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Baby names

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

Original poster

Aodhán or Aidan

65 replies

ImStayingInside · 04/12/2021 12:24

I have posted before about Irish baby names, but we have whittled down the boys name to Aodhán or Aidan … (we didn’t find out the sex, so could be completely irrelevant if baby is a girl!)
For content, DH is Irish and wants baby to have an Irish name, we live in England and I’m not 100% sure on which spelling to use.
Are we just subjecting the child to a lifetime of spelling his name out?
I am quite settled on the name, it’s just the spelling that is causing me trouble now … any opinions welcome!

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weegiemum · 04/12/2021 23:19

I'd go for Aidan, but I'm biased! Though my Aidan is a native Gaelic speaker he's happy with his spelling. It's a lovely name!

FallonCarringtonWannabe · 04/12/2021 23:14

In england he could get aiden or aidan so go with the Gaelic.

StrychnineInTheSandwiches · 04/12/2021 23:13

@MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry

I have also seen it spelled Áodhan which I’m not sure is correct?
No that's not correct. That would be pronounced aw-awn or something like that. Is that person from NI? I have found that some NI people tend to favour extraneous fadas and sometimes go for more 'authentic looking' spellings, that are anything but. I've met an Órlaithí and an Éoin.

It must be to do with not learning Irish in school but very much wanting to strongly identity as being Irish so making it up a bit as they go along. This isn't dig at people from NI, just an observation.

Luredbyapomegranate · 04/12/2021 23:09

Aidan. Nice name.
The Irish spelling is a giant pointless pain for a boy growing up in the Uk. Why do that to him..

DramaAlpaca · 04/12/2021 23:02

@EvilShmeevil

I think ay-dawn is pretty close to how I hear it pronounced in my part of West of Ireland. Definitely has a' d' sound.
Yes, same in my part of the West too, but I also know an Aodhán from Dublin who pronounces it this way. I also know one who doesn't use the fada and pronounces it the same as Aidan.

I have to admit, when we had our children we were living in the UK and my Irish husband and I went for anglicised Irish names to make easier for the English side of the family.

MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry · 04/12/2021 22:59

I have also seen it spelled Áodhan which I’m not sure is correct?

MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry · 04/12/2021 22:58

I love Aodhán. I’m in Ulster and it gets pronounced the same as Aidan here. But it always slightly rankles because I know it should be Ay-awn or EE-awn. Or a very soft “d” sound. The fada elongates the vowel giving the “awn” rather than “in” sound at the end.

Datsandcogs · 04/12/2021 22:49

Looking at your subject line I don’t know how to pronounce the former and when I learnt how to I suspect I would still struggle with spelling it. You have a good reason to spell it the Irish way, it depends on how important it is to you for people to get pronunciation and spelling right first time. Your DS will either tire of explaining or learn to live with it if you choose the former, or choose the latter and he’ll have an easy life in terms of names! Either name is a good choice, congratulations OP.

JaneJeffer · 04/12/2021 17:05

@AuntDympna

In Modern Irish spelling dh is d without the tongue touching the teeth/palate. Sometimes dh is used to mean a palatal d as in Hiberno-English instead of a dental d as used in English-English dialects.
Homer vs Non-Homer Grin
AuntDympna · 04/12/2021 16:44

@StrychnineInTheSandwiches

I'm Irish and thye are pronounced the same one is the Irish spelling.

How can they be pronounced the same if one has a fada?

Áed used to be the most common name in Ireland. The Old Irish ending -acan was used as a diminutive. Over time -acan became -achan, -aghan, and then -án. There are several names that begin Áed, including Áedach Áedgal Áedgen Áedlug Áeducan With all those, you are going to hear every imaginable variation and some we have forgotten about.
AuntDympna · 04/12/2021 16:35

In Modern Irish spelling dh is d without the tongue touching the teeth/palate.
Sometimes dh is used to mean a palatal d as in Hiberno-English instead of a dental d as used in English-English dialects.

JaneJeffer · 04/12/2021 15:23

The d makes a dh sound rather than a soft d like Homer Simpson's D'oh Grin

LastSummerHere · 04/12/2021 15:22

I'm in mid Ulster and know a LOT of Aodháns and we pronounce the name Ay-Don. Actually with our dialect it is more like Ead-In.😂

It's a beautiful name but I don't much like the Aiden spelling. There was a burst of popularity for it back in the nineties where it just felt like every other young boy had that name.

Totalwasteofpaper · 04/12/2021 15:22

I'm Irish and I have two cousins one in 20s and one in his 40s both called Aidan.

Go with Aidan

JaneJeffer · 04/12/2021 15:21

@EvilShmeevil

I think ay-dawn is pretty close to how I hear it pronounced in my part of West of Ireland. Definitely has a' d' sound.
Same. Also in the west.
StrychnineInTheSandwiches · 04/12/2021 15:16

I'm Irish and thye are pronounced the same one is the Irish spelling.

How can they be pronounced the same if one has a fada?

CliffsofMohair · 04/12/2021 15:16

@Gooseysgirl

The 'd' is pronounced in Aodhán (I know several!!) Correct pronunciation is 'Ay-dawn'. In answer to your question OP, I would personally go with Aidan. My son has an Irish name which is regularly mispronounced here in UK, it gets annoying for him at times.
It seems to be a regional thing. The politician Aodhan O Riordan says his name rhymes with crayon
JLQ1020 · 04/12/2021 15:09

I'm Irish and thye are pronounced the same one is the Irish spelling. However in different regions across Ireland sometimes Aodhan will be pronounced Ay Don.
It's a gorgeous name and means little firey one which I think is just lovely.

BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 04/12/2021 15:06

I only know two Aodháns and as far as I know they have to say "Aodhán, rhymes with 'crayon'" quite a lot, even in Ireland. So if you are based in the UK I'd go with Aidan for his convenience.

OrangeAndYellowAndBlue · 04/12/2021 14:59

The Irish spelling is lovely, but in this case I would probably choose Aidan.

AuntDympna · 04/12/2021 14:08

In Ulster it's EEDun.
I don't know what the h is there for. I would spell it Aodán, rather than Aodhán.

luinagreine · 04/12/2021 13:52

@EvilShmeevil

I think ay-dawn is pretty close to how I hear it pronounced in my part of West of Ireland. Definitely has a' d' sound.
I'm in the West and would pronounce it/hear it pronounced ay-dawn as well.
Original poster
ImStayingInside · 04/12/2021 13:48

Thanks for your comments, it’s good getting others opinions.
I never envisaged names being such a hard thing to settle on 🙈
We have an Irish Mc surname.
I will speak to my husband about the spelling/pronunciation that he prefers, because I was thinking the pronunciation would be Aidan with either spelling.

OP posts:
Beamur · 04/12/2021 13:28

The accent (fada?) will totally throw the English (like me) but I like the Gaelic version, it's lovely, you often have to spell names out for one reason or another so I wouldn't let that put you off. Both my first name and surname have more than one version so I always have to clarify and my 'maiden' name I struggle to pronounce clearly myself!

RedRobin100 · 04/12/2021 13:22

Sorry- I clearly didn’t fully read your post that you’re in England with an Irish husband!