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.

assume English will be able to pronounce names that don’t read phonetically at all.
It is phonetic - in Irish.

Anna I would pronounce it 'Nee-am'. Although I'm pretty sure that's wrong.

@GaryWilmottsTeeth

Domhnall /Donal= Doe-nul
Sadhbh/Sadbh = Sive (rhymes with five)

I'd have said Silly-un until corrected.

I’ve not heard it before so would have said chilli an or silly an. However once you’re told, you know.

I think people who mispronounce Irish names are knobs, to be honest.

I'm Northern Irish, so I'm obviously aware of a lot of Irish names. Loads of my friends have Irish names. However, I'm not Catholic so, as a result, I was never 'taught' how to pronounce anything Irish. Whenever I see Irish names I've never seen before, I always just ask someone how to say it correctly, and then remember it. It really isn't difficult. Anyone who consistently keeps pronouncing it wrong after the second time is being rude and ignorant on purpose. I'm less arsey with those who struggle to spell Irish names because some of them can be quite long, but even then, if it's someone important to you, you should bloody learn how to!

But even if people don’t know that particular name, I’d have thought they would work it out from other names like Ciara or Cian.

Your family are rude. Once you have corrected them, they should use the correct pronounciation. It’s not difficult.

I would pronounce as Killian.

Never thought of it as Silly - an

And this is why my DC don’t have Irish names. My in-laws are English and my MIL and FIL in particular would just have made a whole song and dance about not being able to pronounce/remember how to pronounce/spell an Irish name. Even none awkward names like Áine and Aoife would have been too much for them.

OP fwiw I think your inlaws are pricks - fair enough if they thought it was pronounced with the soft c initially (that would never have occurred to me but I’ve seen from having read this thread that other people would think that) - but you’d only have to be told once - it’s not difficult!

I only know because I looked it up. It's a good name.

My whole family pronounce it silly-an even when I've corrected them numerous times.

then your family are arseholes - its not fucking hard when you've been told - watch Once Upon a Time as well....

Two of dh's nephews have Spanish names, which are unusual Spanish names at that. My PILs who are usually a total pain manage to pronounce them properly. They have 15 grandchildren and can pronounce all of their names, which are an assortment of Irish, biblical, trendy etc
They pronounce my name wrong, it is beloved on Mumsnet and I hate it.
Cillian is a lovely name.

The first time I saw the name (years ago) I thought Silly-an but only needed to be told once that it was actually a K sound. Family are being difficult - it's not that hard to remember!
I really like the name.

@Baconisgoodformeee

You said that Irish people can't expect English people to read Irish names phonetically.

But many C words in English have a hard C sound?

Cat for example.

So it does sound correct phonetically in English.

I haven't read every single response but an I the only one that read it as being pronounced Keelan?

Definitely CK-ill-eean (strong K as in cliCK or loCK). But I’m Irish. I know the name.

Don’t you use Zoom or Skype or even the phone to communicate? A simple “it’s pronounced xxx” would sort it?

Yes I know how to pronounce it. I'd never have thought of silly un?! I'm Scottish and know a few Cillians. Lovely name. Love it. People being ignorant I'd say, especially if they've already been corrected.

I'm familiar with the name so I know how to pronounce it. I suppose it helps that I have an Irish DH and live in Ireland.

To those who are saying Irish names aren't pronounced phonetically, they absolutely are phonetic - in the Irish language, not in English.

Irish is actually much more of a phonetic language than English. Once you know the sounds each letter or letter combination makes you can pretty much work out how to pronounce any word, or indeed name, in the Irish language. I've picked up most of the Irish I know from supervising my DCs' homework

I'd have said it wrong too, but don't worry - one of my school friends had a name that everyone pronounced incorrectly till she told them how to say it. She was really happy with her name though. There's something nice about having a more unusual name, or one from another language that the family has connections to.

I'm English living in NI and the only names I've ever had to make an effort to remember how to pronounce are Grainne (because the vowel sound isn't used much in England) and Caoimhín. And even then all I did was clarify the pronunciation once with a friend! Your family are being dicks. Cillian is a lovely name.

I have not come across the name before but it looks so much like 'Gillian' that I would have pronounced it 'Sillian' too.

Cilla Black - pronounced Silla not Killa

The singer Ciara - pronounced Si-air-a

I've only ever heard Ciara pronounced Keeara or Keera.

Ciara is not pronounced Si-air-a.