How do you feel about traditional Irish names?

[Jackie1985]

Given my Irish heritage, I'd like give my soon to arrive child a suitable name - such as Aoife. My husband thinks they could cause some later school bullying (think London secondary). Thoughts?

In London? Nah, Irish names arent unusual.

Even in the 80s growing up in London we had Aoife, Roisin, Oisin, Siobhan, Sinead, Diarmuid and Ruairi in my school.

Go for it!

One of the many Julias I know one is Italian. She is Giulia (it's not quite pronounced Julia but near enough iykwim). I think it would be a bit pretentious of someone with no Italian heritage to use that spelling for their child.

MitzyLeFrouf - Phew! I thought that would be safe. Like calling your kid Jasmine when not of Persian heritage is alright, but maybe not Mojgan.

But yeah OP, if you have the heritage, and especially living somewhere as multi-cultural as London, why not! It's a nice name :) Don't know why anyone would bully them, maybe just ask how to spell/pronounce at most.

Noodlebum, from my own personal pov, I think the only issue is people changing spellings or giving a child a name that they mispronounce.

For instance, changing Siobhan to Shevawn or pronouncing Caitlyn 'Kate-lin'. There is also the Soresha thing (Sorcha). I don't think anglicising names to Ronan (originally Rónán = Roe-nawn) or Brendan (originally Breandán = 'Bran-dawn) is an issue as this is frequently done in Ireland.

My DCs, whose heritage is Irish, English, Welsh, and Dutch have names that are French, Irish, Hebrew, Shakespearean/Italian, and Greek/Russian. I do not pronounce them according to the rules of the languages they are from, so my attitude is a bit hypocritical...

We've many trad Irish names in our family. I went to a Catholic school (run by Nuns) and there were some challenging names there I can tell you! There were definitely some lovely names but I did go to school with a Gobnait and a Grainne and even then I used to think why would the parents do that?

There is also the Soresha thing (Sorcha)

That drives me mad, for some reason. Possibly just because I hate the name George, anyway.

Mitzy, thanks to Catholicism, many French, Spanish, Italian and Latin names were used in Ireland and maybe some still are. I am thinking of names like Aloysius, Pius, Ignatius, Alphonsus, and Augustine for boys and Majella, Marcella, Consuela, Concepta, Attracta, and Immaculata for girls. I had a forebear whose second middle name was Michaelangelo and another whose middle name was Stanislas, after Stanisław Kostka S.J. who lived from 1550 to 1568.

George is Seoirse (Shor-sheh), so not the same as Soresha (which should be 'Surr-uh-kha').

Calling girls Sorcha and pronouncing it Sorsha. Double fail .

I think they mean Sorcha?

I get that, math -- that's why it annoys me that people mispronounce Sorcha. Which I rather like as a name, despite a friend saying it always makes her think of 'scorched'.

Oh regardless of origin it just depends on the name. Aoife, clodagh, cillian yeah, lovely names. gobnait, eanna (and similar), proineas no. Never

Gobnait

Will it ever have a comeback?

Seorse (George) boys name - Shor-sheh

Sorcha - girls name - Surr-ah-keh

Saoirse (freedom/liberty) - girls name - Seer-sha/Sare-sha (depending on region)

I want to see a return of Assumpta, Attracta and Concepta.

I imagine you'll be fine in cosmopolitan London. Out here in the parochial sticks - still just a pronunciation & spelling problem, really.

I encounter very few Irish names & don't know how to say them when I do. The spelling makes no sense in English & some don't sound that nice in English (to my ears, anyway). Some sound fine, of course.

Just speaking for me: I would anglicise the spelling & choose one that sounds nice in English. Where I come from lots of people anglicise how they say & spell their names so I don't see those as bad things to do.

From way up thread all Caolán I know are pronounced Kale-in. I'm also NI

However, it always works me up people arguing the way something is pronounced, it's due to different derelicts.

Caoimhe - keeva or qweva
Bebhinn - Bayveen or Bevin
And the list goes on ...

As for using Aoife in London, if you love it go for it!! Why are people so hung up on Irish names. Don't see other cultures on here saying well I live in England can I no longer use a Polish, Asian, Dutch, Norwegian, Italian, Spanish, French name ... of course you can!! Yes you may have to spell it but I have a most common English name (which is in fact Italian if history is looked at) and I still get asked to spell it. Plus when you get past school age how many people actually need to write your name. In work people will have access to getting the spelling of your name.

Aghh spelling sorry! On phone. As for above thread to Anglaise name. Please do not insult the Irish language by doing this! If you like the name, use the name as it is.

Aghh anglicise**

The U.K. Is full of cuties with massive Irish populations, not just "cosmopolitan" London. I was brought up in Nottingham which is full of the boggers.

I'm an Oonagh and didn't get bullied over my name if that's any help.

Got lots of official documents with my name spelled wrong causing major hassles though. Yay.. wouldn't have happened in Cosmopolitan London obvs

Nottingham is hugely diverse, that's true. Maybe all of East Midlands is.

I don't agree that it insults a language or culture to use a name from it but change the spelling & pronunciation. People widely use Joshua & Michael without spelling them יהושע and מיכאל (I imagine no one on MN knows how to say them in Hebrew, too).

She won't be the only Aoife in her London secondary.

I went to a school with a Grainne, a few Siobhans, a couple of Sineads and a Roisin. Used to work with a Concepta!

The only obvious way to "angliscise" Aoife is to spell it Efa. Only that's a Welsh name (Eva essentially ) and pronounced more along the lines of air-va.

The Celts are a confusing lot 😉

We called our DS Connor many, many years ago (he's 25 now!) ..I thought about using the Irish spelling (Connaire), but didn't, and have always regretted it..I think that Irish names are lovely, and you shouldn't be afraid to pick one of it's what you really want

I'm from Belfast originally but have never heard of a Caolan at home. My family are Donegal though and I know a few from there and also 2 in North Dublin who pronounce it Kale - awn. I guess it is just a dialect thing like Caoimhe being pronounced keeva or kweeva.

My DC are at school in London and go to school with at least one of the following:

Aoife
Eimear
Niamh
Sorcha
Eildh
Kellan
Ailis
Enya
Ciara
Catriona
Saoirse
Aine
Caoilainn
Siobhan

I think they do have constant problems with them being mispronounced/mispelled etc. but they certainly don't stand out as 'unusual' names and afaik don't get bullied for them. You'll struggle in London to find a school where there isn't a huge range of 'non-English' names. My DC1 has a very traditional English name and that is also often mispelled and occasionally pronounced wrong too!