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Baby names

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

Original poster

To tell parents about pronunciation?

158 replies

HelpaSILout · 15/12/2023 08:31

My SIL shared their favourite name with family for their soon due DS.
It’s a beautiful name, Fionn. We live in England (no strong Irish heritage on our side of the family, not sure about hers) but being an obviously Celtic name I wondered about its meaning and put it into google.
Now the problem arises, they are pronouncing it Fi-on and I’ve found it’s pronounced Finn. Do I say something or just keep my beak out!?

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AriannasGuitarCase · 15/12/2023 10:14

Bumbers · 15/12/2023 09:37

I'm English and would pronounce it Fee-on.

I am dyslexic though and really, really struggle with celtic names. I need things spelt phonetically!!

It is spelt phonetically

Original poster
HelpaSILout · 15/12/2023 10:13

Thank you to everyone regarding the proper Irish pronunciations. The google video I listened to sounded like Finn & I’d read an old MN thread before posting which suggested NI prounounce it Finn and SI fy-unn, ‘like the word fun with a yuh sound after the f.’
The only Irish heritage my family have is one great grandparent from NI.
Anyway I will certainly not be saying anything as I’d have been gutted if anyone had passed comment on my baby names. I just needed to feel sure that I wasn’t setting up my DN to find out his name had been mispronounced his whole life.
I feel reassured that a few have said any 3 pronunciations would be acceptable so my nose will stay out!

OP posts:
Backmarks · 15/12/2023 10:05

As others have said, the name Fionn is an Irish name and is pronounced F-yun. Finn is a completely different name.

SgtJuneAckland · 15/12/2023 09:57

My cousin's husband is Irish and they live in Ireland, their little boy is Fionn pronounced F-yun (it's hard to record the sound in writing for me but that's the closest I can manage) , Fee-on I would expect to be a Welsh girl Ffion

hardtoes · 15/12/2023 09:55

I would tell them tbh and drop in Theon as an alternative

elsaandanna · 15/12/2023 09:55

I'd assume it was a misspelling of the Welsh girls name Ffion.
Poor little chap. It's not going to end well.

Shpeech · 15/12/2023 09:53

It's said as Fyun. Not Finn and fi-on.
Think you've already been told a few times, but listen to an Irish person pronounce it!

Riverlee · 15/12/2023 09:50

The first rule of baby naming is not to comment, so I wouldn’t say anything, unless they bring the subject up.

However, if I saw the name written down, I’d assume a girl of Welsh heritage, but misspelt as it would have two ‘F’s. So Ffion, and two syllables.

.

Newsenmum · 15/12/2023 09:50

Id just message and say “just checking are you pronouncing it fi-on or Finn as it’s says Finn on here? I want to make sure we get it right!”

and then you’re done

Original poster
HelpaSILout · 15/12/2023 09:49

Thank you so much for the insightful responses. It seems Google absolutely cannot be trusted for this sort of information and I suppose varies a little according to accent and area? I will absolutely not be saying anything!!

OP posts:
Daisies12 · 15/12/2023 09:49

And this is why it is mad to share your name before baby is here safe and well. Honestly blows my mind.

FirstFallopians · 15/12/2023 09:49

We’re NI and I’ve known a few lads pronounce it as Finn.

DH is from Dublin and would say Fyun.

If I heard it being said as Fee-on by an English family I’d assume it was a girl called Ffion.

throwawayimplantchat · 15/12/2023 09:42

@YourNameGoesHere

You can't just decide to change the way the name is pronounced. Fionn for a boy is pronounced Finn and the poor lad will have an eternity of having to correct people who are actually pronouncing it correctly.

But multiple Irish people on this thread have said that it isn't pronounced Finn for a boy and is closer to fee-yun!

SilverBranchGoldenPears · 15/12/2023 09:39

Hopefully @HelpaSILout has not corrected her SIL!! Good grief.

Glad other Irish folk have saved me the bother.

Bumbers · 15/12/2023 09:37

I'm English and would pronounce it Fee-on.

I am dyslexic though and really, really struggle with celtic names. I need things spelt phonetically!!

TreacleMines · 15/12/2023 09:31

YourNameGoesHere · 15/12/2023 08:39

I really don't think they would. For a girl maybe but a boy would always be Finn and if they were not sure then even a quick Google would confirm that.

Show quote history

There is a kid in my son’s class called Fee-on. I presumed a girl with a Welsh name but nope, boy named Fionn but pronounced Fee-on.

tootiredtoocare · 15/12/2023 09:28

To be honest, these days, spelling and pronunciation often have absolutely nothing to do with each other anyway. I work in an environment (not education) where I meet a lot of kids and the spelling of some of their names is a complete mystery to me.

SleepPrettyDarling · 15/12/2023 09:23

Fionn (fyun as pronounced in Ireland) means blond or fair.

DanceMumTaxi · 15/12/2023 09:20

I once taught a child with this name and it was pronounced sort of like Fee-un /Fee-yon. You sort of have to imagine it being said with a Belfast accent. He had 3 siblings all with Irish names. Mum and dad both from Ireland but moved to England pre-children. No idea if that’s the correct way to pronounce it or not, but that’s how the family said it.

Zonder · 15/12/2023 09:16

YourNameGoesHere · 15/12/2023 08:43

Why is it rude and ignorant it's true. You can't just decide to change the way the name is pronounced. Fionn for a boy is pronounced Finn and the poor lad will have an eternity of having to correct people who are actually pronouncing it correctly.

Show quote history

People do it all the time these days. People take names and pronounce or spell them as they like. There's no rules really.

AgnesX · 15/12/2023 09:07

If there's no cultural link it's hardly surprising there's going to be a lot of mis pronunciation. That said, Finn is the English translation. My Irish manager has called her child Fionn and tells me that it changes depending on where you're from in Ireland.

IKissedKermit · 15/12/2023 08:59

I'm Irish, it's not Finn. And, it's not fi-on either

Fionn and Finn are pronounced completely differently in Ireland.

Fionn would sound more like more like few(but very short w sound rolling into)-uhn(long emphasis on n). Finn is like fin with a long n.

Google can't be trusted!

HappyHealthy23 · 15/12/2023 08:57

I'm also Irish and would pronounce it Fyun, although wouldn't raise too much of an eyebrow if someone said it's "Fionn pronounced Finn". It's definitely not Fee-on though.

clouddweller · 15/12/2023 08:55

This absolutely never (never!) happens, but my
son’s name is Fionn, and I can confirm that every single English person (except for our families, some of whom are Irish) who has ever said his name has said ‘fee-on’. That’s not how we pronounce it - we say ‘ff-yon’ so sort of almost two syllables but mashed together - but if they’re in England and they’re going to say ‘fee-on’, no-one will notice. People will probably think they mean Ffion, which is what we also get, but what can you do. In all honesty I do and have always rolled my eyes a bit (internally!) when we say the name one way and have it immediately ‘repeated’ entirely differently, but really I don’t think I could expect anything else. It’s an unfamiliar name to most people, and if nothing else it gives us an opportunity to share the story behind it.

megletthesecond · 15/12/2023 08:54

I'm English I've always assumed that name was Fi-on.

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