Thoughts on these names?

[SmugairleRoin]

Currently thinking about Clodagh, April (or possibly Avril), Heather and Kirsten. Opinions, MN? You always have lots so let's hear em

My current list is Jane, Leila, Amara, Eilidh, Maren, Juliet, Aifric, Étain, Ríona, Ailbhe, Lois, Lara, Serena, Cliona, Rachel, Mariela, Lena, Liadain, Saoirse, Elena, Síofra, Róise, Aphra and Aurelia.

Apologies, I know that's a fairly long list and probably impossible to pronounce for a lot of you I can see myself being very picky about what name I choose when she's born though so trying to get a long list now.

If you've any suggestions - doesn't even need to be names particularly related to that list, just names you like - I'd love to hear them, along with your thoughts on my new suggestions.

I like Amara and Elena.

Wow that is an eclectic list!

I don't like Clodagh - I find it quite an ugly sounding name. I also don't like April, Avril, Heather or Kirsten.

My favourites from your list are

Eilidh
Étain
Cliodhna
Maren
Ailbhe
Ríona
Saiorse
Síofra

Thanks for the thoughts Vixx!

Forgot to put this in - I really like April but realistically, I shouldn't call a baby not due in April it, can I? So Avril probably more of a contender.

It really is, Satan That's why I just asked people to suggest anything at all that they personally like - I've never quite been able to work out a naming style I like, for what of a better phrase. It seems to be random with a tendency towards Irish names. So I'm open to any suggestions really.

You've got my DD's name in there and my backup name. Plus one of the names we had for DS.

My favourites from your list are:

Lara
Heather
Eilidh
Lois
Rachel
Kirsten

Other names I liked:
Hannah
Mairi
Cora
Esther

Avril reminds me of a family friend, but I've never met a baby one. :)

You've some lovely names on your list and I can pronounce them all . I don't like Clodagh or Cliona, I find them clunky and very old fashioned and not in a granny chic way. I know a couple of Roises - it's a nice name in my head but honestly I don't like the name as much when I say it out loud.

My favourite is probably Lena, I love it. I had Elena in my list for dd3 but had huge issues with the different pronounciations. Juliet was also on my list.

My least favourites are actually April, Heather and Avril.

Heather and Kirsten sound like cheerleaders from an 80s high school movie.

Clodagh is nice enough. Avril is a bit boring.

From your other big long list I like Maren and Juliet.

Heather and Kirsten are fairly normal names in my bit of Scotland.

I don't really like any of the Irish names, but there aren't that many Irish names I do like.

My current favourite which kind of goes with your list is Lorna.

Family I love Cora, will add that to the list. The sounding strange when they're a baby thing doesn't massively bother me tbh - she'll only be a baby for a very short while anyway.

Myotherusername Lorna is also fab, I'll add that one too!

I like Juliet and Lara. Not keen on Cliona as I think it sounds like cleaner.

Love
Heather
Lena/Elena but issues with pronunciation
Saiorse
Siofra
Juliet.

I don't know how to pn some of the Irish names. How do you pn Clodagh? Looking at it I think of clods of earth.
Not a fan of April, it sounds a bit wet and wishy washy to me.

Love Saoirse - we considered it for DD, but felt our Irish connections (DH's grandmother) were too tenuous.

Really like Lara, Lena, Elena and Lorna. Lots of Ls!

I think redspotty that's the issue with an English person pronouncing it - Irish people tend to pronounce that sound as an -ah, whereas I've noticed in the UK it comes out as -er. To my ears anyway! But definitely something to bear in mind.

Clodagh would be pronounced Cloe - dah (Clo as in flow, dah as in...say the ah sound in Lydia or Mia).

There are a lot of Ls! Irish, Ls and -a ending names seem to be my thing.
Thanks all for your opinions so far.

I love Elena & Eilidh. Beautiful names.

April/Avril and Heather are very trailer parkish names imo.
I had two middle aged and ample teachers named Cora in Dublin in the late 70s. I can't get that image out of my mind when I hear this name. For me it has connotations that are the opposite of Downton Abbey.

From your list, I love
Eilidh
Juliet
Aifric
Ailbhe
Lara
Rachel
Lena
Liadan
Síofra
Aphra
Kirsten
and Aurelia

My favourites are probably Ailbhe, Lena, Lara, Rachel, and Síofra.

I like Lorna but prefer Laurel.

Oh math I'm usually nodding along to your suggestions on these threads but I really hate Laurel! And yet I love Laurence for a boy (Lauren isn't one I like either though).

Clodagh - I don't like this, it looks and sounds ugly to me.
April - love it
Avril - less keen though not really sure why
Heather - it's ok, sounds a bit dated to me.
Kirsten - like it. Unusual nowadays.
Jane - bit plain. It's a middle name to me
Leila - really like it
Amara - like it
Eilidh - love it
Maren - not keen. Never met one though
Juliet - love it
Aifric - never heard this and can't pronounce it but it seems a bit Saxon Overlord ish to me! Like Ethelred and Wulfric!
Étain - also not sure how this is pronounced
Ríona - very pretty, I like it
Ailbhe - don't know the pronunciation of this either (feeling thick now!)
Lois - it's ok
Lara - love it
Serena - not keen but it's ok
Cliona - to rhyme with Fiona? Never heard it but think I like it
Rachel - it's ok
Mariela - not keen
Lena - like it
Liadain - not sure how to say this
Saoirse - it's ok
Elena - like it
Síofra - pretty, never heard it before
Róise - not sure how to say it
Aphra - really love it and very unusual
Aurelia - quite like it. A bit fancy maybe.

My top three, in order, would be Aphra, Juliet and Lara.

My favourite Irish name is Sorcha. Also like Ciara, Carys, Niamh, Caoimhe, Aoife, Kayleigh and Fionnhuala.

Less Celtic (well some probably are but more anglicised) but in a similar vein to some of your other names:
Aria, Astrid, Ayla, Asha, Alexa, Bronte, Cecily, Dulcie, Darcey, Danica, Eden, Erin, Effie, Etta, Ebony, Fallon, Farrah, Giselle, Harper, Iris, Jade, Kyla, Kyra, Lyla, Lyra, Livia, Mala, Mila, Maya, Nyah, Nia, Noelle, Piper, Quinn, Romy, Rowan, Ramona, Rowena, Saffron, Sorrel, Sadie, Skye, Taryn, Thea, Verity, Zia, Zara

I'm very impressed with how you went thriugh each name off that list, kudos on it - must have taken a while! And yep some of them are hard to pronounce - should've put a pronunciation guide up next to them really shouldn't I.

Aifric - Aff rick
Étain - ay teen or ay tawn depending on dialect/accent.
Ailbhe - Alva
Cliona - slightly different sound to Fiona but I'm finding it hard to explain in text! Clee oh na, more emphasis on the ee sound than in Fiona.
Liadain - leah dawn or lia dan ( again, regional differences!)
Róise - row shah

Carys is interesting, Welsh I'm guessing? Not heard it before.

From your list I really like Astrid, Sadie, Darcey, Verity, Etta, Lyra, Ramona and Aria.

Mala in Irish is bag so while I like it as a name in its own right....I'm not sure it'd fly in Dublin

Thanks for all your help!

Ooh I love an eclectic list!
My current list is Jane, , Amara, Eilidh, Maren, Juliet, Aifric, Étain, Ríona, Ailbhe, Lois, Lara, Serena, Cliona, Rachel, Mariela, Lena, Liadain, Saoirse, Elena, Síofra, Róise, Aphra and Aurelia

Like:
April/Avril (this is my favourite from your short-shortlist: would likely be on mine, but doesn't work with surname. I agree that Avril is better for a bub not born in April),
Clodagh, Heather.
Saoirse, Eilidh, Róise, Maren, Ailbhe (favourites from your longer list)
Jane, Amara, Juliet, Aifric, Étain, Ríona, Lois, Lara, Serena, Cliona, Rachel, Mariela, Lena, Liadain, Elena, Síofra, Aphra and Aurelia

Don't like:
Kirsten
Leila

Alternative ideas...
Lelia rather than Leila
Jana/Janna
Enda
Leonie
Lilah

Love lots of those name s ! But aifric is my fave - living in Dublin and know a really lovely person by that name plus it s a bit unusual

I had a friend called Clodagh and no one ever pronounced it correctly. I used to mentally say her name a few times before saying hello even after a year of knowing her. If she never leaves Ireland that's OK. What about Kirsty?

Clodagh - Good
April (or possibly Avril) - Bad
Heather - Bad (very bad. I only narrowly escaped this one myself)
Kirsten - Poor. Not exactly bad but certainly not good.
Jane - OK.
Leila - Bad
Amara - Bad
Eilidh -OK
Maren - don't know this one. How do you pronounce it? Looks OK in writing. I know a Karen who is Care-un, and Mare-un would sound really bad.
Juliet - Bad
Aifric, Étain, Ríona, Ailbhe, Lois, Lara - Bad
Serena, Cliona, Rachel - OK. Rachael becomes Excellent with the right number of 'a's in it.
Mariela, Lena - Bad
Liadain, , Elena, Síofra, Aurelia - Bad
Saoirse Aphra Róise - Good