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Baby names

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

Nature/happy/Irish girls’ names

66 replies

Magenpie100 · 19/02/2023 12:02

We’re having a girl in June and would love some name ideas! Her older sister is Indigo, usually called Indi. They are half Irish so new baba will have an Irish name either for first or middle (we live in England so if first must be pronounceable/well-known).

We like but not going for:
Hazel - doesn’t go with surname.
Ruah - worried about religious connotation (we are not religious) and rua in Latin/Portuguese means road.
Muireann (pronounced Mirren) - think the spelling makes it sound like Miriam.
Aoife - sounds too much like all the Evie/Eva/Avas.
Ayla - sounds like all the Layla/Isla etcs.

A longer name with a strong nickname would be great eg we considered Tazmin ‘Taz’ and Jocelyn ‘Joss’ but neither is quite right. Nearly sold on Beatrix ‘Bea’ but not 100%.

For me it needs to have a meaning eg something natural, or meaning ‘joyful’, ‘kind’ - something positive! I’d love a name that has some nature/elemental connotations but not too out there eg Storm/Fern are a bit far out for me.

Can’t start with a hard C cos surname does.

Thanks!

OP posts:
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Amdone123 · 19/02/2023 12:05

Felicity , nn Flic

heldinadream · 19/02/2023 12:06

Felicity means happiness, bliss, a blessing and source of joy.
And if my younger dd is reading this she's gonna know this is me! 😁

heldinadream · 19/02/2023 12:06

Spooky cross post!

Amdone123 · 19/02/2023 12:07

@heldinadream , 🤣
It's a beautiful name.
I love Verity, too.

Anoisagusaris · 19/02/2023 12:10

Muireann isn’t pronounced Mirren. It’s more like Mwirren….I’m sure somebody else can explain it better!

Amdone123 · 19/02/2023 12:19

Alisa - great happiness
Allegra - joyous
Beatrix - she who brings happiness
Blythe - happy, carefree
Chara - joy
Esme - esteemed, beloved
Helena - bright, shining one
Laetitia - gladness
Mirabel - wonderful

TheOriginalEmu · 19/02/2023 13:00

But left field because it’s not Irish, and not typically female but my dd’s middle name is Cai which is a welsh name of Latin origin meaning rejoice.

CatMattress · 19/02/2023 13:05

Blythe

AsACloud · 19/02/2023 13:10

Fiadh is becoming quite a popular Irish name. Pronounced Fee-a. Seemingly it means deer in Irish so fits your nature wish. Also I think it’s a lovely happy name.

Garman · 19/02/2023 13:11

What about Réaltín, means Little Star.

Also Ruah isn't an Irish name.

KnickerlessParsons · 19/02/2023 13:26

I like Breige, Brona(gh), Aoife, and Saoirse

harrietm87 · 19/02/2023 13:51

OP might be thinking of Ruadh - I know a couple of Irish boys called this, definitely not a girls name.

What about Bláthnaid? (blawnid) - it means blossom and I think sounds really cute. Poss tricky in England though theee was a character in Bad Sisters recently with this name.

LadyEloise1 · 19/02/2023 14:28

I love Réaltín (little star)
Cara ( friend )
Macushla ( darling )
Nóinín ( Daisy )
Roisín ( little rose )
Daire ( oak )

Magenpie100 · 19/02/2023 18:06

Thanks for suggestions so far :-)

Ruah isn’t an Irish name (although I know ruadh is red in irish), it’s a Hebrew word meaning spirit/breath, our daughter has a friend with this name and she looooves it! We don’t need the first name to be Irish, we’ve got a few in mind for middles, just open to an Irish first if it’s the right one.

@LadyEloise1 Róisín is gorgeous. I also love Cara but doesn’t work with our surname unfortunately - so many names that start with C are on my favourites list! Ditto @TheOriginalEmu , Cai is beautiful.

I’d still love to hear more suggestions along the happy/short and strong nickname lines, especially if they’ve got nature vibes thrown in.. or am I asking the impossible?!

OP posts:
Miscellaneousme · 19/02/2023 18:19

Fiadh - deer or wildness
Niamh - bright
Erin - Ireland
Brigid - strength or exalted one

wishing3 · 19/02/2023 18:48

Clementine (Clemmy)?
Stella (star)
Seren (also star I think?!)

LadyEloise1 · 19/02/2023 18:50

Darerca - apparently St Patrick's sister.

Riverlee · 19/02/2023 18:54

Skye
Fearn
Heather
Jasmine
Tara
Poppy

CalamityClam · 19/02/2023 18:59

Merrie/Merry

TheDuchessOfMN · 19/02/2023 19:01

I actually think a hard C first name goes well with a hard C surname! eg Ciara Kelly. I like Irish C names: Cara, Caoimhe, Clodagh

How about

Róise (Ro-sha)
Fiadh (Fia)

Samhradh (Summer) if you’re brave enough, especially because baby is due in June? Sort of pronounced sow-rah or sow-ruh

ColadhSamh · 19/02/2023 19:02

Anoisagusaris · 19/02/2023 12:10

Muireann isn’t pronounced Mirren. It’s more like Mwirren….I’m sure somebody else can explain it better!

Spot on. Hate when people try to Anglicise names. They lose their meaning.

ZoChan · 19/02/2023 19:06

Merryn = joyful

Thepurplelantern · 19/02/2023 19:10

It’s a boys name but becoming girls too but Naoise or Laoise. Both nice.

Muireann

Mwirren (w from water) is how I’d pronounce Muireann

Mirren is Scottish Think William Wallace’s wife in Beaveheart.

CastleTower · 19/02/2023 19:14

Tessa or Tess
Iris (rainbow)
Eira (snow)
Ffion (foxglove)
Erica (heather)
Holly
Juniper
Nyssa (very pretty type of tree)
Nila (blue, subtle link to indigo)
Amber
Jasmine
Chloe (green shoot)
Coral
Ruby
Flann (red, unisex name)
Viola

Bamboozle · 19/02/2023 19:27

We have a Mara (sea) with an Irish surname. If we had another, I think she’d be an Oona (lamb).