Irish Boys names

[Cloeycat]

I'm Irish and DP and his family are very English. We've agreed on a nice Irish girls name however I am struggling with a boys name that won't be butchered by the English side of the family.

My favorites at the moment are the following, but any suggestions would be welcome- especially ones that are not considered 'difficult' to people from the UK (obviously I don't find any of them difficult as I grew up with them so struggling with this!)

Fionn
Conor
Liam
Oisin
Sean
Donal

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Hi there - this thread is a little old. [[https://www.mumsnet.com/baby-names/most-popular-irish-baby-names
If you’re looking for an Irish baby name, find inspiration here]]. MNHQ

[mathanxiety]

How about:
Lorcan
Conleth
Eamon
Colman
Conall
Ferdia
Fiachra
Fiach
Murthagh
Fergus
Emmet
Anton

Would Eoin or Ailbe tip them over the edge?

(Sorry for lack of fadas - sticky number pad).

[Thenorr]

We've got Malachy at the top of our boy's list- our surname is Kelly, so the name works brilliantly Irishly, trouble is - I've never even been to Ireland!

[DanyD]

My husband is called Kieran and when we visit Belfast they always comment that it's an Irish name

[Leapling]

The main character in the film (and book) Brooklyn is called Ailish - maybe you could watch it with them - it's s good film! Ailish is played by Saoirse Ronan too so another possible one for the list!

[Cloeycat]

Oh gosh, no I feel bad now, they are lovely lovely people and in general I get on really well and have no problems whatsoever with them.

This problem with pronouncing names is the only thing I've ever come up against with them. I do hope they would just eventually get used to whatever name we decide on I would just like to pick something that makes it a bit easier for that to happen.

[LonestarStateOfMind]

It sounds like they would have an issue with any irish name and deliberately pronounce it incorrect. I would not look for an easier name, I would not rise to their ignorance. They could learn to pronounce any name with a bit of practice if they wanted to, they sound quite unpleasant

[SteviebunsBottrittrundle]

I agree with sweeney too. I know three English-born girls called Aoife! It's hardly unheard of in England. One of them is 8, one is 4 and the other is 3. And anyway, Aoife sounded out phonetically in English isn't anything like Effy. It would be Ay-oy-f or something. Therefore, your MIL and SIL sound foolish and illiterate as well as being rude and small-minded .

Anyway, I love Ailish / Ailis. I would spell it Ailis just to wind up MIL and SIL, or go for something like Bláthnaid! I know an English-born toddler called Bláthnaid too and people do get the hang of it, (if they have anything about them).

[SweeneyAstray]

Honestly, OP, would you really consider not using Aoife (which is lovely) just because your MIL and SIL are ignorant Little Englanders? Certainly, a non-Irish speaker looking for the first time at Aoife written might well pronounce it 'Effy', but to keep on doing so after they know how it's pronounced - and let's face it, 'Eefa' isn't difficult - is giving you a distinct message. Which sounds to me uncannily like 'We're not wild about your nationality and are going to do everything in our power to make it plain'.You don't need to 'placate' them. They're certainly doing nothing to placate you.

[23jumpstreet]

Dermot is a lovely Irish name.

[Cloeycat]

I should add actually, the first girls name we decided on was Aoife which I was told by MiL and SiL they would just call Effy. Which really made me cross and is part of the reason why I want a name they can't/won't do that to as a boys name ( we don't know what we are having, although I've been assured it's a baby 😄).

Girls name we have no decided on and won't be telling in Laws until he/she makes an appearance is Ailish. Ail like ailment and ish like 2pmish. Please god that explanation will placate them. Also I'm aware there are many pronunciations of the name but that's the one I grew up with and I think also easy to explain.

[Rinceoir]

Oh I love Tadhg as well. I don't think there's any reason people shouldn't cope with that.

I have a very easy to pronounce name, there's even an anglicised spelling for it, but people still persist in pronouncing it as they see it! It doesn't bother me hugely though, I answer to all mispronunciations.

[SweeneyAstray]

Leap I think you're absolutely right about children tending to get it unproblematically. My4 year old son (with an unusual Irish name) experiences no difficulties with his friends and classmates, and gets his tongue around the African, Asian, and Eastern European names of kids at his school without difficulty (and without any concept of 'that's weird').

I'm afraid I have very little time for people who 'cannot' pronounce a name after they've been told repeatedly how it is said, unless they have additional needs/a hearing impairment of some kind, obviously. It's just lazy ignorance, otherwise.

Tadhg is cool. I'm delighted it's having a revival.

[Leapling]

I have a Tadhg and whilst I understand people not getting the pronounciation from the spelling, it is very annoying when I say the name aloud and have to repeat it several times; it's not Thai!

However, the confusion applies to adults only and I've not once met a child in 5 years who has struggled. They ask his name, we say Tadhg and every child has got it right straight away (it's one syllable after all!) Yes to the PP who said after being told how to pronounce it then it's just rude to keep getting it wrong!

I love Oisin and Fionn on your list and also Shay (I prefer this to Se) and Cormac but you will have to help people with pronounciation the first time! But go for an Irish name if its important to you and make your family get it right!

As an aside, I've never seen another nationality told not to pick one of their traditional names to make it easier in England but see it a lot with Irish names!

[MamMamMam]

Eoghan Lorcán Tiernan Caomhan Daithi Conn Shay

[CroissantwithCheese]

Rian
Ruan
Conall

[clarison]

My DH is called Enda. Such a simple, phonetic, easy name or so you'd think. However, most people that aren't Irish & don't know him call him Edna. After almost 30 years of me listening to it, it's tiring so I can imagine how frustrating it is for him. I love his name though

[Cloeycat]

I also have an 'unprouncable' Irish name- that my mother gave me when we lived in London! But I was living with my partner a year before he managed to pronounce it correctly ( he still uses my nickname but has learned to say my full name and gets cross on my behalf when others say it wrong!) but his family still struggle massively which is why I'm trying to find something easyish for them.

I don't mind strangers etc saying it wrong but I'd feel sorry for the kid if his own grandparents couldn't say his name! I quite like Cathal as its related to my surname and it would be nice to keep the name alive when the baby is taking his fathers surname. Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

[Potatofish]

I wouldn't tie yourself into knots worrying about other people's pronunciations, OP, especially if you are likely to move back to Ireland - unless you are the kind of person who is traumatised by the dentist's receptionist mispronouncing your child's name .

But I have lived in England for aeons, have one of the 'unpronounceable' names mentioned up the thread, and and Irish language surname, and my UK-born son has an 'unpronounceable' Irish name and my surname and his father's Irish language surname, and people who know us manage just fine.

[Rinceoir]

I also like Conn, Art, Aodh (which should be easy enough to pronounce) and Darragh.

[MadeForThis]

How about Conan instead of Ronan?

Enda is pretty easy.

Cillian is also popular and more familiar.

Caedan

Oran instead of Oisin

Ciaran

[Rinceoir]

As someone with an Irish name in London, who has a daughter with an Irish name I can categorically say that many English people will continue to attempt to pronounce Irish names phonetically even after they hear it pronounced correctly! I think it's quite hard to twist an English tongue around some of the sounds (particularly R sounds).

I wouldn't let it stop me using a name I love though. If I have a boy down the line I hope to call him Cathal.

[Strokethefurrywall]

I have a Sullivan but its basically like calling your child Smith.

When pregnant with my Sullivan and we didn't know the sex of the baby, I loved Saoirse for a girl but DH said we weren't allowed to name the baby anything he couldn't pronounce.

I think once you explain the pronunciation everyone will follow your lead. They just not be able to spell it!

My DH has the same issue with his name being mispronounced by everyone except other Scots!

[user1467393664]

I've seen some Irish names getting butchered in work from UK and US colleagues - butchered poor Donnchadh, Tadgh, Sinead, blathnaid, Maedhbh and Roisin.
But agree that once you're told how to pronounce it you should know in the future?!

I think Rory, Conor, Dylan, Patrick, Senan, Dara, Colm, Barry, Conan are pretty portable names and pronounced correctly most places.