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!

OK, that's not good. Perhaps it means "beautiful ethereal maid of the hills"?

It sounds like it means "mouthy old bat".

Gubnitch is how I say it.

I just can't believe that is how it is meant to be said.

There must have been a different name once that got misspelled or something and it was somehow transformed into a bizarre ugly name.

How could anyone look at a tiny little baby, minutes old, so new and precious and delicate and think "you are Gobnait"?

:o

I presume Gobnait was some local saint somewhere in Ireland. People could be very loyal to their local saints no matter how butt ugly their names were.

Baby Gobnait - it really doesn't get worse than that!

Wikipedia says 'The main centres of devotion to Gobnait are Inis Oírr (Aran Islands), Dún Chaoin in West Kerry and Balleyvourney near the Cork / Kerry border'she was from Cork.'

My thoughts and prayers are with the Gobnaits of Cork, Kerry and Inis Oírr. Life won't be easy!

I say gub-nitch too. Even less attractive. I think you might be on to something there AThing!

My parents gave me and my brothers old/odd names - and did not spell them as they are pronounced in English - not phonetic spelling - we have grown up with an English pronounciation of our names, it is such a shock when someone pronounces my name correctly.

Dd has an Irish name (dh is Irish) it has a Scottish connection which isn't obvious - we used the anglicised spelling - people with certain accents still struggle with it because of the combination of letters. I think her name is becoming more popular but it is still fairly uncommon.

I like Orla, if I ever had another girl that would be my first choice, even though I like the Irish spelling I would go for the anglicised spelling, just because I have lived with the annoyance of having to explain my name all my life.

Orla is not an anglicised spelling.

It's the standard spelling in Irish.

Maeve is anglicised (no v in Irish)

Finola is anglicised (the Irish name is Fionnuala)

But Orla is Irish. Just a more simple, modern spelling than Orfhlaith, which is archaic and anachronistic.

I pronounce it Gobnit.

Nordy? :)

Jaysus, the spellings Orfhlaith and Orlaith are archaic and anachronistic? Says who? I presume this is just your opinion AThing because there is absolutely no truth in what you are saying. You don't like old Irish spellings of Irish names. Fine. Whatever. But don't pretend that anyone who chooses the correct spelling of a name (I.e. spelling an Irish name in the Irish language! Imagine!) is somehow out of touch or burdened with 'fancy notions'. Mother of God, arrogant much?

Gobnait always reminds me of that mad "12 days of Christmas" song that Frank Kelly ( Fr Jack) sang years ago. Gobnait O'Lunacy!

I love that someone always comes on one of these threads and suggests Shannon. I don't think I've ever met an Irish Shannon. Plenty of American and UK ones but never an Irish one.

I met a little Aoibhe a couple of weeks ago through work. Have to say it did cause a little confusion. Someone booked the little one in under "Aoife", then I was told by Mum, "No, Aoibhe" I apologised and wrote down Eva, then to be told by poor, patient Mum, "No, it's A-O-I-B-H-E"
But I have to say, I did think it was pretty, once I knew!

Yes, they are archaic and anachronistic.

That is not how Irish spelling works any more.

No that is not just my opinion.

No, I am not being arrogant.

Choosing to spell the name Orla as Orfhlaith is like using an Early Modern English spelling of a name rather than the current standard.

"But don't pretend that anyone who chooses the correct spelling of a name (I.e. spelling an Irish name in the Irish language! Imagine!) is somehow out of touch or burdened with 'fancy notions'"

The correct spelling of the name Orla in the Irish language is just that - Orla.

Orlaith and Orfhlaith are not wrong. But they are anachronistic, using spellings that are not used any more.

Adding extraneous, unnecessary letters into your child's name does seem a little pretentious to me, yes.

Maybe you should start actually using this language you seem to get so worked up about?

Urm....admittedly it has been over a decade since I did my degree but I wasn't aware that Irish spelling had changed

I know so many Orlaiths and Orflaiths that I'm afraid your opinion - and it is just your opinion - that those names are no longer in use is just wrong. And to be honest I can't for the life of me understand your opposition to Irish names and spellings. You could just as easily call the name John archaic...but it is still in use. Perhaps you should look up the history of the name and current usage. See how many Orlaiths are out there and tell me that that spelling it is not used.

I couldn't give a damn what anyone chooses to name their child but, yes, having been raised in the environment where I was and in the family that I came from, I do have a fondness for Irish names. I also have a degree in Irish but don't use the language in a day-to-day basis. So does that mean i am 'allowed' to use Irish names on my kids or not? I don't see 'unnecessary' letters. I just see the correct spelling. They aren't your cup of tea and that's fine but why do you need to rubbish the choices or preferences of those who do like then? How on earth does it affect you?

Surely all anyone does when they choose their child's name is look for a name that they love the sound, meaning and spelling of? If they choose an Irish bane then does it really matter if they are living on the Aran Islands, an ex-pat wanting to keep a connection with their home country or someone with no connection to Ireland but who just likes a particular name? Don't think everyone who chooses, say, Marianne or Chloe has a link to France.

But really why do you care? Live and let live.

Name...not 'bane!

Well, I knew a few Orlas growing up and it's my opinion that it wasn't in common usage until after that English girl on bb, Orliath. Until then, I just thought it was Orla (I'm Irish btw, despite my rowanatkinson inspired name).

I don't care more or less than perfumedponce, but it's my opinion that Orla was the accepted spelling in Ireland until the gaelscoil fashion for names took hold. And that's how I see it, a fashion, at the moment, Irish names are de rigeur in certain circles. It'll pass!

So use Irish spellings, don't use Irish spellings but it's not ludicrous or unreasonable to discuss the impact that'll have on your child growing up in the UK. Tbh, even in Ireland it's a problem if you veer away from the twenty most popular irish names. Tell the guy in starbucks your name is Maeliosa and see what he makes of it. Chances are even in Ireland he'll think, a bloke called melissa

Gosh, some depressingly Little Englander AND holier-than-thou Gaeltacht attitudes on this thread, though I have more sympathy with the latter. To the former group, please be aware of how provincial and small-minded you sound. People are not obliged to name their children for your convenience, and all that faux-concerned guff about being so terribly worried for children who have to spell their names all the time and facing workplace discrimination does little to hide your determination not to have to go one inch out of your comfort zone. I have an Irish first name and surname, have lived in the UK all my adult life, and have been very successful in my field. My baby son has an Irish name that isn't pronounced phonetically in English, and people are dealing with it, even now we have left London for rural England.

OP, go for it. Several of those names are lovely. You can't just call your baby Molly/Sarah/Olivia purely because everyone can pronounce it.

I really don't think having a traditionally spelt Irish name will hold you back career wise in the UK but having to spell your name out 5 times a day every day can get a bit tiring in the old behind.

i agree squoosh. it seems like the simply spelt conor has become chalked up as a bad boy name in the uk, whereas it's just dull classic here, but having a name like Oisin, Fiachra, Diarmuid might be less of a but perceived better.... but would be a far bigger pain to have to spell out, So, two slightly different things going on with Irish names I think. I'm thinking of having a special starbucks name. I like Stella (star) Books.

And I agree with the e-mail issue as well. I used to have people give out to me about how my sur name was spelled.

Of course, your child might not spend all there life in the UK.

Personally, I've spent most of my adult-life in a non-English speaking country, so it wouldn't have mattered much if my parents had given me a traditional Irish or a very English name as I would have had to spell it out all the time anyway (as my friend Amy who also lives here can testify).

In my work, I have colleagues from Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the US. Sometimes we don't know how to spell and prononce each other's names. But we learn it, because why would you not unless you're an ignorant lump?

I will admit that for Starbucks and the like, I give the equivalent of the name "Mary" though. Because I can't be arsed having the spelling/prononciation conversation with someone I'll never see again.

*their life.

I think it would be annoying to have a name that was mispronounced and that you would have to spell out frequently. Regardless of the Orion of the name. Dh wanted to give our dc rather long traditional names that he love but I vetoed them on the basis that they were going to grow up in England and needed names that they could easily grow up with. I think if you envisage your kids growing up in the uk, it may eb worth going for a name that at least 2/3 of the people they meet could pronounce correctly!

How about uimhirahaon? Iv-er-a-haine.
Then the next one is.... well you can guess, it's simples!

Mairead is a lovely name, but can be mispronounced terribly, Marie- ad etc.

I like Realt, or Neidín. Shona's pretty simple, and Ineagh. Beibhinn is a great name, also sadhbh, and medb.

I suppose you want a name which reflects your heritage, but how about widening the net and including some Celtic ie not particularly irish names as well. Welsh names are lovely, also Cornish, and Breton.

Uimhiradó - just beautiful.

"And to be honest I can't for the life of me understand your opposition to Irish names and spellings."

I can't imagine where you are getting the idea that I have any opposition to Irish names.

I've already said that all 3 of my children have Irish names.

And my siblings, my cousins, my aunts and uncles, my mother, my niece and nephew etc etc

Orla is an Irish name. And Orla is the standard spelling.

I can't believe you have a degree in Irish and are unaware of how Irisg spelling has changed.

Orfhlaith and Orlaith use old forms if spelling.

That is a fact.

I think using the older forms of the name is pretentious in Ireland and unfair on a child in England.

That is an opinion.