Can anybody irish confirm a pronunciation please

[notprettybutbloodyfunctional]

I'm due in the next two weeks with baby number three, no idea if its a boy or a girl but if its a boy we really like the name Cabhan. We would pronounce it Cav-an, but I have heard it pronounced Cav-aughn. Either way we quite like both pronunciations but due to our northern accent we'll probably end up using the first way.
The concerns I have are that, its not a readily used Irish name ( i.e. I'm calling my child a random word that's not really a name - I am aware it means grassy hill/hollow) or that in Ireland it might be pronounced Kevin!!

Help, advise, opinions please

FYI ds has a slightly unusual name of German origin and dd has an Irish name, both often get pronounced wrong so that really doesn't worry me :)

[SaoirseLikeInertia]

Tadhg is like the start of Tiger

[SaoirseLikeInertia]

X post

[feckthemall]

What about Cuan or Donagh?

[notprettybutbloodyfunctional]

Balls to it, I might just call it Geoff if its a boy! Or Gary, that names supposed to be dying out!!

[notprettybutbloodyfunctional]

Is Cuan just as it sounds, or is it pronounced Kian?

[feckthemall]

Cu-in is how I've heard it and say it.

[notprettybutbloodyfunctional]

Well thanks everybody for your input, I'm off to bed to have a sleepless night hoping I don't go into labour just yet with my nameless child!!!

[junebirthdaygirl]

Irish for Geoff is Seathrun fada on u. pronounced sha-ruin. Other names Iarla (ear-la) or Cathal (Caw_Al) or Aodhan fada on u (A-dawn)

[DailyFailAteMyFish]

Ha, my Irish speaking DH says that's pronounced Gway fuch...

[bitofaconundrum]

Mac gabhan is anglicized as McGowan: gou- an. By that logic maybe it's pronounced Cowan?

[bitofaconundrum]

cuan is pronounced queue in.

[IoraRua]

Fionn, Colm, Eoin (owen), Ciar, Daragh could be possible OP?
I can't take to Cabhan purely because of the Cavan thing. And I'm amazed the father never heard of Niamh. It's like an English person never having heard of the name Sarah.

[DoinItFine]

No, Cuan is pronounced Coo-un.

[feckthemall]

Yes coo-in not que-in.

[TyrionLannistersShadow]

Yes Coo-an not Que-an. And I am amazed at an Irish person not knowing the name Niamh, it's one of the most popular or well know names here! It's like saying you never heard the name Tom before.

[DoinItFine]

How popular was Niamh before the 70s though.

A generation back my family was either Máire, Caitríona, Bríd or Mary, Catherine, Bridget.

The one before that all Julia, Sadie, Florence, Jeremiah, Michael (even in the Gaeltacht).

[MitzyLeFrouf]

Yes I think any Irish born and bred person who'd never heard of the name Niamh must have left the country pre 1970. And either never returned again or stuck their fingers in their ears whenever they did return for a visit!

As for Cabhan, I've never heard of it before. I suspect the Irish baby name website you found it in was created by an American who's never set foot in Ireland.

[LonestarStateOfMind]

I have met baby boys called Cavan and Cabhan pron Cavan.

Probably less recognised as an official name but if you like it go for it, it nice.

[GoldPlatedBacon]

There's a Cavan at a baby group I go to but that is how they spell it and I don't think they are Irish. I like the name.

I'm a bit at an Irish man not knowing the name Niamh. Niamh along with Siobhan, and to a lesser extent Aoife, seem to be the Irish names that us English understand how to pronounce and led to believe all Irish people must know one (!).

[MitzyLeFrouf]

Honestly, you cannot spit in Ireland without hearing a Niamh or an Aoife shouting 'Hey, did you just spit on me?'

[Canyouforgiveher]

**


Knew a woman called Benvon (as in "woman of munster".) maybe a possibility :)

It isn't just that OP's dad never heard of Niamh as a name but also that he never heard of the legend of Niamh of the Golden Hair. I don't think he was paying much attention in national school :)

[feckthemall]

That's exactly what I thought cantouforgiveher. But then maybe Irish folklore wasn't on the curriculum then.

[mathanxiety]

Niamh has been a really popular name since the 60s in Ireland - I know loads of them all about my age.

Mac Gabhann is an Irish translation of the surname Smith. Gabhann = a blacksmith.

I would pronounce both Cabhan and Gabhann with the W sound or actually a very soft V that is almost a W.

I met a Conleth the other day - how would that strike you?

[MitzyLeFrouf]

If I met a Cabhan and it was pronounced Cowen I'd wonder if his parents were big fans of Biffo.

[mathanxiety]

Biffo is such a great name.