Irish baby girl names

YourKindMoose · 2025-10-17T13:48:55+00:00

What do you think of these Irish girl names? Saoirse (seer-sha) Aoife (ee-fa) Etain (eh-tane) Sadhbh (sive) Béibhinn (bay-vin)

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Helenalove · 19/10/2025 21:02

Ws2210 · 19/10/2025 20:29

Little bit different!

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Irish people also use French names.

Etc etc etc

Ws2210 · 19/10/2025 20:29

Helenalove · 18/10/2025 13:31

Irish people also use English names

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Little bit different!

Toomuchaltogether · 19/10/2025 14:48

An anglicisation makes sense, your other names were all Irish language pronunciations so I think that’s what confused me ☺️

I think eh-tane sounds too much like attain for me, but if you love it go for it.

Original poster

YourKindMoose · 19/10/2025 14:16

Toomuchaltogether · 18/10/2025 13:02

I don’t think Etain is pronounced Eh-tane, is it?
Étaín is an old Irish spelling and it’s Éadaoin in modern Irish, pronounced like Aideen.

Thanks for input! I understand “eh-tane” or “ee-tain” is the anglicized version of the pronunciation of the name - spelt with no fadas. Agree that fadas would change pronunciation to “ay-teen” or “ay-tawn” depending on placement. Almost every Etain I have come across or heard of has pronounced it as eh-tane/ee-tain. Maybe you have heard it differently @Toomuchaltogether?

Thoughts on this name for a girl and whether it is harsh/masculine sounding or a soft/feminine/pretty name?!

Was definitely easier naming boys!

OP posts:

Toomuchaltogether · 19/10/2025 10:03

roslyn80 · 18/10/2025 21:00

Irish here and ive always thought Niamh was a lovely name. Saoirse is my favourite from your list but another beautiful name is Saorlaith

I’ve also seen the spelling Saorla so that’s an option too, like Órla and Órlaith.

GlitzAndGigglesx · 18/10/2025 21:45

I love Irish names. I have a Niamh. Ex DP wanted to change the spelling but I said no because I love how it looks. Also love Orla, Aoife and Siobhan. I don't think it's tacky using Irish names when you're English as a pp said. I do have Irish ancestry

roslyn80 · 18/10/2025 21:00

Irish here and ive always thought Niamh was a lovely name. Saoirse is my favourite from your list but another beautiful name is Saorlaith

aquashiv · 18/10/2025 19:37

All of my children and I have distinctly Irish names, which is not a problem. Most names require some spelling clarification, even the simplest ones, so this should never deter you. I have explained the Gaelic language numerous times to those who find it challenging to understand. The variations in pronunciation occur because the letters do not correspond directly to English.

Helenalove · 18/10/2025 17:27

Toomuchaltogether · 18/10/2025 17:25

Ah well, as we know it’s really not as simple as that.

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Who said it was simple.

Its not simple keeping ireland in two parts either.

War, invasion are never simple.

Its why russia and ukraine are still fighting about land

Toomuchaltogether · 18/10/2025 17:25

Helenalove · 18/10/2025 17:18

If the U.K gave Nothern Ireland back to Ireland, there would be no confusion.

Just saying.

It is very rare to have an island split into two countries
. It does not work well

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Ah well, as we know it’s really not as simple as that.

loveisanopensore · 18/10/2025 17:18

Sadhbh is my favourite of those. My kids were born in UK. People were generally fine once I explained the pronunciation.
Mumsnet is weird about Irish names.

Helenalove · 18/10/2025 17:18

Toomuchaltogether · 18/10/2025 17:17

Sometimes, but not always. Sometimes it’s Ireland the island vs Ireland the state naming confusion. I’ve learned to say ROI on here.

If the U.K gave Nothern Ireland back to Ireland, there would be no confusion.

Just saying.

It is very rare to have an island split into two countries
. It does not work well

Toomuchaltogether · 18/10/2025 17:17

Sometimes, but not always. Sometimes it’s Ireland the island vs Ireland the state naming confusion. I’ve learned to say ROI on here.

Helenalove · 18/10/2025 17:13

Toomuchaltogether · 18/10/2025 17:08

It does cause confusion when the name of the state and the name of the island are the same. Sometimes you can be talking about one on here and people think you mean the other. Also depends when you’re talking about of course. I think some people on MN sometimes forget that the whole island was part of the UK (of GB and Ireland) for a long time too. It’s come up on other threads.

Edited

I think what they forget more is that

The Republic of Ireland is now an independent country.

Toomuchaltogether · 18/10/2025 17:13

Oh dear 😅

Emanwenym · 18/10/2025 17:12

@Toomuchaltogether , I was having a work meal with some colleagues a few years ago and one of the group was from the Republic of Ireland. He was quite vocal and was telling us about the stupid things he got asked like 'What do you mean you don't have a picture of the Queen on banknotes and stamps?'

Growing up, the Republic of Ireland was referred to as 'Southern Ireland'. Misleading or what? Ireland was the whole.
Now I say Ireland (both RoI and 'RoI + NI') and Northern Ireland.

Toomuchaltogether · 18/10/2025 17:08

It does cause confusion when the name of the state and the name of the island are the same. Sometimes you can be talking about one on here and people think you mean the other. Also depends when you’re talking about of course. I think some people on MN sometimes forget that the whole island was part of the UK (of GB and Ireland) for a long time too. It’s come up on other threads.

Emanwenym · 18/10/2025 16:49

I made a mistake in that what I meant was British Empire and what is now the Republic of Ireland. @Helenalove .

Maxorias · 18/10/2025 16:39

I like Etain the most. I also like the sound of Sadhbh but struggle to get past the Sad part of the name.

Helenalove · 18/10/2025 16:36

Emanwenym · 18/10/2025 16:33

@aoife , I don't really care what you think, because my post was in reply to a post saying that 'everyone will know'.

If you don't know what happened, and you clearly don't.

Shouldn't you have written 'I don't know'

. Or you could use google to look up what happened, before writing incorrect, inflammatory comments.

If i didnt know exactly what was happening in the russia/ ukraine conflict I wouldnt just start writing years and dates that are wrong.

Toomuchaltogether · 18/10/2025 16:36

Sadhbh is my favourite from your list OP.

Emanwenym · 18/10/2025 16:33

@aoife , I don't really care what you think, because my post was in reply to a post saying that 'everyone will know'.

Helenalove · 18/10/2025 16:33

AOIFEmissingUalways · 18/10/2025 16:29

Fuck me!!
If you're Irish you won't think "...troubles between the UK and Ireland is not recent history. It was over a 100 years ago."

What an ignorant statement!

I've now read your follow up posts @Emanwenym and you're deep in that hole by now... give it up.

Agree @Helenalove - we should get back to the names that OP asked about.

A friend recently named her baby Nuala, which i wasn't sure about at the time but now I think is really lovely.

Edited

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That poster is not Irish.

But yes she has written some extremely ignorant statements.

Im joking but this thread could start a war . What she is writing is so crazy!

AOIFEmissingUalways · 18/10/2025 16:29

Emanwenym · 18/10/2025 14:47

Everyone I have met in the UK and in Ireland know about the troubles between the UK and Ireland in the past. How could they not? Its recent history.
I didn't study history at school. What I know is from books I have read as an adult.
The troubles between the UK and Ireland is not recent history. It was over a 100 years ago.

It would be like saying someone in the Ukraine doesn't know about the war between the UKraine and Russia.
You are comparing something from the 18th and 19th Centuries to a war that is ongoing.

Fuck me!!
If you're Irish you won't think "...troubles between the UK and Ireland is not recent history. It was over a 100 years ago."

What an ignorant statement!

I've now read your follow up posts @Emanwenym and you're deep in that hole by now... give it up.

Agree @Helenalove - we should get back to the names that OP asked about.

A friend recently named her baby Nuala, which i wasn't sure about at the time but now I think is really lovely.

Helenalove · 18/10/2025 16:17

Anyway back to names.

I like Bláthnaid