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Baby names
Aoife - if not Irish?
Helpneeded12345 · 18/03/2023 10:36
I love the name Aoife. It is my all time favourite girls name but neither my partner or I are Irish (my great-grandparents were Irish but this is a very long way back!)
I would love to hear your thoughts. Do you think it is ok to use Aoife if not Irish or would it be weird / cultural appropriation?
I'm particularly interested in opinions from anyone Irish - would it be offensive?
saltwater1985 · 19/03/2023 18:56
LizzieAnt · 18/03/2023 16:11
A link to pronunciation for anyone wondering forvo.com/word/aoife/
Listen to the Antarctic fellow pronounce it 😂😂
Enko · 19/03/2023 22:06
Dh and I have no Irish connections but we still have a dd named Aoife and we love the name.
I find it odd that it is seen as a question but a name like Rebecca, Olivia or Chloe' is not questioned. Yet not English/British
A quick google told me it is now 190th in UK and 30th in Ireland so getting into " normal" (said with quotation marks - tongue in cheek) territory.
KirstenBlest · 20/03/2023 12:29
I'm in Ireland and I've come across lots of Priyas Lots??
I find it odd that it is seen as a question but a name like Rebecca, Olivia or Chloe' is not questioned. Yet not English/British
Rebecca is biblical, and Olivia is shakespearean, so do not compare.
Chloe has only been popular since the late 1980s. Something to do with the fashion brand perhaps?
derbylass81 · 20/03/2023 12:49
Lostmarblesfinder · 18/03/2023 13:46
Oh and we do have a version of the name Eva in Ireland, if you find Aoife complicated you are going to love it, it is spelt Aoibhe.
Could you explain how each of these are pronounced please? Love Aoife but not sure I'm pronouncing it quite correctly
harrietm87 · 20/03/2023 13:12
derbylass81 · 20/03/2023 12:49
Could you explain how each of these are pronounced please? Love Aoife but not sure I'm pronouncing it quite correctly
Lostmarblesfinder · 18/03/2023 13:46
Oh and we do have a version of the name Eva in Ireland, if you find Aoife complicated you are going to love it, it is spelt Aoibhe.
Aoife = eefuh
Aoibhe = eevuh
in my NI accent anyway.
I often hear English people pronouncing Aoife as EefAH which sounds terrible to me.
Lostmarblesfinder · 20/03/2023 16:02
harrietm87 · 20/03/2023 13:12
Aoife = eefuh
Aoibhe = eevuh
in my NI accent anyway.
I often hear English people pronouncing Aoife as EefAH which sounds terrible to me.
derbylass81 · 20/03/2023 12:49
Could you explain how each of these are pronounced please? Love Aoife but not sure I'm pronouncing it quite correctly
Lostmarblesfinder · 18/03/2023 13:46
Oh and we do have a version of the name Eva in Ireland, if you find Aoife complicated you are going to love it, it is spelt Aoibhe.
It is Eefah where I am near Dublin. Very strong ah sound at the end definitely not an uh. Ah!!! Irish dialects impossible to get a single answer.
ReadersD1gest · 20/03/2023 16:22
Violethayes · 20/03/2023 16:07
It’s not an attractive name in my opinion. Sounds like a clumsy fat person or a wheezy noise. However if I liked it I would use it regardless if it being Irish.
Well, that's bloody rude! Is there any need?
Op, I'm an Irish Aoife and it's definitely pronounced Eee-fa. Go for it 😄
LizzieAnt · 20/03/2023 16:27
Lostmarblesfinder · 20/03/2023 16:02
It is Eefah where I am near Dublin. Very strong ah sound at the end definitely not an uh. Ah!!! Irish dialects impossible to get a single answer.
harrietm87 · 20/03/2023 13:12
Aoife = eefuh
Aoibhe = eevuh
in my NI accent anyway.
I often hear English people pronouncing Aoife as EefAH which sounds terrible to me.
derbylass81 · 20/03/2023 12:49
Could you explain how each of these are pronounced please? Love Aoife but not sure I'm pronouncing it quite correctly
Lostmarblesfinder · 18/03/2023 13:46
Oh and we do have a version of the name Eva in Ireland, if you find Aoife complicated you are going to love it, it is spelt Aoibhe.
I have to say a strong ah at the end of Aoife (or indeed Saoirse) sounds wrong to my ear too. The word aife has the same ending and it's given here in various Irish language dialects.
www.teanglann.ie/en/fuaim/aife
SilverViking · 20/03/2023 16:43
@Helpneeded12345
Remember, the Irish migrated (long before migrated became a negative term) to all corners of the globe and have friendly influences in many countries. So many people claim Irish heritage no matter how tenuous it is - because they all love the Irish.
So use away at any Irish name... we will be chuffed and not offended!!
Templebreedy · 20/03/2023 18:19
LizzieAnt · 20/03/2023 16:27
I have to say a strong ah at the end of Aoife (or indeed Saoirse) sounds wrong to my ear too. The word aife has the same ending and it's given here in various Irish language dialects.
www.teanglann.ie/en/fuaim/aife
Lostmarblesfinder · 20/03/2023 16:02
It is Eefah where I am near Dublin. Very strong ah sound at the end definitely not an uh. Ah!!! Irish dialects impossible to get a single answer.
harrietm87 · 20/03/2023 13:12
Aoife = eefuh
Aoibhe = eevuh
in my NI accent anyway.
I often hear English people pronouncing Aoife as EefAH which sounds terrible to me.
derbylass81 · 20/03/2023 12:49
Could you explain how each of these are pronounced please? Love Aoife but not sure I'm pronouncing it quite correctly
Lostmarblesfinder · 18/03/2023 13:46
Oh and we do have a version of the name Eva in Ireland, if you find Aoife complicated you are going to love it, it is spelt Aoibhe.
In the nicest possible way, Dublin is not where I would look to for a correct pronunciation of Irish words.
AnonymousArmadillo · 20/03/2023 22:14
Violethayes · 20/03/2023 16:07
It’s not an attractive name in my opinion. Sounds like a clumsy fat person or a wheezy noise. However if I liked it I would use it regardless if it being Irish.
Couldn’t just say you didn’t like it, could you? Had liken to liken it to a fat person for some unknown reason.
Enko · 20/03/2023 23:16
KirstenBlest · 20/03/2023 12:29
I'm in Ireland and I've come across lots of Priyas Lots??
I find it odd that it is seen as a question but a name like Rebecca, Olivia or Chloe' is not questioned. Yet not English/British
Rebecca is biblical, and Olivia is shakespearean, so do not compare.
Chloe has only been popular since the late 1980s. Something to do with the fashion brand perhaps?
Biblical or not Rebecca. Is not British. Olivia btw is biblical too(Genesis)
Chloe is one of the ones predicted to rise.
My point however is that the names were not originally British but are now seen very normal. There is no reason why it can't happen from other areas too.
Phoebe had almost become rare before the mid
1990s. And now it's hugely popular and not looking like itn
will Stop anytime soon. Yet it's Greek.
Like language names evolve and change.
Enko · 21/03/2023 20:26
KirstenBlest · 21/03/2023 20:22
@Enko , Rebecca is not of English origin, but it is a name from the English version of the bible. Mary is an English name.
Mary is of Hebrew origin. It has been so commonly used in English it is now seen as an English name.
That is kinda my point all names can become so common in use that they no longer appear " foreign"
Also, I am making the assumption you know that the bible was not originally written in English.
Enko · 22/03/2023 12:21
KirstenBlest · 22/03/2023 09:27
@Enko , don't be silly - of course the Bible was first written in English! You'll be telling me next that a lot of them weren't Christians 
Mary is of Hebrew origin, but is an English name.
Using this logic Aoife is a English name too
Its in the top 200 names in the UK.
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