Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Aoife - if not Irish?

139 replies

Helpneeded12345 · 18/03/2023 10:36

I love the name Aoife. It is my all time favourite girls name but neither my partner or I are Irish (my great-grandparents were Irish but this is a very long way back!)

I would love to hear your thoughts. Do you think it is ok to use Aoife if not Irish or would it be weird / cultural appropriation?

I'm particularly interested in opinions from anyone Irish - would it be offensive?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Templebreedy · 18/03/2023 13:22

drpet49 · 18/03/2023 13:18

This. I hate the spelling of Aofie

Show quote history

Oh, the irony.

drpet49 · 18/03/2023 13:18

ididntwanttodoit · 18/03/2023 12:30

what's wrong with Eva? sounds much the same and not nearly so hard to spell.

This. I hate the spelling of Aofie

DerangedViper · 18/03/2023 13:15

cosmiccosmos · 18/03/2023 12:55

It's only easy to pronounce and spell if you know it or are Irish Confused

Way more accessible than many!!

cosmiccosmos · 18/03/2023 12:55

It's only easy to pronounce and spell if you know it or are Irish Confused

cosmiccosmos · 18/03/2023 12:54

It's a lovely name and anyone is free to use it - there's no restrictions.

However personally I think it's odd to chose a name that you have no cultural link to and I will add is frequently mispronounced and misspelled. Your DD will be asked to spell it all the time and will be asked about her Irish heritage. Why wouldn't you use something from your background that sounds similar?

xJoy · 18/03/2023 12:51

It definitely is not the same as using a Japanese name!

For one thing, Irish people speak English. Irish people can wander down the street in the UK and nobody knows they're not 100% English going back ten generations.

You have journalists/acotrs in the UK with names like Dermot O'Leary, Steeve Coogan and Kevin O'Sullivan and Siobhan Conaty and Tony Slattery and so on. Nobody knows whether both their parents were Irish or whether they have one Irish grandparent or great grandparent. People like Craig Doyle, Ed Byrne and Dara O'Briain all built careers in the UK (so many men!) oh yeh, Aislinn Bea too, phew, a woman amongst them.
Can you name any Japanese people who integrated UK life so seemlessly. To compare using an Irish name with using a Japanese name is hilarious.

I'd use a Spanish or an Italian name without a thought. Love Paloma, Love Salvador. But a Japanese name, no.

tazzy73 · 18/03/2023 12:49

Irish here 🇮🇪
Use away, very easy to spell and pronounce. Irish people would not be offended by this. Only spell them correctly.
No one owns names.

Stepuptowardsinfinity · 18/03/2023 12:43

Bizarre. Like using Manuel if you are not Spanish, or Haru if you are not Japanese. Aoife is a lovely name but screams Irish heritage.

Templebreedy · 18/03/2023 12:41

ididntwanttodoit · 18/03/2023 12:30

what's wrong with Eva? sounds much the same and not nearly so hard to spell.

That’s your issue, OP, that kind of whiny Little Englandism.

I’m Irish and have no issue with anyone using Irish names as long as they spell and pronounce them properly.

xJoy · 18/03/2023 12:36

You have my permission, ha ha ! (I'm Irish)

I prefer Eva though. TBH. I like Siún, Fraoch, Clodagh...... Meadhbh much more.

DerangedViper · 18/03/2023 12:35

I have an Irish grandparent and wouldn't have hesitated to use a Irish name had it been the one I liked best.

Even with a great-grandparent, I think it's OK. If you ever feel the need to justify it in RL, you can simply say "my mother/father has Irish ancestry"

Hope you'll be watching the rugby later Shamrock

ididntwanttodoit · 18/03/2023 12:30

what's wrong with Eva? sounds much the same and not nearly so hard to spell.

Twoinapod · 18/03/2023 11:09

I know a lot of siobhans and Niamh’s and none are Irish or have Irish connections so I think it’s fine

ReadersD1gest · 18/03/2023 10:38

It's fine, it's quite popular in some parts of London! Not so much in Ireland anymore, oddly.