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Baby names

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

Original poster

Baby name Oilibhear?

189 replies

Juliette222 · 11/12/2021 09:06

Hello!
I wondered what you think of the baby boy name OILIBHÉAR? (pronounced Olly-vare).
We wanted to find an Irish name. I like that it has the friendly nn “Ollie” but an unusual longer name. But keen to hear what others think ….?
Thank you! :-)

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womaninatightspot · 11/12/2021 11:31

I have an Eoin (His dad is Irish and it's a family name and get so many spelling mistakes) People tend to guess Ian to pronounce and often Owen in cards especially from my family. He did a football camp when on holiday in Dublin and was super impressed that everyone got his name right (names on t shirts).

Honestly it's a PITA having to correct everyone so unless your planning to move back I'd choose something easy to spell/ pronounce and have an Irish middle name.

Truthlikeness · 11/12/2021 11:30

I prefer Oisin to Oilibhear. It reads too much like Olly Bear which is not the name a grown man would choose!

MrsLarry · 11/12/2021 11:29

It's a bit silly.....it looks like Olly Bear. Might be cute when a baby, but he's not going to be a baby forever

tara66 · 11/12/2021 11:27

No - just NO! Unless you will be with him all the time though his life to explain, say and spelled it when required. It may be OK in parts of Ireland(?) but he may go to US, Europe or Australia etc for all you know. And they certainly won't have a clue about it.

CharityDingle · 11/12/2021 11:23

@Juliette222

Thanks so much for all the posts guys - very helpful comments :) We are Irish but living in the UK. Very good point it can seem like a gaelicisation of Oliver.

Another name we like is Oisin - I wonder if you also think this will sentence the poor little guy to a lifetime of spelling issues in the UK?

I was going to suggest Oisin. (I'm Irish, living in Ireland).

It's one of my favourite names.

Rangoon · 11/12/2021 11:22

I have a Celtic name which is unusual today. Nobody hears it right the first time and they struggle to spell it. My name has four letters. I would shudder at the prospect of a lifetime of spelling out Oilibhear.

Mischance · 11/12/2021 11:20

Yup - pretentious is definitely the word. Poor kid.

maddiemookins16mum · 11/12/2021 11:19

It always astounds me the amount of people who say ‘yes, go for it’, but they’d never dream of naming their own wains with it.

maddiemookins16mum · 11/12/2021 11:17

@shreddies

It will be a huge pita for your son for the whole of his life
This.
Mischance · 11/12/2021 11:15

Why would you even think of this? What is the point in calling him Oliver then spelling it in a way that no-one will understand or remember? What have you gained - for yourselves or for him?

GrandDuchessRomanov · 11/12/2021 11:15

Another vote for Oily bear too! Sounds pretentious imo

PassingByAndThoughtIdDropIn · 11/12/2021 11:13

I like Oisin. As long as you're prepared to be relaxed about people varying between Uh-sheen/Oh-sheen/Osh-een which are all reasonable attempts at correct pronounciations then I think it's a goer.

nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut · 11/12/2021 11:13

Your child will hate you. Imagine the poor little sod when he's 5 trying to learn to spell that!

No one will ever get it right and he'll be in for a lifetime of having to spell it out or correct people's pronunciation. Some keyboards won't have the accent so it'll be a massive arseache on forms.

I feel really sorry for kids whose parents saddle them with long pretentious names that no child has a hope anyone ever getting right first time.

ArabellaScott · 11/12/2021 11:10

Lovely name.

ImStayingInside · 11/12/2021 11:08

I love Oisin, DH has vetoed it as it’s one of his friends names

Changingtheweather · 11/12/2021 11:06

Love Oisin
Would worry about Oliver variants in Ireland
Are we going Cromwell or Plunkett?

I may be overthinking this

Mamette · 11/12/2021 11:00

Oisín. UH sheeen

MincePieIceCream · 11/12/2021 10:59

In my part of Ireland it’s most commonly OH-sheen with the stress on the first syllable, rather than say the surname O’Shea which is Oh-SHAY @BrightonOrLancaster

Carboncheque · 11/12/2021 10:59

Oisin is much nicer.

stalkersaga · 11/12/2021 10:57

Oisin is a lot better. I considered Roisin when I was having babies.

I'd say it as "OH-sheen" or "OSH-een". Accent very much on the first syllable.

MollysDolly · 11/12/2021 10:56

To be honest, if you're going to pick any name that has no correlation between spelling and sound, because you don't live where the spelling does make sense, does it matter too much which one you pick. They will all have the same problem, to varying degrees.

The more common Irish names fair better in the UK. But it's like anything. I have some friends with beautiful Lithuanian names, pronounced nothing like they way intended in the UK. But that's how 99% of people pronounce them, because that's how the name is "read" in the UK
They have to correct someone, every day.

Granted, more people will know of Oisin. I didn't know how it was spelt, and my mind said it to rhyme with hoisin. Now I know it's what I've heard as O-Sheen. Even knowing that O-Sheen existed, I didn't realise that was how it was written down.

It honestly depends how much it's going to irritate you having to do this while he's a child, and how much you think it will irritate him for his adult life.

BrightonOrLancaster · 11/12/2021 10:53

Oh so is the stress on the first syllable then?

rc22 · 11/12/2021 10:53

Lovely if you're Irish. If you're not, I'd just go for Oliver.

OakPine · 11/12/2021 10:49

Me again. You would think that being Scottish I would know how to pronounce Oisin correctly, and I wasn't being mean saying it like Wazzin or Oy-sin, I just genuinely have no idea how to say it.
Sorry!

MincePieIceCream · 11/12/2021 10:49

Agree with other Irish people on this thread about the ‘Oliver’ name.

Oisin is lovely and fairly popular in Ireland. I know quite a few little Oisins in London, too. It does have different pronunciations depending on what part of Ireland you’re from, though.

USH-eeen is the more common one.
OSH-een and OH-sheen also used.