Mirren

[Tess985]

I think this name is beautiful but our link with Scotland is pretty (very) loose (great grandparents on one side) - could we still use it?

Also like Carrie, Corinne and Hope. DH likes Frankie (Frances?) and Cora.

For boys we like quite safe names (Sam, Rory, Robert) and have been considering Heath lately too.

Changing my mind every two minutes, wondering what opinions were on these names? Any other suggestions?

I love Mirren and didn't realise it was Scottish. Caroline with the nn Carrie? I like Frances too.

Don't like Heath, but Robert and Rory are fine.

Of your girls' names, I prefer Hope and Carrie. Not a fan of Mirren. Miriam is sort of similar!

For boys', I much prefer Sam. Rory and Robert are "safe" names, they just don't appeal to me. Don't like Heath at all.

I like Mirren, different but not too 'out there'!

As a native of the Scottish town of Paisley, patron saint Saint Mirren and football team Saint Mirren - I have to say I've never heard of it as a girl's name. Sorry.

I was born there too, and know of one girl called Mirren!

Love Mirren, also Willis and Millen.

The Mirren I know is Dutch. Lovely name.

St Mirren was male but Mirren/Murron is quite popular in Scotland as a girl's name. There were over 100 babies named Mirrren/Murron and variations in 2013:
www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files2/stats/popular-forenames/2013/babiesnames-2013-t4.pdf

Mirren by itself, excluding variations, was no 88 equal:
www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files2/stats/popular-forenames/2013/babiesnames-2013-t5.pdf

Mirren has been discussed on Mumsnet before; several people suggested that, as a girl's name, it was probably a variation of Muirenn/Muireann/Muirne. So does this site, which is usually reliable:
www.behindthename.com/name/murron

How about Mirabel / Mirabelle instead?

Mirren is pretty, I had no idea of the Scottish origin and would assume you were a big Helen Mirren fan.

Sam, Rory, Heath are fine but I think Robert / Bert names in general have quite an ugly sound.

Mirren just makes me think of Helen mirren, though it's an ok name if you don't mind the connection, otherwise I prefer Cora

Love Mirren, but as a Scottish football fan, I wouldn't use it because of St Mirren FC.

Love it! I know of a Scottish Mirren, I think she was a character in a children's book as well but I may be wrong?

Always makes me think of the football team too.

In over 30 years of dealing with Scottish public registers (not births and deaths though) I've never come across a Mirren or any variant thereof.

There's Merryn too. St Merryn is in Cornwall. I know 2 Cornish girls with this as a first or middle name.

Mirren isn't etymologically connected to Murron. It is directly related to St. Mirren of Paisley and was initially used locally for Paisley girls in the late 18th century. Its Gaelic root is the name Meadhran, although this form is strictly a boy's name.

Murron is the Scots form of Gaelic Muireann.

I prefer Murron, myself.