Oonagh or Méabh?

[Bobojangles]

Which do you prefer?

@bourbonne

The Maeve one. Oonagh looks awful. I've never understood why people add a random "gh" to names that never had it. Rosannagh is one I came across recently! Or Sheilagh. Why? It looks like an exclamation "aaarrggghhh".

I think it might have been a way to make a diminutive to add a soft voiced gutteral onto the end. Similar to Morag in Scots Gaelic. In Ogham stones it was -acni. I can't find a sensible reference to explain, but I am not making this up.

Would happily see a comeback of these names ....but would you like YOUR name to be one of these?

Out of Eithne, Brigid, Sile and Beibhinn it would be a tough one. But I think being a Síle would be the least worst option (for some reason it seems less awful than Sheila). I'd lie and say I was Síle Seoige and it was just the lack of studio lighting that made me look ever so slightly less attractive in real life. I'm sure I could brazen it out.

OMG I’ve never been on a MN baby names thread about my own name.

Growing up in Nottingham there were not many Oonaghs I can tell you that.

I like Orla.

@CustardyCreams

Oh god don’t call your kid Meeb.

I love Méabh but actually I now really need to have another child to call it Meeb. It would make me laugh everyday, and I'm pretty sure it's unisex

But Méabh definitely, people will learn to spell it!

* " ....but would you like YOUR name to be one of these?* *"
*
My name is there. I like my name but would be nice if it got more popular so I wouldn't have to correct people that it's not pronounced "Silly"!!

Maeve. Growing up with a difficult name to spell or pronounce is a daily pain.

I worked in an office in southern England and we had a client called ‘Medb’, every time someone had to contact her they would ask me how to say ‘medbee’s’ name.

If you’re not working in Ireland Méabh really isn’t a great idea. She will spend her life being called Maybe, Meeb, meow etc

I think the spelling of Méabh is really pretty. I’m not keen on how it sounds though. Maeve seems to be suggested on many baby name threads on here, so clearly it is well liked. I’m not a fan of the spelling Oonagh, but I do like Una. Reminds me of the Saturdays singer. Go with what you like. It’s the person who makes the name.

Méabh is beautiful. Oonagh has to be one of the ugliest names I can think of! The oo sound, and the "agh" spelling.

The angelised spelling is Oonagh but I always understood the English version of Una to be Agnes (another reason not to use the name although Una is infinitely better than Agnes).

Mave/Maeve/Meabh isn’t great either. There are prettier Irish names eg Fiadh,

@Bluenightowl

The angelised spelling is Oonagh but I always understood the English version of Una to be Agnes (another reason not to use the name although Una is infinitely better than Agnes).

Mave/Maeve/Meabh isn’t great either. There are prettier Irish names eg Fiadh,

Agnes is unrelated etymologically to Oonagh/Una, but I think it was common for similar English names to be considered the "English version" of an Irish name, in the sense of a conventional alternative. E.g. Aoife/Eva. Agnes seems a weird choice for Una on the face of it, but apparently they both might mean Lamb.

Don't like either, but I'm Scottish so maybe they just sound wrong with my accent!

Go with your first instinct.

I love Aine, which is kind of pronounced On-ya or Awn-ya, not that different to Oonagh but feels more current.

@Serin

I love Aine, which is kind of pronounced On-ya or Awn-ya, not that different to Oonagh but feels more current.

Áine (it has a fada on the A) is indeed pronounced AWN-ya. It is not pronounced ON-ya. It's certainly a lovely name.