Torin

[Jacketandbeans]

Thoughts? As a brother for two boys with Irish names. My DH is Irish and said it's not really used in Ireland, is that right? He hasn't lived there for 20 years.

I like it. I know one. Is it Irish? I think it is but I'm not sure.

Oh sorry, I didn't read the many posts making this point

@LizzieAnt what I meant by that comment about being Irish enough is that I was told it's an Irish name, my DH thought it was an Irish name (although rarely used) and every single website I've been on says it's Irish, baby name websites or not. I can't find a single one that says it's anything but
I'm not actually sure how people find 'evidence' seeing as names are centuries old and often have multiple roots.

I know a 12yo boy called Torin (Scotland) never heard of it before but I'd of guessed gaelic. Corrin is nice too.

I really like it!

OP I can't speak for Lizzie Ant, but it is very well known that most baby name sites are rubbish, factually speaking.
The website I sent you a link to is probably the most accurate www.behindthename.com/
It has an specific interest in the history of names and - as it says - it can find no evidence of Torin as an Irish first name.

The very scholarly and authoritative Oxford Dictionary of First Names (with over 6000 names listed ) www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198610601.001.0001/acref-9780198610601 does not list Torin as a first name, either.

Yes, most names are very old, as you say, but there are traces of them in old sources - books, songs, legal records, myths and legends etc.
Almost all traditional Irish names feature in these old sources- there are websites about them, listing sources going back centuries. Torin is not among those names, so far as I know. New Irish names with a political or nature meaning (eg Saoirse) are not included in the old sources, but we know where they came from - 20th cent thoughts about politics and nature.

A quick Google does not turn up any well-known people or characters in myths etc named Torin before the 19th cent ; most were/are American. As I said yesterday, one of those was French, who used the second half of his middle name as a stage name; the other one was an early 20th cent British actor, named after his father.

That actor's father's surname was Thatcher, but his other first names were Scottish (James, Blair). And I think that gives us a clue. It is a Scottish tradition to give second sons their mother's surname as a firstname.
Ancestry.com - the massive family history website - records 4 families with the SURNAME Torin living in Central Sotland (Midlothian) in the 19th cent:
www.ancestry.co.uk/name-origin?surname=torin

If you look at the England and Wales census record on the Ancestry web-page listed above (click on the left-hand image) you will find quite a few people with the surname Torin living in England in the 19th cent. One of them is called 'Shaun' which suggests an Irish connection, but most have perfectly usual English-language names.
Spellings were not fixed until really recently, so there are also people listed with surnames Toran , Toren, Toron.....

It may be that Torin is a SURNAME of Irish origin that spread to Scotland, England and America (times of large-scale Irish emigration). Or the surname may have another origin (eg Norse - there is a Dutch surname Toren that originates from the Norse 'Thor'.). Without further investigation, it's impossible to say.

I grew up with a Toren. It was never shortened. We are both in our 50s now. I think both are lovely names.

Absolutely love it. It was a front runner when I was choosing names and will be if I have another. I only know of one (boy).

@LizzieAnt

"I think even if there isn't evidence of its Irishness, it's Irish enough for us"...??

Apparently, Torfinn is a Norse name...maybe it's derived from that?

I've hardly ever heard Fionn said with two syllables @Luredbyapomegranate. How do you say it?

Fee-on

Like the Welsh girls’ name Ffion

I don’t think it’s correct BTW, but have heard it in London (bit like Americans say Aisling Ace-ling!), it doesn’t sound like the OP is that bothered about authenticity which I why I mentioned it.

I knew a Torin with Eastern European heritage. I like it.

I'm Irish and I've never heard of it. A lot of name books and websites, especially those written by Americans, are wrong about Irish names. It's a nice name though.

Torin Douglas was a BBC News chap, it's a great name.

I like it.

I like it too.

Wouldn't it get shortened to Toz?

Torin is nice. I don't think it's Irish although I agree it sounds like it could be. I've never come across one in Ireland.

I'm glad it's well like that's a good sign.
I wonder if maybe it was initially inspired by the gaelic word for chief but not in Ireland?!
I know Esme is a name that is French inspired but never really used in France, it was first used in Scotland I believe.
I'm definitely no expert on these things, and it's interesting to hear the history of names, so thanks for all the info but either way I think it's a cool name that hopefully doesn't sound too weird with our boys Irish names (Rory and Cillian).
My DH has added Oran to the debate which is nice too but maybe a bit close to Rory.

Well liked*

Plenty of Torins in Ireland… just not as many as Padraig, Sean, Ronan, Eoghan etc!

The advantage you have if on mainland is that it’s easy to spell and pronounce! Lovely name.

@Jacketandbeans

I think even if there isn't evidence of its Irishness, it's Irish enough for us. We just want something we like that's in keeping with the other boys names. My DH was just worried it would be perceived as strange in Ireland but I think he's overthinking it! Glad so many people like it. It gives me Lord of the Rings vibes!

Lord of the Rings is the furst thing I thought of when I read the title of the thread.

first

My son's name is Corin and when dd was little she couldn't pronounce the C so called him Torin for ages, I like it!

I only know one and he’s a complete nightmare. I know that’s mostly to do with his parents who believe he can do no wrong, but still makes me dislike the name.

I've only ever met one person with that name but she's female and spells it Torryn. She's also one of the nicest, kindest people I've ever known so the name would make me smile for a boy or a girl.

Sorry OP, I was being light-hearted with my comment earlier. Torin is a nice name and if you like it, go for it.

If it matters, I'm not sure that Torin is of Irish origin and scottishnames has explained why much better than I could. I suspect it may be of Norse origin, though I'm not at all sure. Viking names were used in Ireland in the time of the Viking invasions and subsequent settlements (9th, 10th century). Many have died out , but some are still in use, often as surnames. The Irish name McAuliffe means son of Olaf, for example. (Irish names also made their way to Scandinavia - some lasted the test of time, most didn't.) There's a record of the Viking name Torfind being used in Ireland...maybe that has become Torin, or maybe not. I don't know for sure. I do know it's very rarely used in Ireland now, nor was it ever widely used afaik.

Most of the baby name sites translate Torin as chief. However, chief is usually Taoiseach (we actually use this as our Prime Minister's title). Some baby name sites mention Tiarna, which translates as lord, or toirneach (thunder) as words from which Torin may have been derived, but it seems a bit of a stretch. Like scottishnames said, many of those sites are not to be trusted. I had a look at a trustworthy source of Irish names and Torin is not listed. However, that book is not a comprehensive list of all the Irish names ever used, of course.

As it is written Torin breaks Irish language spelling rules so that's another point to consider. In Irish, vowels are categorised into two groups, slender (i and e) and broad (a, o and u). The rule is the vowel before a consonant matches the one after it. So the broad vowel before the r in Torin should be matched by a broad vowel after the r.

Most Irish families use a mix of names for their children. It is very common to have some of Irish origin, and some not. My own DC have names from a variety of origins. So if you like Torin, I'd certainly use it.