Aoife in England?

It was on our list for DS had he been a girl and as much as it's a recognisable Irish name these days I still think it's not widely known how to pronounce it.

I used to do brownies, saw the name written down in the register so going down the list:

Amy - here
Lucy - here
Eeee-fuh - little voice pipes up "my name is pronounced Eee-vie" had to refrain from pulling the mum aside at pick up

If people using the name can't pronounce it what hope do other people have.

It's not

I am not British but lived here a long time...

If not for reading this name on MN I would never have heard of it.
I think it's said like Eva (Ayy vuh) and if I wanted it to be said like Ayy-vuh I would spell the name Eva (because I speak Spanish). I don't mind the EEE-vuh pronunciation & wouldn't be fussed if people did say EEEvuh instead of Ayyvuh.

Am fairly certain that very English adult DC & DH would have no clue whatsoever about how to say Aoife "correctly" People do get used to names, obviously, however they are spelled & said.

Yes!

PS. I know 1 OP. Beautiful name. Go for it.

There's an Aoifa in my Dad's class (she's 6) and there's never been a problem with pronunciation or spelling from the other kids or their parents.

It won't cause issues. the first time people encounter the name they might get it wrong. But that's really not an issue.

It’s a pretty name - it was on my list but DH fussed a bit about it so we didn’t use it. I think it’s become more common since then, and once people know the pronunciation it’s not hard so won’t be an issue. The spelling is no more difficult than, say, Ieuan. Yes, needs a bit of thought to start with, but so do names like Steven (v or ph?), Jonathan (or is it Johnathon) or Katherine/Catherine/Kathryn.

I would just go with it OP. Aoife is a beautiful name and people will both pronounce it and spell it properly once they learn it. My son has a traditional Gaelic name and it is grand. I am pregnant and going with either Caoimhe, Méabh or Sadhbh. I am sure people will be grand with them too once they become familiar.

They may not know how to pronounce it the first time they see it. But they can be told and learn.

I work with many people who have non-English names. I learn to pronounce them and if I get it wrong then I apologise and try to remember the next time. The onus is on me to learn, not in them to have an easy name.

it’s not a big ask at all.

I've heard of it before but no idea how to
Pronounce it.

Oh and I know that Aoife is ee-fa and Eva is ee-va but I still think that people who aren't familiar with Aoife will still hear it as Eva or assume Eva simply because it's more common and the difference in sound isn't huge. I have a friend called Livia and people still always hear Olivia.

If her daughter is called Shiobhon, I'm not surprised people struggle with it.
Did you mean Siobhán?

It was my first choice for dd (now 14). I showed the spelling to all my friends and family and asked them to pronounce it. Sadly, all except my Irish friend got correct (obviously). It concerned my dd would have endless issues with that name so, sadly I had to shelve the idea and went for Ruby instead.
I do love the name Ruby but it’s so damn common that I so wished I’d stuck to Aoife, it’s such a beautiful name.

I first came across Aoife about 14 years ago in northern england. I had it spelt phonetically on my register so i got it right. Now it is a very standard name. I even have a relative who named their daughter Aoife and my Irish grandma had never heard of it.

Indeed, anyone saying anything like that, is clearly a twat and a very ignorant one.

Marian Keyes pronounces it Keeva when she reads Grown Ups on Audible.

I am not Irish and have no Irish heritage. I know how to pronounce (and spell!) Aoife. I’d say that it is third - behind Niamh and Siobhan - for “well known Irish girls names.

It is very pretty.

It's pretty and I think it will work.

But I would avoid it at the moment, to be honest.

Eva, Eve, Evie, Evelyn, Ava, Ada are all very common right now and an Aoife will not stand out at all and always be confused with Eva.

It was very common in Ireland. I have a couple of friends from Ireland and among the women three are called Aoife, all born in the 90s, so my guess is that it's more of a 20-something name in Ireland but not sure.

It's lovely, but I really wouldn't right now unless it's your absolut favourite.

@Scautish and @sandytooth , this isn't relevant to the OP.

My point was that it will get misspelled and some people won't know how to say it.
At no point have I suggested that OP names her DD something easy for English people to spell.

The people who prefer us to stick to English names aren't English? Eh??

So we should be more concerned about soaring your blushes?

should we just stick to names like Pam and Liz to ensure you always feel quiet contentment at pronouncing names correctly?

As for it being 'very Little England', they are not necessarily English.

Why do you feel embarrassed though? Just try to get it right next time. Apologise to them if you get it wrong.

@eltonjohnsglasses , no, people don't generally like being corrected.
If I get someone's name wrong, I feel foolish when they correct me.

If I saw someone's name written down, I'd google it, but a lot of the people you meet won't be inclined to, or they might not have the time. Some names have sounds that you might not be able to say if you don't speak that language.
Even if you do look up how to say a name, it is not guaranteed that what you find won't be wrong

I live in a multicultural area. The twatty people tend to be monoglots

I don't know anyone who is rude about people's names. And just correct people if they get it wrong. Yes it will be a tad annoying to have to do that but on the plus side it might make you .ore memorable when you meet someone.