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Baby names

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

Original poster

Niamh or Nola?

58 replies

Amdal1 · 14/11/2021 22:57

Which do you like better? The middle name will be Lisa for sentimental reasons.

We like both but I’m concerned that Niamh is quite common now but on the other hand Nola may be too unusual!

Thanks for the help!

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Stressymcstress · 23/11/2021 23:11

Both are beautiful names - I had them on my short list!

I think Niamh goes better with the middle name, but how often do people get called their full name? I don’t think it matters that much.

Bobsyer · 23/11/2021 22:57

I like Nola but agree it doesn't go with Lisa.

Not a huge fan of Niamh. Like Marnie a lot though. Although Marnie Lisa possibly worse than Nola Lisa!

Carboncheque · 22/11/2021 15:18

Shannon and Leah? Are you American?

Niamh is nice. Nola is New Orleans.

Irishfarmer · 22/11/2021 15:12

How do you pronounce Nola? Nol-a or No-la?

ShinyMe · 20/11/2021 16:39

I love Nola! But I think that's because there's a very young Nola who sets questions on House of Games in the kids' round, and she's hilarious. But Nola says good things to me.

Enko · 20/11/2021 16:33

Nola Lisa is a problem sadly as Nola is pretty

Niamh is perfectly normal and I like it as a name

Marnie is outright gorgeous your dh is nuts :)

Amdone123 · 20/11/2021 01:59

I love Niamh. So lovely too, to remember your best friend.
Nola is ok but in my head I started singing Enola Gay. 🙃

TrampolineForMrKite · 20/11/2021 01:49

I think Niamh is lovely, but a friend of mine with an Irish husband chose it for her eldest. She’s in Portsmouth and said that she’s been surprised at how many people can’t pronounce it when it’s written down or write it down when it’s pronounced, as she had assumed it was similar to Siobhan and Seamus etc. in terms of English people being familiar. Her daughter is six now, but she says if she had her time again she would have probably picked another Irish name that’s more widely known in England or spelt it “Neave”.

FWIW I love Nola and have loved it since I saw ‘Match Point’ where Scarlett Johanson plays a Nola, but as PP said Nola Lisa does make me think of the Mona Lisa.

CouncilHousedAndViolentBaby · 20/11/2021 01:45

Elisemum sounds unhinged

DotDotDotDotDot · 16/11/2021 22:24

Niamh is a beautiful name OP, I say go for it. it definitely shouldn’t take 3 years to learn how to say it@ElisemumHmm

ellenpartridge · 16/11/2021 22:11

Niamh is a lovely name

Luredbyapomegranate · 16/11/2021 22:04

Niamh

Nola just sounds naff to me, like Brenda.

Muttly · 16/11/2021 10:06

Wow that became more heated than I expected 😆

It really did. Who would have expected people to have such visceral reactions to a name of someone else on the internet’s child Grin

MysteriousMonkey · 15/11/2021 22:41

@Codswallop20

I absolutely hate the name Niamh. Is stepdaughters name, and I love her to bits but it's never a name you can buy on a badge or a hairband and no one can pronounce it properly. It's a big fat no from me
@Codswallop20 I don't know where you live but Niamh is back on souveniers and Christmas Dec's where I am. I think it just depends where names fall on the most popular each year. I have a Niamh and when she was very little I could get stuff, then not in recent years. But it's back.

I love the name Niamh BTW Grin

Original poster
Amdal1 · 15/11/2021 22:37

Wow that became more heated than I expected 😆! I suppose you can’t please everyone, but I’m pretty sure Niamh wouldn’t be classed as the number 1 most awful name in the world 🤨. Gaelic names like Eilidh, Ruaridh and Mhairi are very popular here so there won’t be an issue with spelling, unless she moves to America or Israel that is!

I agree Nola doesn’t sound right with Lisa though, but Lisa was the name of my best friend who passed away a couple of years ago so I really want it there. Like Stevearnottsbeard said, middle names aren’t used very much anyway so it’s more for sentimental reasons.

Welldarn I love Maeve but unfortunately a friend who is due a few weeks before me has chosen the name already!

OP posts:
girlmom21 · 15/11/2021 21:29

Horrendous spelling and no one in the world except Irish and English can ever pronounce it. It took me 3 years to learn how to pronounce it.

How on Earth did it take you 3 years to learn to pronounce it?

I had a Hungarian client whose name was Judith - pronounced yoo-dit

You only need to hear it once to know how to pronounce it...

GreyhoundG1rl · 15/11/2021 21:29

I work in finance with Americans and English and 90% are absolutely confused by this name
You appear to be surrounded by thick as a brick muppets. Poor you

Welldarn · 15/11/2021 21:28

How about Lara or Lana or Maeve. My DD’s best friend is called Niamh and we call her Nim Grin.

She is lovely as is her name.

Stevearnottsbeard · 15/11/2021 21:20

Wow, some really harsh and horrible posts here about a very common and well known name, although to be fair this is mumsnet so I shouldn't be surprised!! 😂 😂 😂
I have a Niamh, it only takes once to give the correct pronunciation or spelling but it's very common these days so not normally needed.
However, I don't think either name sounds great with Lisa unfortunately but as middle names are rarely used I don't suppose it matters

LizzieAnt · 15/11/2021 20:28

Sorry, cross post, TuftyMarmoset.

LizzieAnt · 15/11/2021 20:27

It’s spelled nothing like it’s pronounced.
In English, no, because it's an Irish name, so that's not surprising Elisemum. The sounds in the name exist in English though, so shouldn't be too difficult to reproduce.
If you're speaking Irish, Niamh is pronounced exactly as it's spelled.

Leah isn't an Irish name btw.

DurhamDurham · 15/11/2021 20:23

I love the name Nola, it was in a book I read recently. It doesn't sound right with Lisa, maybe add in a third name to make it flow ? Grin

TuftyMarmoset · 15/11/2021 20:20

@Elisemum It’s spelt exactly how it’s pronounced… in Irish. How can it possibly take 3 years to learn how to pronounce a simple word? Also, Leah is a Hebrew name.

Elisemum · 15/11/2021 20:17

Let alone Israeli and European clients… they don’t even know where to begin with this name… they are utterly confused.

Elisemum · 15/11/2021 20:16

@GreyhoundG1rl yeh of course it’s Irish, lol I’m in Ireland. I work in finance with Americans and English and 90% are absolutely confused by this name. It’s prob the number 1 most aweful name. It’s spelled nothing like it’s pronounced. None of my American colleagues can pronounce it despite us constantly saying the name over the phone. Some English colleagues would pronounce it properly but vast majority is like “what the hell”