Cillian... does it work if we're not Irish?

[Linguaphile]

Just twigged on this name and have taken a shine to it. What are your thoughts? What sort of boy is Cillian? Can an English family use it without raising eyebrows?

We already have two DDs, Vivienne and Philippa, so not sure if it would sound totally out of sync for us...

I'd say go for it (I'm Irish). I think it isn't one of those Irish names that require knowledge of Ireland/Irish language to pronounce (Niamh, Siun, etc). Or is it? I don't remember hearing anyone mangle Cillian Murphy's name. I like the name.

I have 3 children. 1 with a standard Irish name that is now popular everywhere, 1 with a very unusual old Irish name, and 1 with a classic english/norman name. I don't think names have to come from the same "genre".

I've never heard it before. Not 100% sure on pronunciation, I would say it to rhyme with Gillian but with a hard C like Cecilia/Cedric/Cindy/ etc (so 'Sill-ee-un.') I like it! I think it would go well with Vivienne and Phillipa.

I guess it could otherwise be 'Kill-ee-un' which I like less (I'm hearing 'Kill Ian' when I say it that way!), if it's pronounced that way then I think there would be some potential for confusion as most English names starting Ci are pronounced with the S sound.

Hard 'c' sound. I don't think you need to be Irish to use it, but the only Cillian I know (a toddler) has one Irish parent. I only knew how to pronounce it because of Cillian Murphy

Honestly I don't like it at all, its a silly name for a boy.

I know a baby Cillian, they pronounce it kill-ee-yan

I love it and think you can use it. Popular name here in Ireland - loved but not overused. It's also frequently spelled with a K but I prefer C.

I love it and am planning to use it for my DS (due in June). That said I am irish , but DH is English and it's also his first choice. I've mithered a little due to some people thinking it's pronounced 'sillian' but really it's only a mistake that they can make once. As Greenstone says it's popular without being overused in Ireland. I would also stick with 'c' over 'k' because I'm not a fan of anglicising original irish names.

Oh and I already have one DD with a Scottish name, so although we're (unwittingly) keeping with a Celtic theme, we have mixed things up a bit.

I know one. He has Irish parents and has now moved to Ireland. It does remind me of Gillian a bit, or "Killing" but I think an English boy could carry it off.

It is annoying that we can't just pick whatever name we like the sound of without worrying about heritage - I love Russian and Scandinavian names but don't think I could lumber dd with having to have a conversation that goes "Oh are you Russian/Swedish/etc?" "No" "Oh" for the rest of her life! I think Irish, Welsh & Scottish names are reasonably fair game though, depending on how unusual they are.

Oh I thought it was pronounced 'silly-un'. If it's 'kill 'e 'un', that's better.

I have Irish heritage and I would hesitate, even though it's a good name. First of all because of the pronunciation, would it be troublesome? Secondly, I don't know how well known it is in the UK.

Sorry that's not helpful

I'm Irish and love this name . I say go for it , it's a great name. Big deal if you're not from Ireland , people may just need corrected on the pronunciation from time to time.

I love the name Cillian. I live in NI and my children have more traditional English names and I like to stick to a theme!

But I think you can use it as from what I have noticed, Rory seems to be quite a popular choice in England so it's not unusual to pick an Irish name.

Also meant to say though that it's a bit 'rhymey' with Vivienne and the kids might not know who you are calling for! This happens in our house with Dave and James which sound quite similar from a distance!

It's fine to use, I think Cillian Murphy has brought it to a wider audience. I'd be a little surprised to find out that an English boy called Cillian didn't have an Irish heritage but the surprise would probably last all of 5 seconds.

Also, I prefer the spelling with C but I think it would be fine to use Killian. The saint is generally known as St Killian and Killian is apparently quite a popular name in France.

Killian would work very well.

I would probably use 'Killian'.

I am from NI but live in England, and I have met many, many people who pronounce this name as 'silly-un'.

My son was supposed to be a Cillian, but he was 10lb 4oz and Cillian sounded too delicate so we had to rethink. I'm half-Irish but I think the name works.

Don't use Killian, please. I hate when people bastardise another countries names. Nothing wrong with proper Cillian.

As for "silly name for a boy" get your head out of your arse. There's a whole country full of Cillians pretty close to you, don't be xenophobic.

Plenty of Irish Killians in existence. Kevin is 'bastardised' and no one complains about that.

and why does everyone pronounce it with a soft c/S sound? There are hundreds of names starting with C you can say properly (cara, catherine, cory, cody, cameron, conor, caleb, carl, colin) why would this one be so confusing?

Because most words beginning with Ci have a soft c sound eg. cigarette, cinders, cinema.

On seeing it, I presumed "Silly-un" -to rhyme with Gillian but an sss sound.
I have to say, I also assumed it was a girls name.
Now, whether you think its worth the hassle or not is up to you. Just letting you know how any English mind works.

Christ knows how any of you would cope with a Gearoíd, Maolíosa or a Iarfhlaith!