Names you aren't sure how to pronounce

[whatausername]

Since we're all inside for the foreseeable future...

What are some names you're not quite sure how to pronounce? We'll see if we can help each other. But do take answers with a pinch of salt given the wide variety of accents we all have!

For me: Hebe (hee-bee?) and João leave me feeling uncertain.

Alicia - I would pronounce this A-LISS-ee-uh. However, in the US it's nearly always A-LEESH-uh.

I would pronounce the name Kezia/h 'KEE-zee-uh'.

Did it in university - then left for the US

Thaddeus - Ta-DAY-us

Definitely not any of the ones I know -- rural Munster. All THADDy-us.

It's Greek I thought so I thought the same as mathsanxiety pronunciation of Thaddeus. Mathanxiety no one said it was Cun-hoor, the op guessed that with a laugh.

It's Latinised Aramaic in origin, but I'm talking about how it's pronounced and used in Ireland -- it was popular in Cork and to an extent Kerry because of a local 'saint' from the 1400s, sometimes also used as a pet name for Timothy, as in the ballad of 'Bould Thady Quill', something you still see in gravestones. Very much an old man name these days, but there's one at DS's school and I have one in my extended family, so maybe having a slight vogue.

Someone I went to school with called her Dd Aoife but pronounces it "eye-ofi" 😨 I cringed every time I heard it.
I'm absolutely hopeless at pronunciation myself though,Irish names bring me out in a cold sweat as I know I'll have no chance of pronouncing it right without googling first.

Ah ok Sealettuce, that's interesting, I had an uncle Timothy myself and they did sometimes refer to him as Thadeus! I alsp know a Thady but th not pronounced and hard A. I didn't know it was an Irish associated name!

@mathanxiety
@Heygirlheyboy
No, I said Conchúr can be pronounced Cun-a-hoor as well as Cru-hoor, not the OP. It wasn't for a laugh I've heard that pronunciation in Munster, but have also come across Cun-a-khoor in Connaught. Cruhoor is more popular in my experience too though.

Loving this thread. So many beautiful Irish names.

Is Dara pronounced the same as Darragh? Is the former spelling used much in Ireland? I love the name Dara but have no Irish connections!

Dara is pronounced the same as Darragh. Another spelling is Daire. The Darragh spelling is more popular for boys today. Outside Ireland, and to a lesser extent within it, the Dara spelling is also used for girls, although it was traditionally a male name. Darragh is always male though afaik.

Blursula Anything in Irish ending with an agh is just an a sound.
So Darragh is like Dara. Kenneth Branagh will be Brana. Ranelaigh will be Ranala.

Jadzia

Joao is pronounced with a zh sound which is like the sound in the middle of leisure.
Geneviéve (starting with the same sound as in leisure) Zhen-vyev

Sorry LizzieAnt I thought op said it last night! Happy Easter!

@Heygirlheyboy
No bother. Happy Easter too

I much prefer Thady to Tadhg.
I can't stand Tadhg.
My grandad was Thady but he died when i was a baby.

How do you all pronounce Aisling?

Was my auntie's name, but she called herself Ashley, which I know it isn't :)

Ashling.

Ashling.

Some people in NI will say Ashleen, but they would use een for lots of English words ending in ing anyway .

Archewell.
How do you say Archewell?

Laphroaig.

@LizzieAnt I’m from NI and Mairead rhymes with parade here (bearing in mind the NI pronunciation of the “aid” sound is more like “eead” generally).

I’ve always wondered about Etain too - I’ve got a friend Eadaoin pronounced Aideen, and seen Etain described as an alternative spelling, but don’t see how that works?

Hera
Naiomi
Siobhan

Ah thanks @HarrietM87, I wasn't sure as I'm in Munster. I pronounce Mairéad like parade too. My mother pronounces it My-rade though. Maybe a generational thing? It's hard to communicate sounds when people have different accents, isn't it. (Unless you know the IPA system, which I'm afraid I don't.)

Is Naiomi a name? Looks like a typo.