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

Naimh. I had a "difficult to pronounce" Irish name once. With Anglicised and Americanised versions.

It is rarely a problem now.

IA and UA are the two dipthongs that should always be pronounced in Irish. IA is more audible in Munster Irish but it's there in Connemara and Ulster Irish too. It's more usual to hear the name pronounced Neev, and very few people would bat an eyelid at it.

I would definitely choose the name Niamh. It is becoming more popular, and the whole 'lifetime of explaining to people' thing assumes that the majority of people a girl names Niamh meets are going to be incredibly thick.

N-i-a-m-h is as easy to learn to spell as r-i-g-h-t or any of the multitude of English words that have silent letters (possibilities include b, c, ch, d, g, h, k,l, m, n, p, t, and w) and irregular orthography or pronunciation. www.dolchword.net/printables/All220DolchWordsAlphabetical.pdf

The two dipthongs that should always be pronounced as two syllables in Irish...

Our Prime Minister has just called her new baby Neve (to avoid the confusing spelling issue), and I must admit, I judge. I judge harshly.

They've made up the spelling, so it's not as if people are going to default to whatever made-up version they've personally chosen.

Niamh.

I;m with your OH.

Any other these variations will set up a burden in your child;s life - forever having to spelll her name.

I have a name that needs to be spelled- it's a pain, whenever I need to give my name to any organisation etc, I am already wating for the spelling question.

For that reason I deliberately gave my children names that have only one spelling option.

I gave my kids names like Edward and Daisy- nice and easy ( although that is not their actual names- just an example)

My daughter's middle name is Niamh and I've only had to explain the pronunciation once. I think it's well known enough for people to get it right.

As someone who has an Irish name with funny spelling and has grown up and lives in a non-Irish country (not English-speaking) - stick to the real thing. :) don’t see it as a problem, see it as an ice breaker. It gives me carte blanche to forget other people’s names (because people forget mine), there’s always a good few minutes of conversation on Irish spelling segueing into names in general ... there are useful aspects!

I gave my kids names like Edward and Daisy- nice and easy ( although that is not their actual names- just an example)

Gold star for you. Not relevant to the OP, though, but never mind that - let's all applaud how well you did in not choosing one of those silly foreign names.

Hear, hear, Raven.

I gave my kids names like Edward and Daisy- nice and easy ( although that is not their actual names- just an example)

Yes but us Irish...we’re always so difficult.

Niamh. It's a beautiful name.

Niamh is pronounced Neve in Scotland with one syllable regarfless of which way it is spelt.

silly foreign names

I am not English.

Here in Scotland there are many names with unusual spelling.

Hardly "foreign".

I have a 9 year old Niamh. We live in London. I can count the number of times it's been spelt/pronounced incorrectly on one hand. And one of those was by me - after a couple of glasses of wine I wrote all the thank you cards for her christening gifts spelling it Niahm

With regard to pronounciation, half my Irish family day Nee-uv (two syllables) and half day Neev, and they're all from Munster!

Niamh. Incorrectly spelled Irish names look terrible, to be honest. A girl I went to school with posted on facebook about her new baby called Nieve and it just looks like she can't bloody spell.

I always thought it just HAD to be Niamh, and winced at all other spellings, but I notice in Marian Keyes' new novel the DD is Neeve, so if she can spell it like that, then I reckon it must be ok and it gets the Balloon seal of approval.

oh gosh amusedbush

Can you imagine when she is learning to read/spell?

"I asked my niece Nieve to sieve the potatoes"

The fact that Niamh isn't spelled how it sounds is my biggest pet piamh.

It is spelled how it sounds, enile.
In Irish

love Niamh

@Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar
Think you might have missed the joke

If you like Niamh call her Niamh and spell it properly - if you want and easy to spell name which will confuse no one then pick something else. Misspelling it will not make things simpler it will only add an extra layer of complication - she’ll still have to tell people how to spell it, people will will still spell it wrong and she’ll have to explain why it is spelled the way it is to people who were expecting the traditional spelling. Lovely name, but mispronunciation and having to spell it comes with the territory unless you live in Ireland.

I notice in Marian Keyes' new novel the DD is Neeve, so if she can spell it like that, then I reckon it must be ok

That will be a nudge from her editor with an eye to the UK and US marketplace, though, rather than any indication that Irish people regularly use Neeve.

Im with the Niamh brigade. Like the first commentor, I prefer a traditional spelling.... also from midlands if Ireland (offaly to be precise), its nee- v to me, also my youngest cousins name. Maybe the pronounciation is an accent thing. Nia-uv sounds northern to me (weird) - anyway I digress, I like the traditional Irish spelling