cha a more ‘correct’ pronunciation. Either way, it’s definitely not the same name as Saoirse.

PurBal · 27/06/2020 21:34

Yay!

Nihiloxica · 27/06/2020 21:34

I love Sorcha, but I would never use it outside Ireland because it will never be said correctly.

SURR-u-cha (the ch from loch)

Saoirse is SEER-shuh or SARE-shuh (I would say the former).

They aren't similar at all, really, apart from starting with the same letter.

Viragoesque · 27/06/2020 21:32

@Crockodoodle, then your friend is mispronouncing her own name. The vowel cluster aoi is pronounced roughly ‘ee’, as in Aoife (EEfuh), taoiseach, Déardaoin, faoi etc. Never ‘oh’.

icedaisy · 27/06/2020 21:29

Thank you @cremuel. That's helpful.

She says it more like surch ha. I have always wondered the difference though.

cremuel · 27/06/2020 21:27

@icedaisy

I have a friend sorcha. Is this the same pronunciation? She says it the same as how some of you have typed.

It's a beautiful name but I have always been unsure of the difference between spelling and pronunciation or whether that was regional.

It’s not the same as Sorcha, which I would pronounce so-ra-cha, which a guttural ‘ch’ as in loch. Sorcha means light. Saoirse is lovely, though personally I like Sorcha even more.
SunflowerProsecco · 27/06/2020 21:25

Yay

Frazzled2207 · 27/06/2020 21:24

Love the name but having an awkward to spell/pronounce Gaelic name myself I decided against doing that for my own kids as it has been hassly for me. That said my husband also has an awkward name and he prefers being original.

icedaisy · 27/06/2020 21:24

I have a friend sorcha. Is this the same pronunciation? She says it the same as how some of you have typed.

It's a beautiful name but I have always been unsure of the difference between spelling and pronunciation or whether that was regional.

Nihiloxica · 27/06/2020 21:21

Not mad on it, but Saoirse Ronan has meant it is familiar outside Ireland.

Is it also the Gaelic word for freedom?

Crockodoodle · 27/06/2020 21:20

As the written word its the most gorgeous name, pronunciation is difficult. I only know it as Sorce cha, as that's how the girl I know pronounces it but also seen an surcha

Katjolo · 27/06/2020 21:17

Beautiful name.

anormalperson · 27/06/2020 21:16

Gorgeous name ! Didn't work with our surname so we couldn't use it

Guiltyfeminist1 · 27/06/2020 21:16

I absolutely love it and am considering it for this baby. Go for it - gorgeous! My only concern would be them being able to spell their own name and constantly having to tell folk how to pronounce if not in Scotland/Ireland.