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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Áine (Irish - pronounced onya)

133 replies

FrazzledCareerWoman · 06/12/2021 21:21

Yes or no... obviously no one will read it correctly..: but I love it Grin

not for my hypothetical last chance baby number3 that I might not even have

OP posts:
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StrychnineInTheSandwiches · 06/12/2021 21:26

I don't love it.

Reminds me of onions. And those Áine agus Ronán readers in primary school.

Littleheart5 · 06/12/2021 21:40

It’s awn-ya not onya, but I really love it 😊

OchonAgusOchonOh · 06/12/2021 21:40

I like it but pronounce it awn-ya.

Darkpheonix · 06/12/2021 21:43

Where do you live? If you Ireland I can't see a problem.

If you dont, chances are the child will spend a life time spelling and correcting pronunciation. It's a pain.

I have a double barrelled first name. One is Irish. I was born in Ireland so no real problem. Expect we moved country a few times and I have always had to correct people. It's very very annoying.

EekGoesTheBaby · 06/12/2021 21:43

I think it's beautiful. Just make sure the surname isn't slang for male genitalia (Johnson, Peters, etc)

HWHWHWFG · 06/12/2021 21:44

I’m so confused seeing people say awn-ya and onya are different pronunciations… in my accent they are the same. Nice enough name but there are other traditional Irish names that I prefer.

480Widdio · 06/12/2021 21:45

Lovely name,but it is very common in Ireland these days.

luinagreine · 06/12/2021 21:45

I thought it was pronounced awn-ya too. I'm not a massive fan of it to be honest, it's a bit harsh or something.

FallonCarringtonWannabe · 06/12/2021 21:46

Im watching This Way Up tonight and they definitely say onya. I know a child who it is pronounced as I would say it as awn ya

Clickncollect · 06/12/2021 21:46

That’s my Irish MIL’s name and she pronounces it awn-ya. It’s a lovely name but she is in Ireland so not sure if people would struggle with it elsewhere.

SuperLoudPoppingAction · 06/12/2021 21:47

I love it. But very few people in England or Scotland know how to pronounce it

BrightonOrLancaster · 06/12/2021 21:48

I dont like the "awn" sound, and when I see it written down I think "groin".

TheArgentineFanjo · 06/12/2021 21:48

I was at school with an Aine and I never remember any problems (England).

Labellex · 06/12/2021 21:50

That was my maths tutors name when I was a teenager, I always thought it was a nice name 👍🏼

FrazzledCareerWoman · 06/12/2021 21:54

How is awn-ya a different sound than on-ya? Slightly longer vowel maybe.

OP posts:
FrazzledCareerWoman · 06/12/2021 21:55

In England yes

Irish surname

OP posts:
FallonCarringtonWannabe · 06/12/2021 21:55

@FrazzledCareerWoman

How is awn-ya a different sound than on-ya? Slightly longer vowel maybe.
Your mouth makes a completely different shape. It sounds very different.
StrychnineInTheSandwiches · 06/12/2021 21:57

It's all accent dependent.,

MaudebeGonne · 06/12/2021 21:58

I'm an Áine! It is pronounced Awnya not Onya, and very few English people pronounce it properly. Lived in England for years and got called all-sorts. It's fairly popular in Ireland now - certainly more popular that it was when I was a kid in the 70's and 80's, but it is not mega common. It's a nice name to have and I always found it a good conversation starter when I lived in England. The most teasing I would get would be "Onya bike" or "got any fags Onya", which I always thought were a bit daft because it isn't even pronounced like that.

Totalwasteofpaper · 06/12/2021 21:58

I love it and think it's a really nice name it's also satisfying to say.

But I do feel it's very close to Gráinne though which just sounds like groin Confused which makes me like it a bit less.

daisyjgrey · 06/12/2021 21:58

@FrazzledCareerWoman

How is awn-ya a different sound than on-ya? Slightly longer vowel maybe.

This is my dentists name (in England), pronounced "ahh-nya".

HermioneWeasley · 06/12/2021 22:00

I like it

FrazzledY9Parent · 06/12/2021 22:00

@FrazzledCareerWoman

How is awn-ya a different sound than on-ya? Slightly longer vowel maybe.
Awn-ya like awning not On-ya on On-yer-bike
StrychnineInTheSandwiches · 06/12/2021 22:01

Gráinne is the worst. The hint of groin and the fact it's almost the same as the Irish word for ugly.

MaudebeGonne · 06/12/2021 22:01

@FrazzledCareerWoman

How is awn-ya a different sound than on-ya? Slightly longer vowel maybe.
It's like how Dawn and Don are pronounced differently.
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