My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

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

Baby names

Ruairidh spelling variations

154 replies

Scottishgirl85 · 31/07/2022 18:53

Just discovered our 3rd child is a boy after 2 girls!

Always loved Ruairidh (pronounced roo-ray). I'm Scottish, hubby English, we live in SE England.

Will Ruairidh just cause endless issues or should we be brave and go for it?

There are alternative slightly simpler spellings, such as:

  • Ruaridh (Scottish, but not technically correct spelling without the extra i)
  • Ruairi (Irish, but we're not Irish).


Please help!

(Note, Rory is a completely different name, not as keen)
OP posts:
Report
boatahoy · 01/08/2022 07:04

@mathanxiety Agree wholeheartedly with both previous posts. OP it's a lovely name, go for it. Im Scottish and pronounce it same way as you.

Report
Mix56 · 01/08/2022 07:37

I only opened this thread as I was interested lost to know what noise those letters made.

He will have to spell his name out for his entire life unless in Scotland maybe
He will have to tell people how to pronounce it for his whole life,
People will get it wrong his whole life
What a gift you are giving him.
Rory is perfect

Report
EarringsandLipstick · 01/08/2022 08:05

Go for it OP - Ruairidh is lovely.

I'm Irish (in Ireland) & have a Ruairí. I considered a spelling similar to the Scottish one & discounted it as thought it was a bit complicated - however many people use it anyway!

Even tho the spelling isn't hard, people often mix up the position of the u, a, or i!

It's pure nonsense to talk about all the misery associated with spelling it etc. it's fine. He'll manage just fine - the important thing is it's a name you love & it is linked to your heritage.

Report
hazelladdi · 01/08/2022 08:43

It’s a lovely name. Is it actually pronounced like Brewery without the “B”? If so, quite straightforward.

^ that's the best explanation as to how to pronounce it, I'm in NI and most people who know how to pronounce it, if i didn't know how to spell it I'd probably get it wrong, but we're all capable of learning!

My son has an Irish name and I've not had any issues so far

Report
deedledeedledum · 01/08/2022 10:12

mathanxiety · 01/08/2022 04:02

Honestly, are the people of SE England really that thick?

I would go with Ruairidh. This is your heritage.

No need to get spiky. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of Sri Lankan names or Ghanaian names you would struggle with. Not to mention Dutch. Flemish or Macedonian. They may use the same alphabet but the letters have completely different pronunciations. Some random name from the other end of the country with letters that are pronounced in a completely different way to those that you know, that people haven't any experience of is just as foreign. Stop bashing the south. You would no doubt he the first to be up in arms if southerners bashed wherever you are from.

Report
deedledeedledum · 01/08/2022 10:17

EarringsandLipstick · 01/08/2022 08:05

Go for it OP - Ruairidh is lovely.

I'm Irish (in Ireland) & have a Ruairí. I considered a spelling similar to the Scottish one & discounted it as thought it was a bit complicated - however many people use it anyway!

Even tho the spelling isn't hard, people often mix up the position of the u, a, or i!

It's pure nonsense to talk about all the misery associated with spelling it etc. it's fine. He'll manage just fine - the important thing is it's a name you love & it is linked to your heritage.

Your spelling is actually pretty easy for English speakers from countries other than Ireland. It's the same as the Scottish version but without the 'dh' which is what people would have trouble with. Sure, once I knew and used it a few times it would be easy but there will be first times with new people all his life. Not a problem to me. If I loved a name i would use it. As a dyslexic it's the two 'I's that makes my head spin. And the two letters at the end. But it's a cool name

Report
DeadButDelicious · 01/08/2022 10:35

This is interesting, we have a Ruairi in the family and we all pronounce it like Rory, including his parents. Is that not right?

Report
MaggieFS · 01/08/2022 10:39

Go for the proper Scottish spelling. I don't think either of the alternatives spellings make it any easier.

Yes, he will have to tell people how to pronounce it but so do lots of people 🤷‍♀️.

Report
Tha · 01/08/2022 10:42

It’s a lovely name. Is it actually pronounced like Brewery without the “B”? If so, quite straightforward.

Yes. In my accent (East Central Scotland) I'd say Brewery with two syllables like Broo(w?)-ry. I put the w in brackets because I'm not sure if it's a W or a soft U or in IE 😂 I'm not actually sure the sound exists phonetically, which I guess is why Scottish and Irish Gaelic spellings look "weird" - they're sounds that either don't really exist or are represented differently in English phonetics?

Take Sean.

In English, a C behaves differently depending on what comes after it. Dancing (i) and Caring (a). The S in Sean is pronounced Sh because it comes before an E or an I. Sinead is another example.

Report
pinklavenders · 01/08/2022 10:46

I would go with Ruairidh. This is your heritage.

I agree. Lovely and memorable name! Of course people will learn how to pronounce it.

Report
Enko · 01/08/2022 11:05

Well I am in the SE and used to work with a Ruairidh. He was great. Took some time for people to get used to the spelling but they all tried and did their best and double checked.

It's a great name.

Report
CatsOperatingInGangs · 01/08/2022 11:18

lOPAS · 31/07/2022 22:34

People will learn how to say any name. Call your son what ever you want.

I still can't spell phoebe correctly !

I wish this was true. I have an uncommon name. My neighbour of 16 years still can’t pronounce my name correctly. I’ve worked in offices where I answer the phone with my name and colleagues still pronounce it differently and don’t even start me on the spelling. Even in emails which contain my full name, 9 out of 10 times my name is spelt incorrectly.
I often wish I was called Sue.

Report
Enko · 01/08/2022 12:43

@deedledeedledum.

No need to get spiky. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of Sri Lankan names or Ghanaian names you would struggle with. Not to mention Dutch. Flemish or Macedonian.

Struggle yes but you ask and you listen and you learn how to pronounce them properly. It's not hard. It's being open minded and willing to expand your vocabulary to include different ways of saying things. Not a reason to not use a name you like or change it due to people being lazy.

Report
mistermagpie · 01/08/2022 13:57

The Rhuaridh I know I spelled that way, we're in Scotland so I just assumed that was the spelling.

I love the name, it's not the same as Rory at all. I'm English though and although my kids have very Scottish names we didn't use that one because I felt like I was always pronouncing it slightly incorrectly in my accent. I would bear that in mind if you don't actually live in Scotland, it might never sound quite right.

Report
FayCarew · 01/08/2022 14:10

I'm confused. Do you mean you know someone who spells his name Rhuaridh, @mistermagpie? The conventional spelling in Scotland is Ruairidh.

Report
Scottishgirl85 · 01/08/2022 14:35

@mistermagpie ooh what are your kid's names if you don't mind sharing? Interested in other Scottish names even though I've never found one I like more than Ruairidh!

OP posts:
Report
EarringsandLipstick · 01/08/2022 14:36

Your spelling is actually pretty easy for English speakers from countries other than Ireland

I assumed so too! But in fact, Irish people regularly spell it wrong eg Ruari or Ruauri and other mad combinations of letters! Perplexed me as all of them learnt Irish at school!

Report
EarringsandLipstick · 01/08/2022 14:38

DeadButDelicious · 01/08/2022 10:35

This is interesting, we have a Ruairi in the family and we all pronounce it like Rory, including his parents. Is that not right?

Not technically no!

It's 'Roo-Ree' (I know that's not quite right, the start is more 'Roo-ah', I'm just really bad at spelling phonetically!).

However some people do say Rory when it's spelt Ruairi

Report
ImperfectAlf · 01/08/2022 14:48

I'd use the one you want. DS2 has four letters in his name. People still spell and pronounce it incorrectly. Some people will always get it wrong.

Report
Scottishgirl85 · 01/08/2022 15:02

I'm surprised by the mostly positive response, thank you! 😊
We have until January to decide how brave we are feeling or to come up with an easier name that we love just as much!

OP posts:
Report
RooniIWazlib · 01/08/2022 21:45

DeadButDelicious · 01/08/2022 10:35

This is interesting, we have a Ruairi in the family and we all pronounce it like Rory, including his parents. Is that not right?

Why didn't they just use Rory then? Did they not bother doing any research before naming their child?

Report
AdelaideRo · 01/08/2022 22:01

@Scottishgirl85 I'm also Scottish. Longterm london dweller.

I'd spell it properly (Ruairidh). People will learn the spelling and pronunciation (it isn't hard) although the first time they meet him it might be hard.

I met an Aoife at work recently and her Mum just about fell off her seat when i got it right first time....

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

lljkk · 01/08/2022 22:07

Until this thread I had no idea Rory wasn't said same as Ruairidh etc. or that there was Scottish vs. Irish versions. I've only lived in Uk for 30 years but never met a Ruairidh anyway.

Report
AdelaideRo · 01/08/2022 22:11

@DeadButDelicious this is my pet hate - using a gaelic name and using the anglicised/ another pronunciation. If you want the anglicised pronunciation use the anglicised spelling.

I always had to bite my tongue when I met parents on the delivery suite embarking a child upon a life of mixed messages.

Report
DeadButDelicious · 01/08/2022 22:30

Why didn't they just use Rory then? Did they not bother doing any research before naming their child?

No idea! It never occurred to me to ask if they thoroughly researched their kids names to be honest. Hmm

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.