AIBU about Caoimhe

[Littleturkish]

DH and I have taken a long long time to choose this name, Irish heritage on both sides, Irish surname (and maiden name!) I love this name.

When DH agreed, he didn't realise how it was spelt. Now he knows. He thinks we should pick a different one. I have first hand experience of having a difficult Irish name to spell and think it will be fine.

AIBU? I don't want to start finding a new name all over again- is Caoimhe that awful to spell??

It's a lovely name, go for it. People will learn how it's spelled. (And the anglicised spelling is not lovely at all.)

Though to answer your question yes, for anyone who doesn't speak Irish, it is mind bending

Anyone can learn how to spell it, I knew a boy at school with the surname Bohaczewskyj and us kids all learned to spell it! I do think however think if you expect people to know how to pronounce it, YABU

I think if your going to have a lovely name like that you have to have the traditional spelling or whats the point. Otherwise you look like you've joined together random sounds! How did hubby think it was spelt?
I think its the easiest and more known out of the 'wierd' (sorry - thats how i have heard peoplr referbto them as!) Irish names, I wouldn't have chosen anything like Dhearblha or Aiobhean, I would imagine lots would struggle with those.

I have absolutely NO idea how to pronounce that and I am usually quite adept at these things. I don't even know whether it's for a boy or a girl.

I suppose it really depends on whether you can face a lifetime of having to explain it, spell it out and correct people. Or more to the point, whether you want your child to have to do that.

If you love the way it sounds (whatever that is ) then can you find a suitable phonetic substitute and to use for times when the real thing is just too challenging for people? you can put it in brackets alongside the proper spelling in forms etc.)

So long as it's relatively easy to say, most people in life will not need to read or spell it.

I've never seen that name before.

It seems a shame for traditional names to die out for the world to be more "anglicised" so I would do it if you want to.

also, if your DH didn't even know how to spell it, just how distant is this 'Irish heritage' ? Pick something Irish by all means but if you are not actually all that Irish then going for an authentically spelt name might seem a bit of a weird decision given the amount of hassle it's going to cause.

It's pronounced Keeva, or thereabouts.

I should also chip in and say that DD has a perfectly well known name, albeit one that has failen into disuse in the last couple of generations, and American MIL ALWAYS misspells it.

There are people who will misspell / mispronounce a name because they're bloody rude no matter what. Most others will take the time, and enjoy hearing or seeing something unusual.

Google just gave me the pronunciation. It wasn't that mind blowingly difficult.

Niamh is the Irish girls name I hear most and most people know it. Your name has a similar v/mh sound/spelling - people will adapt. Except for the intolerant "whole world should have English names, even those from China" types.

T will be one of those names that people will just be able to spell. As for when shes an adult, I have to always say " it's Catherine with a C and two e's, and that's a run of the mill name :)

Hells my DH's mum and dad are Irish, he was born in the UK. He knew it as a name and has met several people with this name, but has never seen it written down. My dad was also surprised at the spelling- and he was born and lived in Ireland well into his 20s. I don't think that negates either of their irishness- pretty sure irishness isn't measured by spelling skills.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts, I wouldn't dream of using the phonetic version on the birth certificate, but would ask for an amendment to the school register to include a phonetic pronounciation in brackets.

However, I feel this is an argument I will not win. Only my sister (another proud owner of hard to pronounce/spell Irish name) and mother really love this name, his mum isn't keen and fear that will be the nail in the coffin.

All your comments are making me feel much better about my desire to use it though, this is going much better than my thread about wanting to use the name Clover

waaaaaah I remember your Clover thread!

I've got a baby girl called Saoirse. We live in the UK. We're both English born and my mum is Irish.

I've wobbled a bit over it since she was born. I adore the name, always have. You just have to accept that if you do it, people will have no idea how to pronounce it on sight, and no idea how to spell it if they just hear it pronounced. And you can't get annoyed about it! I have a stock explanation of how to pronounce it (seer, rhymes with beer, shuh, just like the last syllable of Sacha) and about 70% of people don't need it repeated.

I write the phonetic spelling in brackets on any forms where her name might be pronounced, like at her new nursery for example.

Id say go for it! Caoimhe is a beautiful name.

It's a beautiful name, and people will only need the explanation once.

Love this name. It's similar to Niamh & Orlaith (Neeve & Orla)

Just to add, I also have an orla which is by comparison easy but still gets pronounced wrong, we get Ola alot (I blame the ola one off strictly!).

It's a lovely name, but I think the decent thing for parents to do is give their child a name that is easy to spell and pronounce in the country they plan to live in/raise the child in.

So, if you live in Ireland, or plan to for most of her life, YANBU.

If you live anywhere else, YABU.

Most people in the UK manage Niamh now, and I think Caoimhe is becoming more common. I've seen Keeva used though and I think that's a reasonable alternate spelling.

I bet people used to say Siobhan was a ridiculous spelling too.

Wasn't one of the 90s girl group Bewitched called Keeva?

Caoimhe is so beautiful - go for it!

I think it's lovely, people will only need telling once how to pronounce it if they don't get the Irish phonetics. Don't let the traditional names die out.

Beautiful name and doesn't make me think of cows or butter

Don't be tempted to anglicise the spelling, I work with a Keeva and it just looks horrible.

It's a girl's name Cocobutty.