Neve, Nieve or Niamh?

[orangeunicorn]

Ttc at the moment but already set on a girls name. Just curious as to how people think it's best spelt

Niamh is one of those names with definite regional differences isn't it? In Munster it has two syllables & to me it's a nicer pronunciation that way, much softer.

Niamh.

I'd spell it the traditional way. It will mean people will mispronounce or may not know how to pronounce it, but I think that's just what you have to put up with when you pick Irish names.

Niamh

You will need to tell people how to pronounce it. You’ll get ‘ni am’ said to you most often. But it takes 3 seconds to correct then they know.

Neve - you’ll have same issue. People will say ‘nev’

Niamh is a beautiful classy name just use that.

I know a Niamh & would vote Neve as I know how much grief the misunderstanding of the pronunciation has caused her (she is 9).

If you choose not niamh them please use

Neeve so you don’t get nev!

Niamh

It's a nice sounding name but one that I personally would not use as the spellings/pronunciation can be so ambiguous!

It's definitely common enough that most people won't question how to spell it. I reckon 95% of people would hear her name and assume it's spelled Niamh. I think the other two spellings would be the ones she'd have to spell/correct !

Go with the traditional spelling. I have an Aoife and yes she (age 14) says she has to spell her name out a fair bit, however she likes her name and likes it is a traditional Irish name that is not as common here in the UK (and we have no Irish roots we know off dh and I just liked the name)

Spelling out your name is not the biggest deal if it is for a name people do not know how to spell (I have pent my life doing so) However spelling out traditionally spelled names in a " individual manner" often causes irritation both for the " Jessykaigh" and the person wanting to spell Jessica (no clue if anyone has ever spelled it jessykaigh I was just making a point)

Niamh

Definitely Niamh. It's quite popular now so people will increasingly know how to spell and pronounce it.

Niamh.

Disagree that Neve is a bastardised spelling though. I had a great, great (however many times) grandmother born in the early 1800s with the surname Neve.

Niamh. It's popular now so most people will know how to pronounce it.

Neeve. By far. I don't like the others.

Niamh - even though auto correct thinks it knows better

It's a much nicer looking name than the other two even though in England (or at least the part that I'm in) the pronunciation is exactly the same. I think most people know the name now and I think you'd get just as many getting it wrong if you chose an anglicised version.

Niamh

It''s a recognisable pronounciation whereas your other two spellings are confusing.

Niamh

Niamh. The Irish pronunciation varies so no problem with pronouncing it as one syllable. The other spellings make it look like you heard the name somewhere and made up a spelling yourself. Niamh is much more common now and most people will know (or quickly learn!) how to say it. Lovely choice btw.

Niamh - can't stand Irish names being spelt phonetically! But I am Irish so...

Niamh if it's Irish. Nieve if it's Spanish. They are pronounced slightly differently... so whichever reflects the sound and heritage you prefer.

Niamh is popular enough now that you don't need to anglicise it.

N ee V ?

It has 2 syllables, regardless of where in the country you live. Leeds or no Leeds

Niamh would be my favourite.

Is Neve a Jewish boys' name (the guy from Catfish?)

Oh, no, I see he is Yaniv.

It has 2 syllables, regardless of where in the country you live. Leeds or no Leeds

What, Niamh?

Eh, no. Very much one syllable in my part of Ireland.

Niamh. One syllable.