Tadhg or Flynn or Riley

[Solstice143]

Hello, 

Expecting a little boy in December

Which of these names do you prefer?

• Tadhg 

• Flynn 

• Riley 

For those less familiar with it, Tadhg is an ancient Irish name pronounced like Tiger with the r, meaning poet/storyteller.

I have Irish heritage but we live in England

Thank you 

[Solstice143]

@Solstice143

Hello, 

Expecting a little boy in December

Which of these names do you prefer?

• Tadhg 

• Flynn 

• Riley 

For those less familiar with it, Tadhg is an ancient Irish name pronounced like Tiger with the r, meaning poet/storyteller.

I have Irish heritage but we live in England

Thank you 

Sorry I mean Tadhg is pronounced Tiger without the R (like Tige)

And also to be clear we live in England -

Thanks

[HJ40]

Tadhg is great. Flynn is fine. Riley is chavvy.

(Sorry to use the term, I know half of mn get upset, but until there is a better term to describe lower socio-economic demographics, I think we're stuck with it. Unless I now coin the abbreviation LSED!)

[lOPAS]

@HJ40

Tadhg is great. Flynn is fine. Riley is chavvy.

(Sorry to use the term, I know half of mn get upset, but until there is a better term to describe lower socio-economic demographics, I think we're stuck with it. Unless I now coin the abbreviation LSED!)

Totally agree with this. Absolutely not Riley !

Tadhg is fab !

[RubyRoss]

Tadhg is a proper Irish first name so if that part is important to you I'd pick that. Flynn and Reily are Irish surnames. As first names, I associate them with Americans who have Irish heritage. Nothing wrong with that in their context and they sound nice I think, but it's odd in Ireland. How about names like Finn, Fintan, Fergal?

[BeanieTeen]

Riley is just very generic compared to the other two.
I hate to say it’s chavvy, I feel like such a dick using that word - but yes it really is, I’m glad someone else said it first though…
Flynn is ok. Tadhg is a great name, I’ve never heard it actually.

[JanePrentiss]

Fergal or Fergus?

[FAQs]

Tadhg will give him a lifetime of telling people how to pronounce and spell his name.

[Loginmystery]

Tadgh is beautiful. I know two. It’s very special.

flyn is a surname and Riley is awful. Sorry but others have said it and I agree.

[BeanieTeen]

Tadhg will give him a lifetime of telling people how to pronounce and spell his name.

I don’t think that’s an issue though, if people know to ask then at least it’s spelled properly. People who spell bog standard names differently, like ‘Dayzi’ or ‘Emileigh’ (I’ve seen both, they’re real!) have bigger problems because people assume the spelling and then its written down incorrectly all the time.

[SirChenjins]

Tadgh always makes me think of tadge , the shortened form of tadger.

Riley is a bit ‘spirited youth in black North Face’

Flynn is ok

[EspressoPatronum]

Tadgh! I really wanted to use this for my boy, but Irish dh said no… I love it!

As it is, we picked an unusual but completely phonetic name and he still gets incorrect pronunciation and spelling 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Solstice143]

Thanks so much for replies so far... they're helpful so keep them coming 👍

Didn't know about the seemingly general consensus around riley 😅 dh will be pleased as it's his least favourite by miles

[FAQs]

@BeanieTeen

Tadhg will give him a lifetime of telling people how to pronounce and spell his name.

I don’t think that’s an issue though, if people know to ask then at least it’s spelled properly. People who spell bog standard names differently, like ‘Dayzi’ or ‘Emileigh’ (I’ve seen both, they’re real!) have bigger problems because people assume the spelling and then its written down incorrectly all the time.

Ive got a really common name spelt the Irish way and it’s always spelt incorrectly, I even have people moan I haven’t replied to emails etc, it’s because they have spelt it wrong. I’m in England. And it’s a name you can’t phonetically get wrong, it’ll drive him mad!

[FayCarew]

I don't hear Tadhg as Tiger without the r. That's the nearest you can get though.
I know one, and people think that his name is Tiger, and it gets misspelt a lot. Tadgh usually.
Flynn will get mixed up with Finn.
Riley is best left as a surname.

[Solstice143]

I love both Tadhg and Flynn - so think it will be one of them....just not sure which.

I prefer the name Tadhg and think it's lovely but Flynn might be an easier option?

[MadeForThis]

Tadhg was on our list but we had a girl.

Also loved Rian, Pearse, Caolan and Aodhán

[BellaCiao1]

The excuse of not giving an Irish name like Tadhg because it will be hard to spell and pronounce in England is IMO is a pretty ignorant reason. Would the same be said about an Indian, African or Eastern European name?

At least these names are being spelt correctly (and technically they phonetic as they follow the Irish alphabet e.g. mh='v')

Anyway, out of the three. Tadhg is the nicest, Flynn is ok but reminds me of a surname, not keen on Riley, think it sounds like a pet name.

[Friffle]

@HJ40

Tadhg is great. Flynn is fine. Riley is chavvy.

(Sorry to use the term, I know half of mn get upset, but until there is a better term to describe lower socio-economic demographics, I think we're stuck with it. Unless I now coin the abbreviation LSED!)

At least you're being honest and admitting it's the connection to poor people that you dislike. Usually people on MN claim 'chavvy' has nothing at all to do with that that kind of prejudice.

Good for you for not pretending otherwise.

[Solstice143]

@BellaCiao1

The excuse of not giving an Irish name like Tadhg because it will be hard to spell and pronounce in England is IMO is a pretty ignorant reason. Would the same be said about an Indian, African or Eastern European name?

At least these names are being spelt correctly (and technically they phonetic as they follow the Irish alphabet e.g. mh='v')

Anyway, out of the three. Tadhg is the nicest, Flynn is ok but reminds me of a surname, not keen on Riley, think it sounds like a pet name.

Love this perspective @BellaCiao1 🙏

I also think once ppl are told once they kind of will get it - it's not a total tongue twister.

[FayCarew]

@BellaCiao1 , some of us are commenting because we have names that are frequently mispronounced and misspelt. I'd say your opinion seems more ignorant because you won't have gone through life having people mangle your name.

I have a name that people tell me it's awful, or that I am wrong, and I've experienced things like my name being spelt incorrectly has meant I've missed out.

Similar things almost certainly happen to people with Indian, African or Eastern European names.

[BellaCiao1]

@FayCarew

@BellaCiao1 , some of us are commenting because we have names that are frequently mispronounced and misspelt. I'd say your opinion seems more ignorant because you won't have gone through life having people mangle your name.

I have a name that people tell me it's awful, or that I am wrong, and I've experienced things like my name being spelt incorrectly has meant I've missed out.

Similar things almost certainly happen to people with Indian, African or Eastern European names.

I have an Irish name that is occasionally misspelt so I do get it. I correct the person and then it is their responsibility to remember. I'm proud of my name and my heritage, if other find it difficult it's a them problem, not a me problem.

FWIW my husband has one of most popular names in the country and it is very commonly misspelt. Misspelling isn't specific to cultural names.

I have just seen a thread asking about a Persian name, not one I have ever heard before, so I googled the pronunciation and now I know how to say and spell it. Funnily, there was not one person on that thread who commented that it may be difficult for people to spell/pronounce it, it seems to just be reserved for Irish names.

I would understand your sentiment if it was someone deciding to spell Riley as Rylee or similar. However these are actual names with the correct spelling so yeah, I think I'm going to go with ignorance for not using them due to spelling/pronunciation.

[CaffiSaliMali]

I have a Welsh name in England and people do mess up both the spelling and pronunciation. Most people do manage once told how to say and spell it but some people don't.

I do get some rude comments on my name but I get many more compliments. I would happily give my DC Welsh names, if DH agrees, so it hasn't put me off.

I'd go with Tadhg or Flynn which are both lovely names. Riley isn't as nice and it sounds like your DH doesn't like it much either so I'd cross that one off the list.

[CaffiSaliMali]

I'm proud of my name and my heritage, if other find it difficult it's a them problem, not a me problem.

I agree! You often get negative responses to Irish names on here - same with Welsh and Scottish names.

[FayCarew]

You missed the bit where people actually say to my face that I am wrong about my own name or that it is awful.

If I wanted to name my DS Tadhg, I would, but I would be aware that it will be misspelt a lot, and will be met with Tadge, Tag and other things, or 'How do you say it?'

[AmandaMirandaPanda]

I like Tadhg. I think someone who's not familiar with Irish spelling and pronunciation and is seeing the name for the first time would probably just ask how to say it. You may get interesting mispellings from people who hear it first, though!

Flynn and Riley are actually kind of similar to me - names that were mainly used because they were surnames somewhere in the family or adjacent and now have become popular on their own. (Although Riley is significantly more popular that Flynn in England, and growing more rapidly for girls.)