Can't decide on middle names!

[selsigfach]

First baby is due shortly, don't know the sex but we're set on Orlaith and Henry as first names (definitely want Orlaith, not Orla) but I'm not sure about middle names. Bit of background: my family is Irish and my husband's is Irish/English. We live in a Welsh-speaking community and our child will be in a first-language Welsh school (no other option, grr). Our (Irish) surname begins with M and has two syllables.

Orlaith Grace (love this, but is Grace the now go-to middle name?)
Orlaith Carys (is it mean to saddle a child with two "difficult" names?)
Orlaith Tess
Orlaith Lucy

Henry Rufus (current favourite)
Henry Idris

I do like Frederick but if we end up having two boys in future, I'd love to have a Henry and Freddie so don't want to "waste" it now.

What do you think? Any suggestions?

Orlaith is a gorgeous name! Loving Orlaith Grace the most - it rolls of the tongue and is just lovely. Henry Rufus is great too. I have a Freddie and you're right - don't waste it!! Suggestions...Henry George? Henry Rafe?
Orlaith Manon?

Exciting - good luck with it all!

I'm afraid I'm not 100% sure how to pronounce Orlaith -is it just like Orla, or do you pronounce the 'th'? I wouldn't have Orlaith Lucy either way as it sounds awkward saying 'la-lu', or if you do say the 'th' in Orlaith then it sounds like I love Lucy.

Orlaith Grace sounds best, tho Grace really is the go to middle name along with May and Rose. Tess works well and I do like Carys too (but I know one so it's not an odd name to me).

Either of your boy choices are fab!

I think Orlaith Carys and Henry Rufus are marginally my favourites.

I live in Wales but I was born and raised in England and tbh I didn't know there was another spelling of Carys until I met a Charis (which she actually pn Cha-, not Ka, but all the teachers got mixed up).

I like Orlaith Grace and Henry Idris.

I love Carys and Idris, brought up in Wales and you have my sympathy over the idiot school situation.

Thanks all! Maybe I should just go with what I love and stuff popularity lists.

Blue yes, Orlaith/Orla are pronounced the same. Husband has an Irish name with an Anglicised spelling and this has always annoyed him, plus Orla will be autocorrected to a Oral and I'm sure the similarity in spelling will be noted once she's in secondary school!

Are there any other fab middle banes that I've not thought of?

elephants so annoying! I want my child to grow up fluent in Welsh but I want them to be taught maths/geography/science etc in English. Radio 4 was talking last night about parents in South Wales choosing to send their children to Welsh schools... What about my choice to send my child to a predominantly English speaking school? Our county forgets that Wales has two languages... (Off topic!)

Names not banes!

And I know many people who commute into South Wales from England to avoid the schooling issue. Also the assembly seem totally oblivious to the fact that people have to move houses and jobs, both in and outside Wales, during their DCs education.

Anyway, we digress. I think your right, go with the middle name you love, they aren't used very often so it's far more important you love them or they mean something than they flow absolutely perfectly.

DD2's full name is a slight mouthful, but I wanted to remember DMIL who died when I was PG.