Stick to Irish theme or not?

[Sausagedog1]

Hi all,

My DH is Irish and we have two DS with Irish names. DS1 has quite a common Irish name (think top 50) so a lot of people probably don't assume Irish heritage. DS2 has a more unusual name over here and it has had a few pronunciation issues. I think people would definitely assume Irish heritage on meeting him.

So for DS3 would you go Irish again or something else? Some names I like are:
Gabriel, Zachary, Samuel and Blake.
I wondered if these would seem strange next to our other sons names? (None have the same initial)

DS1 is proud of having an Irish name as he is very close to his Irish family (grandparents loads of aunts uncles and cousins), DS2 is too young to know. I'm worried if I choose something else for DS3 that he might feel the odd one out. Am I overthinking this?

Also which one would you choose?
Thanks!

Gabriel would be fine. But I would stick with the Irish theme, I definitely would have felt left out.

That's interesting to know thank you. It hadn't occurred to me that Gabriel could be seen as Irish. Maybe that would be a good choice then.

Hi OP, I'd stick with the theme just because it's something your eldest DS is proud of so will probably talk about.
PP is right though it doesn't have to be a Gaelic name to be seen as Irish.
A lot of Catholic saints names were very commonly used in Ireland too.
So Gabriel, Vincent, Augustine etc

I would go Irish again if I were you. My daughter has a Welsh name and any further children will have Welsh names because it would feel odd to me.

My Irish family all have catholic saints names so I agree with PPs though- definitely doesn’t have to be Gaelic to keep with the Irish theme.

Best of luck!

I would see Gabriel as Irish, probably because of Gay and Gabriel Byrne!

I would definitely think Gabriel has been more popular in Ireland than other places over the years. I know loads of Gabriel's in Ireland, none in England. It fits the theme.

I wonder if you'd like Malachy too? It has the same vibe.

Gabriel is lovely.

I'm Irish and I think Gabriel is a beautiful name and fitting with Irish theme.

I agree with others - a name can "fit" without necessarily being Gaelic.

Let's say you already have Oscar and Aoife, for example.

I think names like Mary (or Maria), Anne, Gabriel, Michael, etc, would go just as well as Fiadh or Oisín, because they're names that many Irish people have, and they're based in Irish culture via Catholicism.

So I'd say you're good either way!

Thank you that's really great to hear! I honestly never considered Gabriel to 'fit. It sounded more Italian to me, so that is fantastic news.
Malachy is lovely, it's actually another option I considered but with our DS2 having a slightly more unusual name I was thinking of going more straightforward this time.
Although on the plus side it will stop DS2 from asking why we gave him a difficult name and the others easy ones!

Another option is Shay?? but I've seen mixed reviews. DH likes Gabriel but is concerned about bullying 'gay boy' for example. You'd hope we were beyond that now but I'm not sure, I don't have teenagers. Anyone with a Gabriel that has any issues?

I would stick with the Irish theme, although I agree with others that a name like Mary which is commonly used in Ireland would also work.

I have a Welsh speaking relative who grew up in a Welsh speaking area of Wales. Relative has a very Welsh name as do all their siblings, except one and his name stands out a lot. Think Siôr, Taliesin, Esyllt, Gwenllian and Malcolm. Malcolm noticed, his siblings noticed and the community noticed and commented too.

This is very helpful. Is there other names that would fit in the Irish theme but not gaelic?
If we have a girl I love Fiadh, Saoirse and Aoife but won't use any of them due to pronunciation problems. If there are any girls names (apart from Mary as that will be a middle name and is DH's mum's name) that would be really helpful.

I was thinking of using an Irish middle name instead so Skye Saoirse Mary (love the name Skye) but it might not fit. I might start another thread.

I think stick with the theme. Gabriel isn’t technically Irish but is super popular there and lovely. I have an Irish name but many don’t realise -l got asked if it is an American name once?!

Donal
Cian
Darragh
Oisin
Conor
Cillian
Rory
Finn
Finlay
Fintan
Ger or Gerald
Aengus
Ciaran

Orla
Sinead
Siobhan
Aisling
Clare
Kerry
Gerri
Bernie
Bridget
Ciara
Vera

Maeve
Roisin
Fiona
Edel
Keeley

All girls Irish names.

Shay is a nickname for Séamus and very commonly used in Ireland so would fit your theme.
I think bullying for Gabriel depends on where you live. It's also popular with Polish people so may not be that uncommon when your DS goes to school and if you're in a diverse area the DC are going to have an eclectic mix of names and probably go for the old reliable "wrong shoes/bag" for bullying.
English/Irish girls names could be Majella, Brigid, Fionnuala, Loretta, Rosaria, Philomena, Carmel, Hannah, Margaret, Orla, Una....there's loads!

Cara
Niamh

I would stick to the Irish theme.

Following as in the same position!

Keeping the Irish theme, while not being an Irish name, would be a "Saint's name". This was historically very common in Ireland. My grandmothers were called Therese (after Therese of Liseux) and Agnes.

Another vote for Gabriel. It’s the name of our Irish Catholic priest (we’re in NI).

Love the name Erin for a girl and Liam for a boy

Anglicized Irish girls names like Orla, Una, Maeve, Neve, Bridget, Keira etc could be a good compromise for a girl to fit with your boys names.

While I love the name Samuel I agree with pp that Gabriel somehow has a slightly Irish feel (the same way Michael does) and so would work well. Gabriel is quite popular currently so wouldn't get the "gay" teasing it might have 30/40 years ago imo.