Irish girls' names

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We have narrowed our girl's name choice down to two - Saoirse ( pronounced Seer-sha) or Saorla (pronounced Sair-la).

Which one is better, do you think? Please don't tell me neither!! For info, we are Irish living in UK. Our other DCs have Irish names, and we haven't experienced any issues with pronunciation - generally just explain once.

Thanks very much for the feedback. It's very helpful to get external opinions! Still flip-flopping here

Saorla (older spelling Saorlaith or Saorfhlaith, also Saerlaith) is a very old name that's only become popular again quite recently. I know a 6 year old Saorla, but like you, wasn't familiar with the name before that. I'm in Ireland too.

Saorla is lovely. It’s rolls off the tongue. It’s a lovely full sound.

Mind you how would people get it wrong - Say-OR-la would be it at the worst, which isn’t that bad!

Like others have said, you tell people in two seconds how to say it and it’s done!

I like both (biased perhaps 😅) Saorla is still much less common even in NI, however that spelling would probably be easier than the Saorlaith one (think Orla-Orlaith).

With regards pronunciation, it largely depends on accent/area esp in Ireland eg Usually Sore-sha in the North, Seer-sha in the South. Other names have North/South variations eg Neev- Ni-av, Keeva- Kw-eeva, Rosh-een, Ro-sheen.

Not sure what PP means when they refer to the connotations of the names. Those names bear no more 'connotations' than any other Irish name would.

@saoirse7 the "connotations" are almost definitely IRA kind of connotations - just the word "saor" in the North is contentious

Saorla is lovely - never heard it before!

Those names bear no more 'connotations' than any other Irish name would.

It’s literally the name of Sinn Féin’s newsletter. There’s also the terrorist organisation from of Derry called Saoradh.

It’s a nice name, but it’s misleading to say that it’s viewed the same as any other Irish name.

Another one from NI here and Saoirse definitely has political connotations. I think Saorla less so just because it’s less well known.

Saorla. Saoirse will be popular because of Little Women

I have a Saoirse. We aren't Irish, we just loved the name but we get so many compliments on her name. Spelling and pronoun is toon wise it's been fine, a lot of the time people have heard the name before and get it right themselves, the rest of the time they ask once and then remember. I agree that it's slightly less rare now thanks to Saoirse Roman. My daughter loves having a relatively unusual name and has been able to spell it herself at top speed since the age of 4

Saorla is lovely !

Saorla would be my preference.

Saoirse :)
Also love Caiomhe, Orla, Finola/Nola 😊

I live in Northern Ireland and am from there- I no idea Saor names had republican connotations and I know none of my friends would know either. I am Protestant and just assumed they are all Irish names.

The notion 'Saor' has IRA connotations is frankly a load of bollocks Literally no one I know thinks like this.

Fwiw, saor means free in Irish. Saoirse I'm sure means freedom,

I would be fairly well up on my Irish politics and didn't know the name of the SF newsletter, in fact I just googled it and couldn't find anything on it. The dissident group in Derry took a name from the language to call themselves.

Just because BNP/EDL use certain words in their names don't mean those words are just associated with them. Please don't politicise the Irish language.

I knew Saoirse meant freedom but having googled it, it was popular around the time of partition but has absolutely nothing to do with the provos.

please don’t politicise the Irish language LOL!!!!!

I take it you’re not from NI? It’s massively politicised...it’s one of the main reasons we didn’t have a government for years.

Since this baby will be growing up in GB it’s not really relevant though.

I am from NI Harriet. The only people who politicise the language are small minded and ignorant. The language has been here long before the people.

Everyone in NI knows you usually 'tell what someone is' (how sad is that) by their name is true (eg unlikely to have a Catholic called Elizabeth or a Protestant called Caoimhe). However, to say the names Saoirse and Saorla have provo connotations is a load of crap quite frankly.

Ok @Saoirse7 so you do know it’s a political issue then. You can say people who think like that are small minded and ignorant (and I agree) but sadly it still happens and not liking it doesn’t change that.

You must be a lot younger than me - and lucky you if somehow this has all
managed to go over your head. It’s not the case for children born today, but in my generation only hardline republicans called their children Saoirse. I grew up in a very deprived Catholic area and there were a few around. The same isn’t true for the name Saorla because it’s less common. This is just a fact. Maybe ask your parents if you’re not convinced.

People in republican areas might no but definitely the vast majority of Protestants wouldn’t see it as anything other than an Irish name. I also have friends with Saoirses and they definitely aren’t republicans.

Luckily, I don't think this would be an issue in England, where we are.

My concern about Saoirse is it becoming more popular/ common, which would bother me a bit I think.

My worry about Saorla is how it might be pronounced - does it sound like Sailor in an English accent?!

I like Saorla best just because Saoirse. I'm NI not that it's relevant

Saoirse is more popular

unlikely to have a Catholic called Elizabeth
I don't know where you get that idea from, I went to school with three!

In past NI times only Republicans would have used the name Saoirse, but that isn't the case anymore....