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.

@maddy68

@Annamaria14

It's extra funny because I am Irish. Shite at speaking Irish though, I'll give them that. One of the jobs on the lockdown list is to download and actually use the DuoLingo Irish app. Sure I only got a B in ordinary level Irish back in the day but there is still time to catch up!

The other name I have no idea how to pronounce is Conchubhair.

It's pronounced Croh-hur

I have a nephew Cillian but by the time he was born I had already heard of Cillian Murphy.

The fact is it doesn’t really matter how people pronounce it the first time. You correct them and everyone then should get it right for the most part.

And just to add that my absolute pet hate is when adults suggest all the silly names children will 100% call a child at school. Strangely enough children accept names at face value. They only put meaning on when adults have made the suggestion.

Perhaps there is some projection there

@maddy68 - It is pronounced silly an....it's Irish , I have no idea how you're pronouncing it?

Have you not read any of the posts from any of the Irish people who posted the correct pronunciation? It's not pronounced silly un.

Although you are correct that it is Irish.

Another one thinking silly an. I actually prefer that to the hard k, although neither is great, also think it’s a name that may not work as well in England as it does Ireland.

@abiirthdaycake

Ah cheers, that makes sense. I bit like the start of Caoimhe so (if you're from Dublin anyway. 😉)

@annamaria14, yeah it's an old name that eventually got simplified to Connor but you see it in the Irish version of the O'Connor surname sometimes. I haven't a clue where you even start.

@Pangur2 I think that I got a B in ordinary Irish too!

With a hard C

I read it as killi-un. I've honestly never heard of it before so wouldnt have a clue.

There are beautiful Irish boy names.

But I never liked
Fiachra and
Proinseas - we used to call him princess !! Haha

@OchonAgusOchonO
"Conchubhair.
It's pronounced Croh-hur"

My Irish is so shite I can't even see how that would be pronounced Croh-hur, but I can see how Croh-hur would eventually turn onto Connor, so that is one mystery solved for me anyway.

Is it the Irish Featherstonhaugh? 😂

Fiachra reminds me of teeth. (Fiacla?)

@Annamarie14 you only have to look at St paddys day in other countries

Yes I definitely have heard if it and I know it is pronounced with a hard C. It's a lovely name. I'm surprised people are saying they've never heard of it 🤷‍♀️

@Annamaria14 No modh coinníollach for us, haha! (Was that the thing we didn't have to do that honours level did? Like Peig?)

Sorry @annamaria14 I actually mentioned you as annamarie14 in my last post as Anna Maria isn't really Irish 🙈

Yes, Sadhbh called her baby Sophie!
DD2 is refreshing her Irish using the RTE school programme. She has honours Irish, but doesn't know days of the week, or months, or anything that isn't present tense.

Cru-hoor is definitely the Irish Featherstonhaugh!! We have tons of weird mutations that I'm sure @mathanxiety can explain a lot better than I can - the only other one that I can recall at the moment is Cnoc

no, children at school just accept that names are names. They’ll learn it’s pronounced as Kill-ee-an long before they register how it’s written so that won’t happen. Plus, there’s such a wide spectrum of names in most classes that they all just accept what each other is called without question.

This, my child goes to school with children from all different backgrounds & different names & I work with lots of people who have different names.
Some people on MNs must lead incredibly sheltered lives.

I thought most people would know how to pronounce it, because of Cillian Murphy, the actor. I wouldn’t worry, I’m sure by the time he’s in school, everyone will have cottoned on. It doesn’t really matter until then, does it? You can just correct them. It’s a great Irish name, in my opinion.

@pangur B in Irish but can't pronounce Cillian jesus wise up

@eggandonion I can ask to go to the bathroom, say I like chocolate and that there's clouds in the sky. I can now also pronounce Conchubhair correctly because of this thread. Sure that's all you need?

I'm welsh and both DC have very welsh names and are mispronounced by everybody who isn't welsh but to be fair upon correction most people will remember the correct pronunciation. I think your family are just being dicks by continuously getting it wrong!

It's one thing not knowing how to pronounce the name the first time you see it written down, however once told thete is no excuse. If people continue mispronouncing it they are either incredibly stupid or most likely just being totally disrespectful to you and your child. If it was me I would have to point that out....