To think wife is being a little bit silly?

[AmericanCreamie]

I am Irish and DW is English. Our son is 2 days old. She said we can go for a name that's Irish but works well in English too. The one we liked most was Dillon, she then goes "great, but I want it as Dylan"??? That then completely takes away the fact of it being Irish. she isn't getting it. This baby will never be named!!

Dillon has been a first name in Ireland since the 1200s

I find it incredibly difficult to understand why people insist on saying that a name like Lorcán is difficult to pronounce - I can pronounce English names with no problem and yet I'm a gaeilgeoir (fluent Irish speaker) and English is my second language.

I wonder how much kinder the reception would have been for the OP if he had said he wanted to give his child a Spanish name, a lot of the comments on here thus far are ignorant to the extreme.

The snide remarks passed off as jokes are offensive as well, also annoying are the posters suggesting different spelling variations for names that either aren't Irish or insisting that the OP must choose to spell an Irish name the anglicised way.

I can only imagine that the majority are not aware of the history of our language and the way in which English colonisers made it illegal to speak our own language and murdered those who wouldn't comply - They outlawed our native tongue: It's a sensitive topic and a beautiful language, not to be mocked on the internet by closet racists.

It was just a joke I see your issue. A 'joke' is when the other person laughs. You're welcome.

Cormac
Fergal
Oscar
Connor

And I love J names like Joseph.

No, its been a surname in Ireland since the 1200's. Not first name.

my parents went for kings and queens of England

Your name isn't the name of a queen of England though?

I am very happy to see my 2 Irish boys names on here... 👍

What is happening in Mumsnet recently ?!

OP, it was very clear to me that you were joking around with the 'silly'. And I agree / if it's spelt the English/Welsh way then it is no longer Irish. The spelling is what gives it the 'roots' so to speak. I totally understand - you want your baby to have a connection to who you are aswell via his name. Not unreasonable.
And ffs, another PP said 'push the baby out' and he was just using the same phrase !

OP I get you

If you like Conor please go with the correct Irish spelling (one "n")! Connor is an Americanisation that has caught on in the UK and outside Ireland generally. (And even worse: Conner, Konner and various other "creative" derivations.)

I agree with Emeraldscorn that the anglicisation of Irish names is a sensitive subject. If you want to give your child a name that genuinely reflects Irish roots, then use the correct Irish spelling. And don't use a traditional family name (Ryan, Kelly...) or a place name (Tara, Shannon...) as a first name (unless you have a connection to the clan or place in which case it would make a lovely middle name).

I totally understand - you want your baby to have a connection to who you are aswell via his name

Then he needs to pick an actual name from the place he is from, don't you think?

Thanks everyone. Sorry for any problems caused. Genuinely am not awful irl!

She is actually very keen on William with Liam as a NN? I think it's actually very clever.

I remember that time my wife castrated me for being on a web-forum trying to build a support base over a babies name when I had a two day old child to look after. Something about priorities was her excuse.

Just wanted to reinforce what previous posters have said about Dylan and Dillon being pronounced differently.

Dylan has always been a popular first name in Welsh speaking Wales, and is pronounced 'Dull-ann' to use English phonetic spelling. It only became pronounced as 'Dillon' when Bob Dylan took his second name (possibly in recognition of Dylan Thomas?) and this is when it became popular outside Welsh speaking Wales.

Dylan is an ancient name from Welsh legends named the 'Mabinogi', meaning 'son of the sea', and I'm afraid it hurts my ears when it's mis-pronounced (IMO) as 'Dillon'

Shatner - completely agree.

OP, no idea why you've got such a weird and aggressive response here.

I prefer Dylan helps

@itsawonderfulworld ooooh the amount of times I have to correct people's spelling of my Conor's name! 'It's Conor. With one n. Yes, just one n. That's the original Irish way to spell it' (or as I prefer to say, the correct way of spelling it!)

I don't know if you're having a go at the fact I'm on here because I have a 2 day old but actually, I'm looking after him today while she rests. Funnily enough, I'm still able to go on my phone/watch tv, he's 2 days old, he sleeps in the little round pillow thing (the one that kind of acts like arms so they don't ache?) and there's a lot of potential time for me to pick up my phone. I've also managed to feed and change him and still have some time to go on my phone...

I don't think it's that American. Imagine you'd gone through something potentially traumatising, definitely physically difficult and as life-changing as giving birth (there is no equivalent unfortunately) two days before. And your wife headed over to an at least 90% male site and tried to get people to agree about how 'silly' you were and how right she was.

The women on here can be a little cynical about male posters, it's true. But sometimes it's because some male posters want to get MN to agree that their wife is [insert not very nice sentiment] and possibly report back about how MN thought. Particularly after she has just carried a baby for nine months and given birth two days ago...

@MrsTerryPratchett that really wasn't my goal at all, it really was just lighthearted and I definitely wouldn't be reporting back to my wife in a "I told you so way" it was just for me really while I sit here. I also really do appreciate that what she has/is going through isn't anything I will ever understand and that's why I genuinely am doing my up most to look after her and baby. I'm really not nasty to her in anyway and am looking after her very well (I like to think!)

"She is actually very keen on William with Liam as a NN? I think it's actually very clever."

It's probably not your intention Op, but that comes across to me as patronising.

What's clever about Liam as a NN for William?

You know that but we only have your posts to go on.

Enjoy the baby snuggles.

@diddl really? patronising? Clever as in the NN would be Irish... So some Irish routes but yet he would still have a well known English name that she loves. That's absolutely all I meant by it?

"I've also managed to feed and change him and still have some time to go on my phone..."

Have you cooked dinner and done the hoovering, though?

Liam/William is lovely. Congrats on your new arrival.

Um surely this is one with no right or wrong answer, just two different preferences?

Rock paper scissors maybe?

@shovetheholly I actually cleaned the house top to bottom the few days before she was going to be induced. It's still clean unfortunately she hates my cooking so I couldn't help much there! My mum has made us some freezer stuff though!

Thank you. I love him lots.

(My first name is an Engilsh queen's - someone was suggesting above it wasn't.)

Just avoid difficult to pronouce names and if you think there may be anti Irish prejudice then avoid Irish names or pick them on principle of course - just be aware of the issue and how names can affect careers later.

MrsTerry sums up the posting rationale well.