Aoife

[namedecisionshelp]

Honest opinions of this name?

Still doesn't really have any bearing on the E for Elephant debate.

Yeah pretty much like this point of yours doesn't either

I mean do you use the French pronunciation of Paris or the Italian of espresso? In London?

It’s amazing how many people on here can know that a name is from another language and yet still expect English phonetics to apply!

It's not that people don't know the phonetics will differ, it's that they know they do, they don't know how, and struggle to learn them. It took me ages to learn the j and x in Mandarin. Then you have to learn the z in Spanish, the r in French the ch in Scots, the xh in Xhosa and the many different phonemes in Irish words.

Of course her peers will learn her name. It's the people who aren't her peers who will struggle. And maybe no one cares, I don't particularly. But pretending she won't be spelling her name, and listening to it mispronounced is another kind of ignorant.

The point is the OP asked for people's opinions as she may have had misgivings herself about the name. But if folk like it well that's up to them.

Very nice but agree very popular.
I prefer Orla but generally like Irish names

Aoife's mum here and I'm slightly gobsmacked at some of these, slightly narrow minded comments that have appeared, assuming that all Aoifes face a lifetime of mispronouncing and misery !
Surprised at the story of the mum who just allowed her Aoife to be mispronounced at the GP for 6 years , wtf. My daughter is happy to correct anyone and even spells her name as well when she's asked. Its no big deal (and the staff at our GPs have made a point of saying it correctly).