Irish names

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What's everyone's thoughts on Irish names if not Irish?! Having a little girl and really like some Irish names such as Aoife, Orla, Nola. DPs grandma was Irish so there is an Irish link in the family albeit possibly somewhat tenuous... I suppose its a bit like French names e.g. Margot becoming popular...

I think if you have any Irish heritage then it’s fine. Although it’s better with a Gaelic nation surname ( Irish, Scottish, Welsh).

The names will probably seem very dated when your DD is an adult.
Depending on the name, there may be spelling or pronunciation issues.

I think if your DP has an Irish link, that's completely fine.

Personally I don't think a name like Orla would even need an Irish link! It's more mainstream than that.

No idea why they'd seem dated...? At least, no more than any other kind of name.

The Irish probably have trends in names.
If you take a name from another culture, it is likely to be a name that you heard on adult.

Names like Siobhan and Sinead were popular as baby names in the UK when they had declined in popularity in Ireland.

Orla, Niamh, Maeve, these names are very mainstream in the UK

if you use a name like Fraoch or Siun you might encounter more raised eyebrows. But who cares.

I love Maebh. I was going to call my DC1 clodagh Maebh but ...... long story short, I was living in the UK at the time and in laws thought it sounded like claddagh ring.

@MikeUniformMike It's true that names are often not used in synch with the cyclical patterns in their own country of origin. Eg, Sylvie is fashionable now in the uk and ireland (in my opinion) but Sylvie is like Maureen or Breda in France

I wouldn't worry about it OP, the united kingdom is welsh, english and scottish, northern Irish and scots gaelic is very similar. surely it's all usable. it's not like using a japanese name, or a korean name with ''no link''. The LINK is you're part of a united kingdom of england, scotland, northern ireland and wales.

Fair enough, @mikeuniformmike, but all the names OP mentions are in the Irish top 100, and higher in the Irish charts than the England and Wales charts. If she was thinking of calling a baby Siobhan now, you might have a point.

I tell a lie, Nola isn't. But also wasn't 20 years ago either.

I get your point, but I wouldn't.

When I was little, names like Kevin and Siobhan were quite cool (yes, I'm that old), then names like Ryan, Conor and Liam became popular (teacher friend said bad boy names), Sinead became popular after Nothing Compares 2U. ...

Niamh has been popular in the UK for quite a while, but I think that is because it sounds a bit like Eve. Aoife probably popular for the same reason. Nola - maybe because it is similar to Lola, Luna, Nova, etc.
Orla - again another vowely name with only an L sound - cf Isla, Lila etc

The names are nice enough, if you like it use it.

The Irish probably have trends in names

Yes, they do, and Aoife and Orla are slightly dated now here. They were most popular around 25 years ago. You do still hear them on babies, but not as much as you used to.

Sinéad and Siobhan you can date to the 70s, there were so many of them then.

I occasionally see Nuala suggested on here. That is such a granny name, very old fashioned. As is Nola, though that's quite sweet.

'Modern' Irish names are popular now, Fiadh being one example.

As for using an Irish name if you're not Irish - just fine as long as you can pronounce it properly.

I'm Irish and I've actually never heard of the name Nola. I like Aoife and Orla. Also, agree it's fine using names from another culture as long as they're pronounced properly.

It's fine.
I have an Irish name. I've met London kids with my name.
Just don't go changing Siobhan to Shivaughan.

Depends on your surname.

Our surname very Irish, but we aren't, so an Irish first name would be too much

if there is Irish heritage then it is fine but otherwise I'd cringe.

Teachers who think any Irish name is a bad boy name and verbalise that theory strike me as small town paedestrian Hyacinth Bouquets.

The Irish use English names without a second thought 🤷‍♀️ why is this any different?

Yeh, I dont see why any English person would cringe at using an irish name!
Juliette, isabella, i could go on and on

@Muser314, er, Juliette is French, Isabella Italian etc.

Just don’t go with Fiadh, it’s really exploded in popularity and seems like every other baby girl’s name since 2017.

@Wolfgirrl

The Irish use English names without a second thought 🤷‍♀️ why is this any different?

There’s a fairly complex history of Irish people because forced to anglicise their names, forbidden to speak their mother tongue and cultural traditions being stomped out. It’s not a natural trend in the same way that Italian or French names have become well used in the U.K.

It’s not quite as simple as “Well they use English names!”.

@TerribleCustomerCervix

Did OP stomp on 'your' cultural traditions?

Oh would you give it a rest @Wolfgirrl - you have already spent the last several days slagging off the Irish on another thread!

Unless she was alive from the 1700s through to the early 19th century, then no that’s unlikely.

My issue isn’t with an English person using an Irish name. It’s with those individuals who don’t see that it’s not a simple case of Irish people previously choosing English names because they liked them or they were fashionable, rather that it being forced upon them.

@TerribleCustomerCervix

Lol. I just don't get why the irish think their history and culture is so sacred that it has a different set of rules to everyone else's. Every country has been oppressed by virtually every other country, but we use names from a wide variety of cultures now, which I think is a lovely testament to appreciating each other.

Use whatever name you want OP, nobody 'owns' a name. Mine is Hebrew, I have zero links to Israel!

I think my favourite irish girls name is Aisling. I knew an Aisling growing up and she was very outgoing & fun, so probably positive associations! Also knew a Mairead, which is pretty and reminds me of 'mermaid'!