I didn't think this name would be so unpopular

[spookybitches]

So all throughout my pregnancy, my husband and I kept our baby name choices to ourselves. My baby is now 2 months old, and nearly everyone we have met or spoken to, have mispronounced it. Granted, we haven't seen many people over the last few weeks, so now I'm starting to wonder if it's just my family or if it's really so unheard of?
My baby boy is called Cillian (DH Irish). My whole family pronounce it silly-an even when I've corrected them numerous times.
Can I ask if you would know how to pronounce Cillian? I'm worried I've set him up for a lifetime correcting people.

Sillian would be a nice name too

Love the name and know several people called this. Never hear anyone pronounce it with an S sound. I have a difficult Irish name and live in England. People get used to it.

Silly-un

Taking Cilla Black as my point of reference. Sorry

I don’t know why Irish people assume English will be able to pronounce names that don’t read phonetically at all. Obviously, as soon as I’ve been corrected I never do it again, because I’m not rude

We don't. We do know that Irish is a foreign language to you. We just presume that you will ask how to pronounce the name and not continue mispronouncing it (as OP's family seem to be doing).

@pallisers yep that’s fair enough. Doing it once is understandable, continuing is just ignorance

I imagine they're using it as an unkind nickname, OP. Nip it in the bud or it'll stick. They'll probably refer to him as Silly 'un amongst themselves forever though.

It’s not unpopular - it’s uncommon, that’s why it’s mispronounced.
When you said it was ‘unpopular’ the first name which came to mind for me was Meaghan.

Sorry 0P get used to it, this will happen for the rest of his life. What starts off as parents trying to be different ends up as a pain in the arse for the poor soul stuck with a name very few can spell or pronounce.

I haven’t read the thread after the first 20 or so posts but I’m absolutely stunned that so many people don’t know how to pronounce Cillian. Is it really that unusual? I’m English and I’ve heard it lots. Not top 10 lots but I’ve come across one every couple of years.

Op even if your family didn’t know, surely once you told them it’s a soft C sound then that’s easy enough to remember? Otherwise they’re just rude.

Calling your child Cillian is not trying to be different. It is using a name from a non-English culture.

Your family are being silly

It’s hardly one of the Irish names that’s hard to spell or pronounce, nor is it one that has strong regional variations in pronunciation. Cian, Ciara and Cillian all have that hard c.

Lots of names have different pronunciations. If we can cope with Sara (Sar to rhyme with car) and Sarah and Mia (My-a) and Mia (Me-a) then surely pronouncing c as k isn’t beyond us?

Relatives who have been told, repeatedly, how it’s pronounced and keep mispronouncing it are either exceptionally thick or arseholes. Possibly both.

I would guess it is pronounced with a hard C so Killian.

I'd assume Kill-e-an.

But even if people get it wrong to begin with there is no excuse for getting it wrong after you've told them how it's pronounced.

I have a name that's about 50/50 on whether people get it right first time, and then I married into a surname with a similar hit rating. It's just one of those things you get used to and isn't a big deal, so don't worry about that.

You have every right to be irritated with your family for getting it wrong after they've been told though!

^ my post should say hard c

I’m absolutely stunned that so many people don’t know how to pronounce Cillian... Op even if your family didn’t know, surely once you told them it’s a soft C sound then that’s easy enough to remember?

It's not though, is it? It's a hard c.

Oh, the irony.

Killian to rhyme with Gillian - wouldn't have thought twice about it but I do have an Irish parent

It's a beautiful name

Cross post @Neednewwellies

Still made me though.

Pronounced Kill EE an

@lowlandLucky, why would this happen for the rest of his life? His parents haven’t made up the name. It’s unusual but not that unusual that nobody has heard of it. I’m English and have heard it. I’m guessing most Scots and Irish would have heard it lots so the OP is hardly burdening her son with a bizarre made up name.

Silly an

It's only stupid English that won't know 😆

There are a whole lot of people who seem to dismiss Irish names in a way that they would never do with Indian names because, when it comes to the latter, they recognise that it would be racist. They also don’t seem to have any problem suggesting anglicised spellings for Irish names to make them ‘easier’ to pronounce.

Your family are the silly 'uns.

And all those who haven't heard of Killian Murphy, haven't you seen Peaky blinders? Oh my you are in for such a treat.

Best show ever.