Irish names when we're not Irish?

[Hankthehonk]

What do people think about the appropriateness of using Irish names when we are not Irish?

We are Scottish (DH has an English accent as he grew up mostly down south), living in Scotland. We have no Irish heritage but we seem to be drawn to Irish names!

Our favourite boy name is Flynn, which is Irish but it doesn't feel so obviously Irish that it would raise eyebrows.

For girls though we are struggling a bit more - I love Niamh, but is it a bit off for us to go with such an Irish name when we don't have that heritage? In Scotland it's a common name because obviously there are lots of Irish connections and our Gaelic language as well, but it's not actually a name in Scots Gaelic.

I've endlessly trawled lists of Scottish girls' names and although there are some lovely ones we know lots of people who have those nice names and can't use them (e.g Eilidh, Ailsa, Cora, Iona).

My friend is of Afro Caribbean heritage and her DH is African. She called her DD Niamh. No one bats an eyelid. If you like it, go for it.

Oh BTW I’m of Irish heritage!

Also Irish, and I say go for it, no one owns names.

Ciara is Irish and there is also a very similar name in Italian.

Cillian /kylian is found in Ireland, France, Germany.

Sean..... Was very popular in the USA for a long time.

Flynn is an Irish surname, I don't hear of too many first name Flynn s in my area. It sounds kinda Irish American to me, nothing wrong with that.

Ailis/Ailish is a pretty name and both Irish and Scottish (I think).

Niamh is a pretty name though and quite common in Scotland now, same with Siobhan and Orla.

Thank you both for your replies, this makes me feel better!

Flynn apparently means "son/child of the red haired one" and my husband is a redhead so we really liked that, as well as the sound of the name. If it's a boy I'm 99% sure that's the name we'll use. It's more common as a surname here in Scotland as well to be honest, but I've heard of a couple of people with it as a first name. Finn and Finlay/Findlay are extremely common here, so it feels like a nice alternative that's a wee bit more unusual without being too out there.

Loads of Irish names have been common in the UK for decades -- I doubt anyone would think twice about using Liam or Sean? Go for it!

I must admit, I find it a bit weird. Obviously your choice, but I do think names are part of a wider cultural context which you don't have, and in this case, have their roots in a language you don't have a connection to. If I saw someone doing this, I wouldn't say anything but I would think it's a bit odd/verging on disrespectful. I know that MN wisdom dictates that you could name your child anything, but she's the one who has to live with it and I'd err on the side of not risking it tbh.

Flynn is a common Irish surname but I don't know anyone with the first name Flynn (I am Irish).
I like it so I would use it if I were you without worrying about it being Irish.
I would have thought it more likely to be American than Irish as quite a few "surnames as first names" derived there.

You will get people who will raise their eyebrows at it but that's their problem. I don't think it's cultural appropriation to use a name from another country or culture that you love and are clearly treating with respect by giving it to your children. It's not a costume. Just don't do what I know to have happened with someone who is half Irish. Her dad the non-Irish parent went to register the birth and hadn't taken the spelling of the name down and gave it to the registrar phonetically!

As long as you don't mangle the pronunciation and/or spelling, help yourself.

I wouldn't actually count Flynn as an Irish name as such, either -- it's an anglicised version of an Irish surname (O'Floinn, or O'Lionn, descendants of Flann) that took a detour via Irish America.

www.libraryireland.com/names/of/o-floinn.php

I would discount in general those Baby Name website 'meanings', which are often hilariously wrong. Yours isn't 'Flann' is associated with redness, but it could be ruddy-complexioned, rather than/as well as red-haired. 'Rua' is the more usual word for red-haired names like Ruadhán, or Ruaidhrí.

I’m Irish. I think it depends a bit on the name. I wouldn’t bat an eyelid at Liam or Sean (although in my experience when you come across these names in GB parents or grandparents are Irish). But I would probably raise an eyebrow at (for example) Siofradh. Maybe because some names are fairly unusual even in Ireland. I do think it’s interesting that names like Orla, Niamh and Maeve have become quite popular in the UK. I agree a bit with @PotatoFacedWombat that I might find it disrespectful but I’m not sure I could put my finger on why, so maybe it’s unfair. I also think Flynn would be a bit American-y Irish, it’s usually a surname - not that it’s not nice though!

Sorry, strikethrough unintended!

Well... if this were Irish pedants corner... which I know it's not...

The name Flann means Red haired or Ruddy

Traditional Irish naming conventions gave a first name often followed by the name of the child's father so if your husband was called Flann due to his red hair, you might call your son John, son of Flann which would be Séan O'Floinn with O'Floinn being the tuiseal guinideach or possessive case of Flann. Floinn on it's own being grammatically incorrect. But as we are talking a translation which disregards convention and grammar - using the name Flynn does follow the modern use of surnames as first names which is quite fashionable and totally acceptable.

Am Irish and wouldn’t find it disrespectful- I think it’s nice and a compliment?! Haven’t heard of Flynn as a first name but go for it; def not a crazy out there choice!

Couldn’t care less. Your baby, your choice, nice name!

Where do you draw the line with this though? My son's name is Germanic in origin and my own is Danish but also happens to be a name in Japanese.

At what point do names pass into common usage? Sean (or Shaun) and Ciara (or Kiera) for example, are widely used in England.

To me, Europe is a huge melting pot and there's a lot of cultural intermixing. Even our languages draw from each other. I think any European name is fair game if you're any flavour of European.

Obviously there's a difference if the name is far removed from your cultural and geographical sphere. For example, I'd raise an eyebrow at a white British person calling a daughter Sayuri or Pocahontas.

@ThreeGuineas and @ChateauMargaux thank you, these replies about the origins of Flynn are really interesting and helpful! Sounds like we're not totally off track thankfully with it being an appropriate name meaning red/red haired (our daughter has red hair so a fairly good chance another child will as well! The ginger genes are strong in our family). It won't surprise you that I also really like Ruaridh, Ruadh is red in Scots Gaelic and this is a common Scottish name - but again, we know several Ruaridhs including one of DH's close friends. (I'm deliberately using the Scottish spelling here, I know it's different in Irish)

I appreciate all the perspectives about Niamh and the use of Irish names in principle. Something in my gut is still niggling with me that it doesn't feel quite right, hence starting the thread, but perhaps I'll get over that! Our own Scottish language and heritage is rich as well and I'd still love to find an authentically Scottish name that we love, and that nobody too close to us has used yet...

Having an Irish name in Scotland is not going to cause issues or draw questions unless it's something really obscure but then if you chose an obscure Scottish Gaelic name you'd face similar issues. There are a lot of connections and similarities between the two countries so IMO it's totally different from choosing some name from a far-off culture.

I'm Welsh and Flynn and Niamh are not in the top 20 but they are in the top 100 in wales I know a few of each and both are on my name lists. I don't think they are overly Irish or so uncommon that people would immediately think Irish.

Both lovely choices
Congratulations

No problem

Calling your daughter Lasairfhíona would be weird. Calling her Niamh wouldn't be. I'd happily nab a name that took my fancy from any European culture. Why wouldn't I?

Don't see an issue with it, my daughter has a Hawaiian name and we're English

Flynn as a first name reminds me of Tangled. For a cartoon man he was pretty hot.

Don't forget :

Rowan
Rory

Also nice red haired people names.

I have a now adult Niamh and live in Scotland, it's never been an issue.