Page 34 | To not use proper spellings when naming your child

Catterpillarsflipflops · 2025-03-19T18:17:05+00:00

Am I being unreasonable to think it's ridiculous to use a funky spelling of a normal name. I spent today dealing with lost paperwork for a child as the person that took the details didn't think to check the spelling as there is no other spelling of the name. It looks silly and just causes no end of problems for the child. It also disadvantages them as straight away people get an image of what the child is like. I've seen Jaymz Ezmay Lil-leigh

OchonAgusOchonOh · 22/03/2025 11:34

HaddyAbrams · 22/03/2025 11:25

Along those lines yes (trying not to out myself if they are on here)

I knew there was no K in Irish, not sure how the lack of other letters passed me by

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So I won't start listing off all the C/K boys' names then 😁

Scorchio84 · 22/03/2025 11:37

MidnightMillie · 19/03/2025 18:56

I wouldn't assume that.

I'm Irish and for many years a lot of us have been moving away from Gaelic spellings.

I have a cousin named Shinaed and she's in her late 40s.

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Really? I don't know any Irish people who are changing traditional Gaelic spellings

AlbusSeverusMalfoy · 22/03/2025 11:37

CaptainCallisto · 19/03/2025 18:31

I had to write a four year old reception child in the accident book at lunch today (primary school TA), and he didn't know his last name. Couldn't find Jack anywhere on the class list. I don't work in EYFS, so didnt know I should be looking for Dgaque!

What the actual dfuaq???

Scorchio84 · 22/03/2025 11:41

SnoozingFox · 19/03/2025 19:16

I have an Irish friend called Ciara which is a very standard Irish spelling and nobody seems to have an issue with Ciaran which is the male equivalent.

She regularly gets Cee-ah-rah and Sierra.

it's a conflation.. like the Rn'B artist Ciara (Sierra)

Scorchio84 · 22/03/2025 11:49

RedOrangeSky · 19/03/2025 19:31

Isnt that just the Polish or similar spelling?

You are in danger of judging people for being foreign.

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few Irish names getting it too...

HaddyAbrams · 22/03/2025 11:53

Whoshotjr · 22/03/2025 11:29

Yes, correcting a C to a K is definitely a mistake if you want an Irish language spelling.
There are no letters j, k, q, v, w, x, y, z traditionally, although you sometimes see some of them today in words of foreign origin, eg zú for zoo (pronounced the same).

Exactly. It was just so weird that this teacher got so annoyed that a load of 10/11 year olds didn't know an Irish name (Siobhan) but at the same time happily told me I was spelling another Irish name incorrectly, even though I wasn't.

Scorchio84 · 22/03/2025 11:56

Heggettypeg · 19/03/2025 22:40

This sort of name was a bit of a fashion in Puritan England too. I seem to remember some character called Praisegod Barebones. Not sure now who he was, but the name stuck in my head.

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I had a "Gift" in third class & he truly was.. all rounder, academic AND sporty! talk about nominative determinism

EmpressaurusKitty · 22/03/2025 12:03

OchonAgusOchonOh · 22/03/2025 09:50

It's an Irish lament "Ochón agus ochón ó" meaning "Alas and woe to me" except I changed the ó to oh as that's how it's pronounced.

Those of us of a certain age had to endure the most awful book for our leaving cert called Péig. In the book based on the life story she told the author, she had the most miserable life, although apparently he left out the more raunchy bits of her story. I don't think the term was actually used in the book but it basically epitomised it for all of us poor kids who were tortured with it. The phrase is used as a lament in the song Caoineadh na dTrí Mhuire https://songsinirish.com/?song=caoineadh-na-dtri-mhuire-lyrics

Thank you!

Scorchio84 · 22/03/2025 12:09

lifeonmars100 · 19/03/2025 20:49

I sometimes wonder if there is an app that generates these new style names, you type in your hobbies, favourite music,food, tv show, colour, etc and it conjures up a special moniker for your little one.

My child has an ancient Irish name.. it's still a head scratcher, it's not Microwave O'Murphy but I get your point, this thread is savage

Scorchio84 · 22/03/2025 12:17

CharlotteStreetW1 · 19/03/2025 19:38

The first book I read by Maeve Binchy had a young character called Niamh. I was easily halfway through before I realised it was a girl and in my head I was pronouncing it "Nyam" 😳

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I was like this with "Hermione" until the films came out 😆Hermyown was my particular take on it

Scorchio84 · 22/03/2025 12:44

StrawberryDream24 · 20/03/2025 20:27

In my parents generation it was common to have a Gaelic or Scots first name, then English middle name, often a direct translation, not always obvious. So my father was, eg. Iain John X. He had two equal parallel identities, and he switched between them at will, Iain X at home in Scotland, John X out in the world. Documents could be in either or both.

It's quite common in parts of Ireland for people to be called both the Irish and English versions of their names interchangeably eg. Sean/John, James/Seamus. I've heard people change between the two in the same conversation
.

My daddy was Seán & John intermittently.. no one batted an eyelid, mad stuff altogether

Gingerbreadloony · 22/03/2025 13:24

I was enjoying this thread until someone mentioned Péig 😳😭😭😭😭

Scorchio84 · 22/03/2025 13:35

StrawberryDream24 · 20/03/2025 20:01

I think there is an Irish name like that but it's not O'Sheayana.

It's like Oshianna or something. My nephew's gf is called that.

It might be a female version of Oisin(n), I don't know.

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There isn't a female version of "Oisín" or whatever that obomination that was previously

NPET · 22/03/2025 13:35

My first name is Sian. You can imagine some of the problems I have, especially with Americans, who seem to only recognise Sean as both a female and male name.
But Sian is normally the way it's spelt.
"But how's it said?" ppl ask.
"Like s h a r n (e)" I say.
"Well why not spell it like that?", they say.
And, would you believe it, I came across a "Sharn" one day!

Hoppinggreen · 22/03/2025 14:22

NPET · 22/03/2025 13:35

My first name is Sian. You can imagine some of the problems I have, especially with Americans, who seem to only recognise Sean as both a female and male name.
But Sian is normally the way it's spelt.
"But how's it said?" ppl ask.
"Like s h a r n (e)" I say.
"Well why not spell it like that?", they say.
And, would you believe it, I came across a "Sharn" one day!

In an American accent Sean is "sharrrn"
I remember reading a book where an English character living in The US was called Mel (Melanie) and there was much hilarity about her having a middle aged mans name

RaraRachael · 22/03/2025 14:24

We had a Sian at school in the 70s. We called her Sean as we'd never heard the name before

BeholdOurButterStinketh · 22/03/2025 14:29

NPET · 22/03/2025 13:35

My first name is Sian. You can imagine some of the problems I have, especially with Americans, who seem to only recognise Sean as both a female and male name.
But Sian is normally the way it's spelt.
"But how's it said?" ppl ask.
"Like s h a r n (e)" I say.
"Well why not spell it like that?", they say.
And, would you believe it, I came across a "Sharn" one day!

Hmmm, it's almost as if Welsh is a different language from English, isn't it?!

If they don't believe that Sian can be pronounced that way, why are they happy to 'accept' Sean? That name isn't spelled in a way that you would say it according to standard English pronunciation either - it would clearly be said as 'Seen' or maybe 'See-an' if it were originally an English name!

If they know that Irish is a different language from English, why wouldn't Welsh be also?!

OchonAgusOchonOh · 22/03/2025 14:54

Gingerbreadloony · 22/03/2025 13:24

I was enjoying this thread until someone mentioned Péig 😳😭😭😭😭

Sorry.

LadyMonicaBaddingham · 22/03/2025 15:05

S18 · 19/03/2025 21:48

I went to school with a BeeJay. Always thought it was an interesting choice.

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There's a Teejay at my school...

Heggettypeg · 22/03/2025 15:13

Natsku · 22/03/2025 08:05

I do like nature names but they seem a bit out there in English but Snow is a popular name in Finnish (Lumi) and I like it. Nature names are very common, my mum is named Grasshopper! (Obviously in Finnish though, where it sounds nicer)

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Snow can be a girl's name in Welsh too - "Eira". And Snowdrop - "Eirlys".

Heggettypeg · 22/03/2025 15:25

Scorchio84 · 22/03/2025 11:56

I had a "Gift" in third class & he truly was.. all rounder, academic AND sporty! talk about nominative determinism

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Well thank goodness he was. It would have been awful for the poor kid if he'd sucked at everything, with a name like that.
Mind you, there's a lot worse. There was someone called Preserved Smith! I think it meant preserved as in spiritual salvation, but it sounds more like being pickled in vinegar.

Scorchio84 · 22/03/2025 15:32

Grammarnut · 20/03/2025 23:39

I loathe Aaron (pron. Airon) being spelled and pronounced as if it was the Isle of Aran. It's not.

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Like the Arann Islands off the coast of Gallimh?

Scorchio84 · 22/03/2025 15:34

Heggettypeg · 22/03/2025 15:25

Well thank goodness he was. It would have been awful for the poor kid if he'd sucked at everything, with a name like that.
Mind you, there's a lot worse. There was someone called Preserved Smith! I think it meant preserved as in spiritual salvation, but it sounds more like being pickled in vinegar.

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He was a treasure! Probably a later childs name...

I had a Blessings too, it's a lot to live up to

EmpressaurusKitty · 22/03/2025 15:47

OchonAgusOchonOh · 22/03/2025 14:54

Sorry.

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My fault.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 22/03/2025 15:50

EmpressaurusKitty · 22/03/2025 15:47

My fault.

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You weren't to know.