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Baby names

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Original poster

Cianan?

38 replies

playinghippiefamilies · 02/07/2021 02:27

Hiya, we expecting our 2nd DC in October and already have Aoife picked out for a girl. For a boy we really like Cianan, our DS is called Tadhg and we think they sound nice together. It’s pronounced Kee-Nan. Just wondering what others opinions of it are?

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ThatWasCrazy · 03/07/2021 09:17

Rian is nice.

Tiernan?

mathanxiety · 03/07/2021 09:01

Rian doesn't have a fada. The IA combination is always sounded in Irish so it's not necessary.

Original poster
playinghippiefamilies · 02/07/2021 21:05

Thank you :)

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LizzieAnt · 02/07/2021 21:00

Tadhg is lovely all right. Good luck with your search.

Original poster
playinghippiefamilies · 02/07/2021 20:56

Thank you for all the advice. I think I’m going to take some time away and see if there’s any other names that I like as none of these seem like the one. I feel like I’ve used my favourite boys name now so it’s so difficult

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LizzieAnt · 02/07/2021 20:54

The Qway-lawn pronunciation is from Munster. It's less likely to be confused with the female Keelin/Caoilfhionn, which is an advantage I guess.

I'm fairly sure Rian doesn't have a fada though, which might be handier if you're not in Ireland. The Irish version of the surname Ryan doesn't either.

MareMare · 02/07/2021 20:51

@playinghippiefamilies

This is so difficult😂. I’m undecided between Caolán and Rían. I think I prefer Caolán but I’m worried about the different pronunciations of it. I don’t want my way of saying it to be the unusual one if that makes sense. From what I’ve seen online most people say it like Qway-Lawn. Which I do like too.
Well, I think most Irish people understand that those sounds are regional, hence Keevuh and Kweevuh for Caoimhe etc.

I mean, I’d automatically pronounce it Quail-AWN if I saw it written down because of where I’m from, but if you told me he was Kale-awn, I’d just pronounce it that way.

Original poster
playinghippiefamilies · 02/07/2021 20:42

This is so difficult😂. I’m undecided between Caolán and Rían. I think I prefer Caolán but I’m worried about the different pronunciations of it. I don’t want my way of saying it to be the unusual one if that makes sense. From what I’ve seen online most people say it like Qway-Lawn. Which I do like too.

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Original poster
playinghippiefamilies · 02/07/2021 20:41

@LizzieAnt

I think I’m leaning more towards Rían now as I’m stressing over pronunciation!

I don't think Rian has a fada.

Every time I’ve seen it it has a fada
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LizzieAnt · 02/07/2021 20:40

I think I’m leaning more towards Rían now as I’m stressing over pronunciation!

I don't think Rian has a fada.

romdowa · 02/07/2021 20:31

I'd pronounced cianan like keenan but if it had the fada then I'd say kee-nawn.

Original poster
playinghippiefamilies · 02/07/2021 20:27

@MareMare

Will it bother you to have people assume Rían is pronounced Ryan?
No I don’t think so, as I can just correct that. But I don’t want to be pronouncing the other names ‘wrong’ if that makes sense
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MareMare · 02/07/2021 20:22

Will it bother you to have people assume Rían is pronounced Ryan?

Original poster
playinghippiefamilies · 02/07/2021 20:19

Thank you everyone! I think I’m leaning more towards Rían now as I’m stressing over pronunciation!

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MareMare · 02/07/2021 19:45

@playinghippiefamilies

We aren’t living in Ireland, but most of our family live there so it won’t be an issue with family pronouncing (they pronounce the names the same as I do). But obviously with friends it may be an issue. Although the area that I live in is known for having more ‘unusual’ names. What are people opinions on Rían?
I find Rían at the nouveau-make-uppy end of Irish names, though I was at school with a ringing bitch called Ríonach (or possibly Ríoghnach?)

I like Caolán most of your suggestions. I like Cianan when the ‘Cian’ has the schwa pronounced, but not so much when it’s essentially Keenan, which it may be for many people. Cianán is nice.

Tadhg and Aoife are great.

DramaAlpaca · 02/07/2021 19:38

I have come across a Cianán, by the way, whose parents were fluent Irish speakers, so it's certainly an existing name.

DramaAlpaca · 02/07/2021 19:36

@playinghippiefamilies I'd pronounce Cianán something like kee-un-AWN, or maybe I should write it kee'nAWN because there's only the smallest of pauses between the /i/ and the/a/.

I think in England you will actually get your preferred KEE-nun pronunciation as people won't generally know how to say it, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

NeverTalksToStrangers · 02/07/2021 19:31

I'm in NI and have never heard of Cianan. It feels a bit made up? Too much like Cian and Kieran.

Keenan would be a nicer spelling IMO.

Personally, if I wasn't living in Ireland I would choose a name that was easier to spell/pronounce, like Cormac, Rory etc.

Original poster
playinghippiefamilies · 02/07/2021 19:27

@DramaAlpaca

Oh, I like Rían very much. It's unusual even in Ireland, I've only met one.

I like Cianán too, but I think it needs the fada.

How would you pronounce Cianán?
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Original poster
playinghippiefamilies · 02/07/2021 19:27

I really like Rían too, especially because there’s only really one way to pronounce it. I think it would bother me having multiple pronunciations of one name.

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DramaAlpaca · 02/07/2021 19:24

Oh, I like Rían very much. It's unusual even in Ireland, I've only met one.

I like Cianán too, but I think it needs the fada.

Original poster
playinghippiefamilies · 02/07/2021 19:22

We aren’t living in Ireland, but most of our family live there so it won’t be an issue with family pronouncing (they pronounce the names the same as I do). But obviously with friends it may be an issue. Although the area that I live in is known for having more ‘unusual’ names.
What are people opinions on Rían?

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LizzieAnt · 02/07/2021 17:21

I think it depends where you live OP - you've said you're Irish but are you living in Ireland? If so, people will have their own way of saying Caolán as you know, and it might be harder to get them to stick to your preferred pronunciation all right. On the other hand, maybe everyone says it like you in your local area and you don't intend moving!
If you're not living in Ireland the variety of pronunciations shouldn't be such an issue, but people will be quite unfamiliar with the name.

Original poster
playinghippiefamilies · 02/07/2021 10:35

Caolán is our favourite name, but where I’m from I pronounce it Key-Lawn. However I know it can be pronounced Key-lin, Kay-Lawn and Qway-Lawn too.

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Original poster
playinghippiefamilies · 02/07/2021 09:42

Yes I am Irish.

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