Is Aoibhe a step too far in the UK?

[mika2]

I'm Irish, living in the UK and due DD1 in 4 mths. I really want to give the baby an irish name - DH has reluctantly agreed - and had come up with an extensive list of boys names i liked (and was convinced it was a boy!) but now i know it's a girl I'm still struggling. Not helped by the fact that a lot of them (Ciara, Tara, Niamh, Beibhinn, Saoirse, Siun) have already been taken by my very extended family. At the moment this is the best we can come up with;

Clodagh (klo-da) - but DH is insisting on nn chloe (which defeats the purpose of giving the baby an Irish name IMO)
Aoife (ee-fa) - pretty, but v v common in ireland and getting more so here?
Caoimhe (quee-va) - I love, but DH isn't so keen
Aoibhe (eva) - alternative to aoife, but a bit more "out there" than the others as even Irish ppl seem v confused on how to pronounce. And with such an obvious english alternative, can see DH/DD giving up and spelling it Eva eventually

Thoughts on the above for a baby growing up in the uk? And any other suggesions gratefully received!

[AThingInYourLife]

What about Maze-y? :o

#irishprisonnames

[finickypinickity]

How do you pronounce Clodagh?

It looks awful written down but i'm guessing its pretty when spoken.

[RonaldMcDonald]

lolling at Maze y

[JennyMakkers]

ps, and I don't see any anti-irishness on this thread! spare me! what i see is some first generation irish people hardwired to the absolute core as we are with common sense and practicality running up against some fancy notions. I often observe on these threads that people who are married to an irish person, or who have irish parents, they want to use the Irish spellings because it feels ethereal or something (?)

My name is Jenny, I'm a hundred percent Irish and I can't be doing with fancy notions. Also, on a serious note, I wanted my chidlren to be able to reveal or (not reveal as they saw fit) their ancestry. OFTEN the mothers feel a strong connection to Ireland at the time of naming their child but it's entirely possible that their child will grow up feeling 90% english, and, oh yeh, ps, my mum's irish.

[DolomitesDonkey]

I'm a scot with two Gaelic names. I've spent my entire life spelling them out and pronouncing them - mostly for the humour of others.

The English simply cannot pronounce a particular sound, it's not in their language. In the same way the a in cat does not exist in Dutch - where people pronounce my name correctly.

Can't go wrong with Sarah and James!

Back to OP, I like Roisin and Clodagh.

[RonaldMcDonald]

Tara
Shannon?

[DolomitesDonkey]

How would I pronounce Grainne please?

[AThingInYourLife]

Gráinne

Either Graun-yeh or Graahn-yeh (Ulster dialect)

[Hassled]

I came here poised to say (as another one with an unpronounceable Gaelic name) that yes, Aoibhe is definitely a step too far in the UK.

But if you grew up in a Gaeltacht and have an Irish-speaking background that changes things a bit - and really, as the UK becomes more multi-cultural everyone becomes more used to unusual spellings/pronounciations; I'll have a reasonable stab at some Polish names, for example, that I wouldn't have had a chance at being able to pronounce 20 years ago.

[elah11]

DolomitesDonkey you pronounce it Graw-nya. And someone up the thread asked about Clodagh? Its Clow (as in show or grow) dah.

[DolomitesDonkey]

Thank you, that's lovely! I once knew a Grainne by email and had often pondered!

[nooka]

I think that the work/professional issue is more likely to be email than anything else. I would imagine that people with names with very (to an English eye, which does matter if you live in England) different/unlikely sort of spelling will have problems getting email addresses misspelled and therefore not received.

It doesn't really matter if people mispronounce or misspell names on occasion in the general scheme of things, but getting emails wrong is a major nuisance.

I have an unusual name, which people generally pronounce OK, but I always have to spell it, and for email purposes I always double check they have it right. I have missed important emails on a number of occasions. My name is very unusual but follows the same sort of rules as a number of other more common names, I think the problem with some of the names talked about on this thread is that the spelling/pronunciation combos are so unfamiliar to an English eye that there is nothing to help someone coming across them.

I know that when I worked with a Siobhain I had to think about her consciously as both 'shevaun and siob-hain' to hold both the spelling for email and the pronunciation for talking, and that's a pretty easy Irish name.

[JohnSnowsTie]

Bugger... was really starting to like Bronagh until someone upthread pointed out the meaning!

[squoosh]

Ugh not Gráinne, my least favourite Irish girls name ever, well, after Gobnait.

It sounds far too like gránna (grawna) which means 'ugly'.

[squoosh]

I do find it funny that names like Aoife and Orla are fashionable in England when to my ears they're about as hip as Karen and Sharon.

[hollyisalovelyname]

Squoosh are you me? My sentiments exactly. Gobnait followed by Grainne are my least favourite Irish names. I think Gobnait sounds like gobdaw as in ' you're a right gobdaw'

[CounselorTroi]

or Grainneog (hedgehog). My sister is Grainne, we called her 'ugly hedgehog' . We were lovely :)

Loving the idea of 'fancy notions'!!

[squoosh]

I forgot about Grainneog!

[squoosh]

Gobnait is in a special class of UGLY all by itself. I've never met one in real life.

[JennyMakkers]

Oh gobnait is a good name for a dog I thnk. My friend is trying to re-name a rescue dog. I will suggest that. I think she'll like it. she was thinking of something along the lines of Beryl.

[JennyMakkers]

I like Grainneog for a scruffy long-haired little urchin too! good doggie names. keep 'em coming!

[CounselorTroi]

My mother is a Gobnait.

[Quangle]

How do you say Gobnait?

I'd say Gob Nate. It doesn't sound pretty, I confess, but maybe in Irish it comes out sounding melodious.

[squoosh]

It's pronounced Gub-nut, with a short u in the 'nut'.

CounselorTroi is your mother, ummmmm, fond of her name?

[squoosh]

It doesn't sound melodious from anyone's voice Quangle!