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...

Killian is absolutely an acceptable spelling. In Ireland it is often spelt with a k. I normally hate incorrect spellings, but this is one of the names which has more than one acceptable spelling, and in the UK I would want to avoid the silly-un pronunciations.
Lovely name - go for it.

Grocklebox, these names, Gearoíd, Maolíosa or a Iarfhlaith are fine once we know what the phonetic sounds are. Cillian however is a different matter.

Some names appeal, some do not - its not a blanket rejection of all things Celtic for Christ's sake.

Cillian isn't fine once you know what the phonetic sounds are? Is it particularly difficult somehow?

Yes there are K spellings in Ireland, because they are shipped back anglicised versions.

OP, would you think about Caelan? (Pronounced Kaylan) - a lovely Irish name.

and grockle, the Op asked, specifically pointing out they were not Irish - I think that's the angle she was after. Like most languages, if you speak them / are used to reading the phonics, then I'm sure no issue but that's not what the OP wanted to know.

I know two Cillians, both Irish living in London. It's a nice name but I wouldn't use this if you're not Irish or have no Irish connection as everyone will assume he is Irish and ask what the connection is. Would get quite annoying I think.

Love it. Go for it.

I'm Irish and dd has a Russian name.

Not a crazy one but Russian origin all the same.

thats beside the point really. People use names from cultures they have no connection with all the time. Most of the people on these baby name threads infact.

I don't think you need to know Irish phonics to have a good stab at Cillian. Have you never met a Ciara, or a Ciaran? Pretty common in the UK. I don't think most people are quite as thick as you are making out.....

The only one I know has Irish heritage. I don't like it because it will inevitably get shortened to Cill ("Kill") which isn't the best nn.

You seem to like the -ian ending as you already have a Vivienne, so how about these alternatives:

Fabian
Gideon
Florian
Sebastian
William/Liam
Rhydian

grockle you are being needlessly unpleasant. No one is going to carry on making the same mistake after having it pointed out to them but it's not thick to make a wrong assumption the first time you see a name written down. I am sure you have done it occasionally yourself. Caelan us fab.

No Grockle. I was saying what I originally said, if you bothered to read. I don't like the name Cillian and I think its silly.

Specifically this name. Nothing to do with pronunciation or need to see it written phonetically. JUST. THIS. NAME.

get off your soapbox

My son has a name now similar to Cillian in sound and his nickname is Kili, which I personally like

I like my soapbox, thanks all the same. And with many posts on here being rude about Irish names in a manner they wouldn't dare to do with other ethnicities names, someone has to stand on one.

What's 'silly' about Cillian, fizzycolagurlie?

Grockle. Ok I take your point. I have an Irish name myself (first AND last) but easy ones.

'Shipped back' isn't an accurate term to describe what happened to all anglicized 'k' spellings.

I don't like it because when mispronounced, 'silly 'un' sounds like an insult and said correctly, 'kill ian' is like a murder instruction. Whatever people do with it, it sounds bad. Nothing to do with disliking Irish names, many of them are lovely.

God, reading this thread is making me roll my eyes so hard they'll get stuck. Go for it, OP. You don't need an Irish connection. For 'permission'. Cillian is a nice, plain classic name that will only pose pronunciation problems for the most insular.