Oran

[TakingTheStairs]

I am Irish, DH is English but we both agree that we would like an Irish name for DS2.
But... It's needs to be an Irish name that isn't going to give DS2 too much hassle on a daily basis (we live in the UK). My name sounds nothing like the way it is spelt and since I moved here 10ish years ago, I have to explain it any where from 2 to 10 times a day.

Conor is an obvious choice but is very popular.
Cillian is another choice but a lot of people think it is a soft 'C' rather than hard 'C'. It's not like Cilla Black

I really like Oran. It's pronouced like it's spelt. Or-an. And it means fair or pale skinned which with DH's and my colouring he will be! It's also the name of an ancient Irish warrior.
It is the anglised spelling. The Irish spelling is Ódhran.

Thoughts?

Tá fáilte romhat :)

Enjoy your new baby, OP.

I'd be looking for the ge, sorry. Hope it works out for you.

I like it. I wouldn't have a clue how to pronounce the Irish spelt version but I'd only need to be told how to once and then would be fine. If you don't want to tell Every new English person you meet how it is pronounced then a more English spelling would work well. The orangutan connection is a bit daft IMO. If you really want to you can form a silly word from pretty much every name, whatever the origin. If it bothered you though would Orin work?

Oran is lovely.

I do prefer the Irish spelling, but I know exactly where you are coming from. Two of my sons have Irish names with anglicised spellings as we felt it would be much easier for them in the UK.

I wouldn't go for Conor in the UK, it'll constantly get spelled Connor.

As for the orangutan comments, really, I have no words...

Like it. Prefer the usual Irish spelling but agree the anglicised spelling is better in the UK. Was considering Cillian for DS1 (I'm Irish but living in the UK) but completely put off now by reading that some people would pronounce it with a soft "C"! Hadn't even thought of that :-(

Oran
Conal
Senan
Cillian
Fionn
Eoin
All from my boys list

Oran would have been Dd1 name if she was a boy.

You can spell Killian with a k obviously there is no k in Irish but it does work.

It could be twisted to Onan. Sorry

Onan? I don't get it.

Thanks for all the lovely supportive comments to the rest of you.

I was wondering had I missed something with Onan too.

Onan - name from the Bible about a guy 'wasting his sperm'. To onanise - to masturbate.

I think that's a fairly tenuous link for most children and adults to make!

I think it's lovely. I have an orla, purposefully anglicized for the same reason but then I took leave of my anglicized senses and had a saoirse. I'm actually amazed at how many people make the effort to get it right, not that they actually get it right all of the time but still...

I think Oran is beautiful. I have a red haired boy and so far, no orangutan jibes, it wouldn't have ever occurred to me!

Oran....is quite nice, yeah :) Oras also sounds nice, reminds me of the sea XD but the name meaning is probs completely different.

I love Oran, it's a lovely name.