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).

Can’t understand the comments about being disrespectful. Ffs. It’s just a bloody name.
I’m English but if it weren’t for the Irish potato famine then I would certainly have been Irish. My surname is Irish and my dm’s maternal granny had an Irish maiden name. My gran had a french maiden name and married a man with welsh heritage.
Most people are a hotch potch of heritage.

Part of what makes using a name from another language is how established they already are and I don’t think it’s a simple as ‘it’s ok to use German names but not Japanese names’. It’s also very personal as to where the line is between what’s ok and what’s not ok to use. Louis is a French name that no one would bat an eyelid if I used despite having no connection to France, but being my son Jean-Baptiste would be bizarre to say the least. Niamh and Flynn are established enough in Britain that I personally don’t think it’s a problem. I’ve known a few Niamh’s with no Irish heritage. And for Flynn, Flynn Rider from Tangled is my first thought.

I think you should get brownie points for shoehorning in the dreaded Tuiseal Ginideach into a Mn discussion!

Call your child any name you like. Part of Scotland was Irish a long time ago - Dal Riada. The two countries are intertwined.

Also spelt Dál Riata

Niamh is very common now so I don’t think anyone will make a comment

I'm Scottish and live in Scotland.

I know lots of Niamhs and none of them have any Irish heritage.

I also know a couple of Flynns :) I'm a teacher and come across a lot of names!

Me and DH are both English and both have coincidentally Scottish names.

Nobody has ever mentioned that they think it's odd.

I think you are overthinking things

I've got a Caitlin and my sister has a Bronwen and neither of us has Irish heritage. My other daughter has a name of Scandinavian origin but no-one had ever batted an eyelid or commented other than to say the names are lovely.

DS1 has an Irish name (much more obviously Irish than Flynn) and we have no Irish roots. I blame post-birth madness!

I was worried people would think we were strange or disrespectful to use an Irish name but no one has even asked if we have Irish heritage - they just accept him as Name.

His name suits him perfectly and I can’t imagine him with the very English alternative we considered!

My friend Ciara emigrated to London in the 80s from Ireland and back then most people had problems trying to make sense of Irish names. She was going for an interview and they had only seen her name on paper and were apparently expecting someone of Indian / Pakistani culture to arrive for the interview. They were pronouncing it Ceee ara.

Another friend Niamh married a Brit and her inlaws had terrible trouble trying to make sense of her name and kept calling her Ny-am. She got so pissed with them she would tell them to just think of Eve and stick an N in front of it.

But now in the 2020's things have moved on and you hear all mix of names everywhere. I knew a lad back in the 90's who was named Pablo Murphy 😂which still makes me laugh but hey anything goes.

Niamh is mainstream now and Flynn isn’t even Irish (well it is, but a surname and don’t know any actual Irish people called that). So I think your choices are fine OP.

Let eyebrows bring raised as they please. Go for it.

2 of my DC have a French and an Arabic name and we're British. If you like the name go for it!

I'm Welsh, have a Welsh name and moved to England 8 years ago. DH is English. Our DD has an unusual Welsh name. Omg the comments. Pretty much everyone asks me if I'm Welsh: one even said I was lying because I didn't sound Welsh so why am I using a Welsh name. People are so judgemental I was really surprised!

Oh and Flynn was on our boy list and we're not Irish

I'm Irish I wouldn't find it inappropriate. My own name supposedly has German origins. My mam god love her actually thought it was some sort of twist on Irish.

@fruitandfibreg that is soooo rude to say you were lying. Honestly some people have nothing better to do.

If you live in an area of Scotland where people of Irish descent are often discriminated against, face sectarian hostility etc, then I can understand the concern. But otherwise, I don't think it's an issue. Most Irish people don't care what people of other ethnic groups/nationalities name their children.

I’m Irish. No problem at all.

Oh and my parents gave me a French name despite being Irish speakers (Gaeltacht area). I was child no 5 and my mum wanted to be fancy I think.

When I hear Flynn I just think of the Olaf version of Tangled where he takes the piss out of Flynn’s smoulder tendencies.
As long as you don’t mangle the pronunciation or spelling crack on.

Lots of Niamhs and Maeves around here. I am sure v few of them have a lot of Irish ancestry.