How would you pronounce Fionn?

[Rosiiiiie]

We live in the Munster region of Ireland and are pregnant with a second boy woo!

I love the name Fionn.
I’m just a bit confused by prononciation.

I always thought it was Fee-on (two syllables).
But we were in Dublin during the week and someone mentioned it was pronounced Fy-un (one syllable).

And Google says it’s pronounced Fin??

How would you personally pronounce it?

@NannyR

I know a little girl with Welsh parents who is called Fionn and she pronounces it fee-on.

Same here

@Rosiiiiie well no, Finlay is the Anglicised version. Scots Gaelic is more like Fyongla (softer g than that though) -worth asking a native Irish speaker for your use. It is a nice name though.

here's a youtube link for Big Finlay (Fionnlagh Mor) that sounds about right to me.

she lives in Cork and was born in Kerry

Interesting, I haven't heard that version in Munster before. Tbh I'm not sure if she's really great at Irish and it's a variation, or doesn't know much Irish and has the name confused with something else. Sorry, that's not much help I know!
Do you really love that pronunciation? He'll get called Fyun a lot here...
Also, for those who mentioned it upthread, Finn is an older spelling of Fionn, not really - or at least not only - an anglicised spelling.

Fyun, pronounced as one syllable

As per PP I'm in NI and would pronounce it Finn

It’s pronounced Fyun; one syllable

@Cafog

As per PP I'm in NI and would pronounce it Finn

Can't see why, the letters don't make that sound, in the North or anywhere else.

I've only ever heard Fee-on, Welsh family. Lovely lovely name.

Finn - we know a 4 year old Fionn and it’s second nature to me now. When I first saw the spelling I was very confused but now I think the normal spelling of Finn is strange.

@sociallydistained

Finn - we know a 4 year old Fionn and it’s second nature to me now. When I first saw the spelling I was very confused but now I think the normal spelling of Finn is strange.

This is gibberish.

Finn is spelled Finn. It is not spelled Fionn, which is a different name, spelled and pronounced quite differently to Finn. You are saying that because you know someone who got the sound of their own kids name wrong, you can no longer recognise the spelling of a different name?

I've only ever heard Fee-on, Welsh family. Lovely lovely name

Yes, lovely, but an entirely different name from a different country and language.

Are you an Ulster Irish speaker @SoreusBacchus?
Just wondering how you're so sure of the pronunciation of Fionn in Ulster Irish? I'm in the south so have to say I'm not sure of it, but in the teanglann link I gave upthread the Ulster Irish dialect speaker said Fionn as Finn. Some pps from the north have also confirmed they say Finn.

Jesus @SoreusBacchus no need to jump down my throat. I'm nor saying the NI pronunciation is correct I'm just saying that's how it's pronounced here. And it's not just one person pronouncing their child's name wrong I know lots of them 🤷‍♀️

I once taught a boy called Fionn and it was pronounced as Finn. His family were Irish and all of his siblings also had Irish names.

I know a Fionn (England) and his is pronounced 'Fi-un' but, as others have said, all one syllable and it almost sounds like 'Fin' but not quite IYSWIM! But most people with a English accent call him 'Finn' and his parents are OK with that as well (from what they have said!)

I'm from Dublin but live in NI now, it does seem to be Finn up here. We all know the Ulster dialect is batshit compared to the others

Isn't Fionnalaigh the Irish spelling of Finlay?

I'd pronounce it Fee-ONN. With the emphasis on the second syllable. To rhyme with Dionne.

My friends who live in the north have a child called Fionntan and pronounce it Finn-tan. I've never heard it pronounced Fy-un-tan. They're also Irish speakers and Irish teachers.

@TheWordWomanIsTaken

Isn't Fionnalaigh the Irish spelling of Finlay?

Yep! I wish we could use the Irish spelling and the English pronunciation. I actually think I like Finlay better than Fionn!

I know one and he's pronounced 'Finn' so I always thought that was right!

Another NI person here - have only ever heard it pronounced Finn where I grew up. Even at primary school when the teachers told us about Fionn Mac Cumhaill it was Finn and not Fyun.

Seems like a regional variation in pronunciation, hardly worthy of the extreme reactions of some on this thread 🤷.

When I read this, I immediately thought 'Fee-on' would be the correct pronunciation but that's because I'm Welsh and Ffion is a popular girls name here and pronounced that way. I havent come across the name Fionn before (just Finn), but it's lovely! x

Never heard of this name but I'd assume Fee-on

I have a teenage Fionn and you will never get agreement on how to pronounce it! We go with Same pronunciation as Finn but I've had a passport control guy in dublin refuse to let me through until I agreed it's pronounced fee-yun (when Fionn was a baby and after a day of travelling the git!) so pronounce it however you like and just have a backup source saved in your phone for all the naysayers.