Irish names for English babies

[harrietm87]

Hello. Not pregnant (yet!) but would love to give my future babes Irish names. I'm Irish, DH English. We live in a multicultural bit of London. Interested to hear people's favourite Irish names and opinions on how traditional/obscure it's possible to go without being accused of child abuse! (Guessing Sean is ok, Feidhlimidh not...). For context I love Ruaidhri, Seamus, Siofra and Ailbhe (but so many good options!)

How is Siofra pronounced? It looks gorgeous!

shee-uh-frah

Síofra - Shee frah

Oh Moofin, you just reminded me how much I love the name Cillian. Nearly every one I've known were good looking too!

adds to mental shortlist

Following on from last night's rant - please please please, if you use an Irish name for your child, put the fadas in the right place. They're not optional, or something you can just plonk in anywhere. They have a purpose, other than making vowels look fancy.

Ciara
Orlaith

I love a lot of Irish names but we chose not to use one as our surname is Irish although we are not and we thought the kids might find it irritating to keep explaining that they weren't Irish even though they had completely Irish names.

There are some Irish names that are really difficult to get to grips with. I'm ok with the popular names like Niamh but some of the longer ones are very hard to decipher even when someone has told you how to say them.

At least Irish names aren't as tricky as Zulu names which often appear to be a random assortment of jumbled letters which have no resemblance to how they are pronounced. The fact they may also contain different types of 'clicks' sounds makes it even worse. For example ntombiyesizwe or Nkosiphendule. 🙈 Taking a class register used to take a long time. 😂

Yeah, sorry, if I do end up using Irish names, I won't be using fada's in them. I understand that they have a purpose but I struggled with them in school, I struggle with them for relative's names (most of whom don't seem to use them either after a while) and I'm not even sure how to get them on a keyboard.
I know that's not spelling the name right, but the kids are probably not going to learn more than a couple words of Irish anyway so I don't see that it's doing much harm.

Sian (^ on the a, pronounced with Shan with a long flat a) is Welsh for Jane, and is not trendy amongst Welsh under 45s. Siwan (pron. Shewan) is welsh for Joan. Dylan (pron. Dullan) was hugely popular in the 60s in Wales.

If you are Irish then an Irish name is fine but as someone with a first name that is unpronounceable in any other language other than my own, I suggest that the unusual name be a middle name.

There are some Irish names that are really difficult to get to grips with. I'm ok with the popular names like Niamh but some of the longer ones are very hard to decipher even when someone has told you how to say them.

At least Irish names aren't as tricky as Zulu names which often appear to be a random assortment of jumbled letters which have no resemblance to how they are pronounced. The fact they may also contain different types of 'clicks' sounds makes it even worse.

Honestly, what an ignorant response. Neither Irish nor Zulu names are 'random assortments of jumbled letters which have no resemblance to how they are pronounced' - they obey the rules of orthography in their own languages. It's unfortunate you find them 'tricky', but people are not obliged to consult English speakers' convenience, before naming their children.

This has been an interesting debate! Also thanks for the great name suggestions - sadly lots have already been used by family members though.

I agree with those who don't like the lack of 'r' when some English people say orla (awwwla) and eimear (Eema) so will avoid those, but think I've decided not to avoid spelling names the traditional way. My top boy choice is seamus I think which most people are familiar with.

Girls it's a bit harder - love Ailbhe, Ailbe (which do you prefer??), Aoibheann, Dearbhla and Siofra (all potentially tricky). Also Nora though. Iseult is a brilliant name but I hate Izzy which I think would be inevitable.

Séamus is a great name. A tiny Séamus in an aran jumper would be very cute indeed. Fisherman's cap and pipe optional.

At least with Séamus there's Séamus from Harry Potter which people will be familiar with!

From your girls' list I like Ailbhe and Aoibheann.

ScrubbedPine. FFS What an unpleasant and rude response to my post. I'm not ignorant and I'm fully aware that differant languages have different rules and I didn't suggest that people should name their kids so that it's convenient for people who speak English. I've no idea where you got that idea from. .

The Iseult I know is nicknamed Missy not Izzy (which I agree is grim).

Limitless, re-read your own post. I'm not 'getting' anything you haven't written.

There are some Irish names that are really difficult to get to grips with. I'm ok with the popular names like Niamh but some of the longer ones are very hard to decipher even when someone has told you how to say them.

At least Irish names aren't as tricky as Zulu names which often appear to be a random assortment of jumbled letters which have no resemblance to how they are pronounced. The fact they may also contain different types of 'clicks' sounds makes it even worse. For example ntombiyesizwe or Nkosiphendule. 🙈 Taking a class register used to take a long time. 😂

As you may or may not be aware, your comment, or versions of it, come up a dozen times or more on any baby names thread involving Irish baby names, and the largely unexamined notion that the only acceptable Irish names are ones that can be comprehended by the average monoglot English speaker at a glance so as to give as little 'trouble' as possible, is more than a bit tiresome by now. But at least they aren't as troublesome as Zulu clicks, right?

dh is irish (we live in Scotland) and we chose Aidan for our ds. The Irish (and Ghaidlig - scottish gaelic) is Aodhan, but we went with the anglicised spelling, though we've had all our dc educated in Gaelic medium education.

We chose it knowing that his social circle would not be ghaidlig speakers, though he's very happy to be Aodhan in school.

Of course Kieran is an Irish name.

As are Maeve, Killian, and Jarlath.

They are not names in Irish, but the are certainly Irish, which refers not just to things to do with the Irish language but the culture of the island.

You might as well claim that James Joyce isn't an Irish writer.

The name Iseult is not in Irish (well except for the people who pronounceit Ishulth. And there are some) and yet it is considered to be an Irish name because it comes from Celtic mythology and is mostly used in Ireland.

I would argue that Majella and Goretti are both Irish names too, although not from Irish either.

I really loathe being told that things not as Gaeilge are not Irish.

Oh and Irish pronunciation is far more regular and phonetic than English spelling.

English speakers complaining that words in a different language are "not spelled as they are pronounced" make me 😁🤔.

Yes, they are spelled as they are pronounced. They don't have any extra letters (except when pretentious Irish people use ugly old deprecated spellings like Orfhlaith instead of elegant and correct Orla).

I'm Irish with an Irish name.

English people tend to have big problems pronouncing Áine. They say Uhn-yah. Or Onion. It's pronounced Awn-yah. Like the awn in the word awning.

Popular Irish names where I live are:

Boys:
Rory and Rúairí
Declan
Darragh/Daire/Dara
Conor (do not spell it Connor or Conner!)

Girls:
Aisling
Rua (unisex, pronounced Roo-Ah
Síofra
Doireann
Muireann

And also Fionn for a boy.

Someone said earlier to avoid names with sounds English speakers would struggle to pronounce properly AND that mispronunciation would bother you.

So, use Doireann if you are OK with Dirren. I wouldn't be.

Muireann I wouod steer clear of unless you can live with Mirren (which I understand is how it is pronounced in Scotland.

Síofra I would avoid if you need it to be Shee-ufra, but fine if Sheefra won't bother you. It wouldn't other me. (Most Irish people will say Sheefra too.

Similarly if Tie-g works for you, go for Tadhg. If you want the soft Irish T (I would) , avoid.

Ferdia is great because it is so easy to pronounce.

I wouldn't worry about spelling too much. Sadhbh is easy to say. Caoilfhionn virtually impossible for a non-Irish speaker.

Similarly with Caoimhe, although many Irish people say Kweeva and think it's fine. I could live with it although prefer it pronounced the Ulster way.

People get used to names as long as they csn learn the sounds and they make sense to them.

Scrubbed. Fuck knows what you are reading into my original post that has made you respond so aggressively and pompously. I have not said that the OP should or should not choose a name that is difficult to say or spell by English speakers.

The fact that I commented that Traditional Zulu names are ready hard to say and spell is a true statement. They were a nightmare to learn. However I DiD NOT_ say or imply that is was wrong of them to have Zulu names. I was teaching in a South African Township and, not surprisingly, the expectation was that a lot of the kids would have African names. The comment that the names were really difficult to pronounce was just a factual observation. I don't understand why you would take such offence at this. 

I also DID NOT SAY or imply that the only acceptable names are ones that are 'comprehended by the average monoglot English speaker'. You may have seen other posters make comments like that in other threads but I didn't say anything like that at all. Still don't let the facts get in the way of your nasty comments.

Muireann now reminds me of that episode of Catastrophe where she suggests it as a name for their daughter.

😂😂😂

They actually name the daughter Muireann.

I love the bit where Rob is saying nobody can pronounce it and he shouts "how do you pronounce this name?"
All the Irish people in the room are like "MUIREANN"
"I wasn't asking you people"

I'm not sure it has really increased its pronounceability though, sadly.

Gorgeous name.