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.

Shocked by how many people haven’t heard the name before and get it wrong. Is it that unusual??

I recently realised (because of MN!) that it is pronounced Kill-ee-anne.

When I first read it I thought it was pronounced Chill-ee-anne.

No links to Ireland nor have I ever heard the actors name said out loud, which is why I assumed that pronunciation.

I’m Irish so I know how to pronounce it. Your family can be forgiven once for getting it wrong, thereafter they should remember. My 2 children have much more difficult Irish names than this and we live in the southeast of England and somehow manage!

@ Peppafrig - If it was Kill an wouldn't I start with a K.

No, because not all languages pronounce things the same way as English. There isn't even a K in the the Irish alphabet.

Killian.

@BaroleCaskin that’s not how you pronounce I Cillian Murphy.

I think it's one of those names you either know, or you'll mis-pronounce.

My friend has a Ciaran - who was once referred to as 'Siren?' on the phone. 😂

Two points here, surely.

Yes, he’ll spend his life correcting people.

He should only have to do it once per person and your family is being incredibly rude.

Looks like I've been pronouncing Cillian Murphys name wrong for years then! My bad.

I'd pronounce it Killian. But I know two Cillians in RL.

It's a good name, not unpopular, just slightly more unusual than others.

I would pronounce it with a hard K.

I think you need to cut people a little slack with pronunciations (this coming from someone who has a name where the pronunciation isn't immediately obvious to English people), but they should only need to be told once.

I wouldn't consider this a "difficult" name and it's very lovely.

I would pronounce it Kill-ee-an. It isn't a common name, but not exactly unheard of.

Sea-e-lan is how I would pronounce

It is because English pronunciation rules say that C is pronounced as S except when it is before A, O and U. Obviously the Irish rules are not like that. It is a lovely name. Don't you mind them. They'll learn even if they are a bit slow

Kill-ee-an

I’ve come across Cillian’s before, and I’ve only ever heard it used with the hard C sound.

I’d not be impressed with your family though. Fair enough to get a name wrong the first time, but to need correcting multiple times? Cillian isn’t a tricky one to remember. I’d be suspicious that they’re mispronouncing it on purpose to annoy you TBH.

Lovely name. I wouldn't be impressed that it's still being mispronounced though, after being corrected.

ci generally makes a soft c sound: city, circle, Cilla, cinder so I would have mispronounced it. However, once I was told, I wouldn't continue to make the same mistake. If people have just seen it on a birth announcement card/text they may well be saying it incorrectly.

Another person who would have got it wrong, but only once. It’s a lovely name.

Even when I though it was with a soft “c” I didn’t think “silly”, it still sounded nice.

I'd say Killyun

I'd have pronounced it wrong to start with but it's not exactly hard to get right when you've been told. It's a great name.

I didn’t know how to correctly pronounce it, no, but it is a very nice name and I would learn after 1 telling.

It's a totally fine name. I'm surprised people wouldn't know it is pronounced Killi-an

Sillian is how I'd pronounce it too..but only because of things like Celeriac and Celery ..Not heard of Cillian at all so far as a name.

Cil as in Kill. But then I am Welsh, and both Welsh and Irish have the Cil/Kil in many place names etc.

He will have a lifetime of having to spell out his name, but, OP, I have the most ordinary name under the sun but both my first name and my surname have alternative spelling, so having an ordinary name doesn't save you.

My daughter has an unusual name that was always mispronounced when read. She used to take part in dance competitions and we always knew she had won something when they called out a completely weird name. She still loves her name.

I would say Killy-an but mainly because of the PSG football player Kylian Mbappe, that's the only reason i know 😂

Really like the name though!