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Baby names

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

Original poster

Any thoughts on these Irish names?

119 replies

ninja · 26/08/2008 14:44

Dh Irish and DD1 has an Irish name - so I may regret this but gives us your views....

Girls

Maebh (Maeve)
Aine (Onya)
Molly (+DH's contribution - to my mind not really Irish but quite pretty)

Boys

Fionn (Finn)
Aodhan/Aidan
Fearghal/Fergal

Thanks x

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AnnieAreYouOkAreYouOkAnnie · 26/08/2008 17:45

sadhbh is really a name, blowsy, it's pronounce sigh-v.
I think it's beautiful.
But then I would.

nailpolish · 26/08/2008 17:40

ninja i see from your profile you live in england

therefore i agree with blowsy

pointydog · 26/08/2008 17:40

Aidan and Aine favourites

blowsy · 26/08/2008 17:39

I think these names are OK-ish, but you'd be condemning your child to a life of correcting the spelling of their name and having it mis-pronounced.

Is sadhbh (sive) really a name? Is it pronounced sieve?

pointydog · 26/08/2008 17:39

Maebh (Maeve) - ok
Aine (Onya) - quite like it, simple strong
Molly (+DH's contribution - to my mind not really Irish but quite pretty) - straightforward, wholesome name, reminds me of Yorkshire

Boys

Fionn (Finn) - like Finn a lot
Aodhan/Aidan - really like Aidan
Fearghal/Fergal - Feaghal Sharkey's a honey but I'm not too keen on the sound of this name. Reminds me of Graham

nailpolish · 26/08/2008 17:36

Daire (Dara) is nice i think (boys name)

brimfull · 26/08/2008 17:34

How about Damnhait?

Original poster
ninja · 26/08/2008 17:32

Thanks for the comment by the way

OP posts:
Original poster
ninja · 26/08/2008 17:31

I know about having to spell the name - dd is 5 and has been able to recite the spelling of her name since she was 2! She also knows that she'll get comments 'it's an unusual name' and since she was 3 has replied - 'it's an irish name'!

Saying that both my and Dh's surnames are constantly being spelt wrong (his is unusual, mine is close to a common surname).

I'm in 2 minds about Anglisized spellings though.

OP posts:
chipmonkey · 26/08/2008 15:56

Unless you spell it Orfhlaith.

snice · 26/08/2008 15:04

How about Orla for a girl-no spelling probs

AnnieAreYouOkAreYouOkAnnie · 26/08/2008 14:58

I love Maeve and Molly. My favourite Irish name for a girl is Aoife. But I wasn't allowed it, as DH can't spell...

For boys, I wanted an Irish name too, but couldn't settle on one that DH could handle for either spelling or pronounciation!
But Aodhan is lovely, one of my faves.

Caoimhe is a beautiful name too.

PuppyMonkey · 26/08/2008 14:57

You do appreciate that the child will probably end up explaining how to pronounce the name 50 times a day and all official letters etc will always be wrong (passport, driving licence, benefits etc) so they will probbaly be re-done 700 times..? You do? Oh, that's all right then?

Communion · 26/08/2008 14:56

I love Maeve and Molly and all the boys names you've listde.

I'd use the anglicised spelling unless you live in Ireland thogh, but that's only because i find the Irish spelling so hard. i guess yu don't have that problem.

Weegiemum · 26/08/2008 14:56

My ds is Aidan - brilliant name, not common or popular, but strong, masculine, etc...

Go for it!

MrsMattie · 26/08/2008 14:55

Love Maeve / Maebh (worth bearing in mind, the anglicised 'modern Irish' spelling of Maeve is more common than the Gaelic spelling, even in Ireland)

I like Molly, although it's not strictly Irish.

Not so keen on others.

Original poster
ninja · 26/08/2008 14:52

I like Niamh but know quite a few dc's of close friends.

DD1 is Caoimhe which seems to suit her and she copes really well with the unusual spelling/pronounciation but I have to say I'd prefer something a bit easier particularly for a boy (don't know why I don't think a boy would cope as well but...)

OP posts:
kormachameleon · 26/08/2008 14:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

captainmummy · 26/08/2008 14:49

My prev boyfriend was Irish and I fell in love with the names Niamh (neeve) and sadhbh (Sive) for girls. I love the unusual spellings of Aine and Eodhbha (sp) (Eva).

Love Fionn but it might be taken for a girl - Finn is equally nice. Tadhbh (Tigh) was another choiice of ours (we broke up soon after naming our prospective babies ) but I suppose we would have had to live in Ireland otherwise no-one would know how to pronounce it!