URGENT-IRISH GIRLS NAMES....

[niamhsmam]

Honest opinions please, baby arriving by elcs in less than 48hrs and having a last minute wobble on the name..DD1 called Niamh we had chosen Orla for this one but now not so sure ..i'm just not in love with the name if ye know what i mean ,DH likes Aoife but when i mention it people look at me funny and all say they pefer Orla..I like Eimear but DH really against this one. Is Orla just more popular because thats the one English folks have heard off!!!Oh help.

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Hi there - this thread is a little old. [[https://www.mumsnet.com/baby-names/most-popular-irish-baby-names
If you’re looking for an Irish baby name, find inspiration here]]. MNHQ

I love Aoife. My favourite is Saoirse, but I'm not quite brave enough for a name thats so very Irish when my Irish roots died out in the 1800s!

I went for a very Anglesised (sp?!) name for my DD: Bridget.

I'm now really loving Maeve...thats going on my list for DC2 (if we ever get around to making him/her!)

My daughter is Caoimhe (i'm irish but we live in Scotland) and everyone loves it> if i have a girl this time I want Clodagh or Eithne. good luck !!!

Of course you can have an Aoife and a Niamh. Why ever not?

How about because it sounds more like pandas in the zoo than human siblings???

It's like Molly and Lily. Would advise against that too.

Love Aoife and think you should go with it. How about Dara - nice and simple.

but Aoife and Niamh sound nothing alike is pronounced properly

E-fa and Knee-ave, how in the name of god are you pronouncing them?

'nothing alike'! eh

Both are short names, both are two syllable names, and both of them have their emphasis on the same sound 'eeee' which in both cases is the first syllable..

So! as you can see, I don't need a lesson on how to pronounce Aoife or Niamh. Do you?!

It is my opinion that they are too matchy matchy for sisters. I'm so terribly sorry to offer up a different opinion. How very dreadful.

sorry but what sis clodagh??!

I'm chilled ! I'm surprised that I can't have an opinion which goes against the 'consensus' without having it dissected though, that's very UN MN! eg, questions like 'how on earth are you pronouncing them'

It's just my opinion that they sound totally shit together. But fine apart.

Anyway, I'm sure the op would rather read a thread with different opinions than a boring thread where everybody simpers and agrees. Better to be aware of any pitfalls before naming your children.

*is?

how do you pronounce it?

Clodagh is like Clo da. Like the start of Clover and the end of ........Zelda. That's lovely.

There's neither rhyme nor alliteration so i fail to see the similarity

Niamh is not two syllables... It's pronounced as one run together sound.

There is no emphasise on the E sound in Niamh, if you were to emphasise any element of the name it would be the final 'v' sound but even that would be incorrect.

So yes, my question still stands... how on earth are you pronouncing it to end up with two syllables and a strong E sound?

It doesn't really matter if you fail to see it I guess.

Irish pronunciation is two syllable with emphasis on the e

I have an Orla but chose it because I loved the name. Couldn't give a toss whether English people can "deal with it". The accent up here means it's more orrrla than awla too and sounds great when Irish DH says it!
Loved Aoife and Niamh but there is already one of each in our immediate family.
Also liked
Saoirse (but the up the ra warning was mentioned more than once, despite family being republican)
Dearbhail
Clodagh
Cliona
Aoibhinn (Aiveen)

Oh and Aine (Onya)
Good luck with the birth, I'm sure you will know her name once you see her

Do English people really not pronounce the R in Orlaith? That is news to me.

I'm in Belfast, so hear this name all the time.

OP - it's ultimately your choice, but I can guess it's a hard choice, especially with the 'odd' spellings Irish names have.

Maybe it'd help if you gave thought to the meanings of the names?

Londoners have a tendancy to say Or-ler...

Lovely name though.

I have an Orla, would consider Niamh (with the one syllable Neeve sound), Caoimhe (Kee-Va) or Cara for a dd2. Lots of Irish names already taken by family so my choices are restricted. PS I think Aoife and Niamh are lovely together....