Can I name my baby Ira?

[phonemouse]

I live in the uk. We like the name Ira (pronounced Eye-ra).
It's a fairly popular name in the states and Australia but I am aware it has some other connotations.
Do you think honestly that it would be an issue?

My poor daughter in law has her name sometimes shortened to Tori - now that is very unfortunate!

I know majority of people named Isis will have been named so before the group formed it's just unfortunate because it's actually a pretty name. If you really like ira as a name that's fine but maybe look at alternative spellings just to save your daughter a lifetime of people making unwanted connotations Ayra, Aira, Eyra

You are really being weird about this. For most people who see the name Ira written down or spoken the connection to the Irish Republican Army does not ever enter their mind.

I woudn't use that name in the UK.

Certain elements still slag of irish people in Scotland whithout needing the IRA link. (Yes, my DP's mum, and I have reminded her I am of Irish descent, so rude.)

What about Ivo?

Tori isn’t bad but on the other hand DD knows a girl who is actually called Tory as her ‘proper’ name.. the mind boggles!

Yes but every time you have to spell it out, you say IRA.

When we name a baby, we're giving them a name to carry throughout their life. We can have no idea whether a person we haven't met yet will find it embarrassing or not to spell their name, so probably best to avoid it in Ireland or the UK, even though the name has completely different origins.

I’m not being weird about it, I just live in a part of the world where this name would be considered weird by many people and can’t fathom why someone would want to knowingly saddle their child with that problem

@SomethingUniqueThisTime I would’ve loved to have named DD Pippa, but the Italian translation of ‘wanker’ quickly shut that idea down. In this day and age DC need to have names that will travel well, wherever they choose to go in the world. The same applies to Ira.

Seriously you need to do let it go, I suspect in the areas of the city you mention there are all sorts of names, words, colours and other coded signals which could cause an eyebrow to be raised - do you want to veto them all?

You need some perspective if you feel the naming of a little baby somewhere else in the UK an ancient Hebrew name is an affront to your own personal history.

I disagree.
My initials used to spell out SMP (salt, mustard, pepper) which used to appear on the sides of table cruets. Not since I was 10 has anyone teased me about it. The world changes, and what is a distant memory now will not be of any consequence in a further few years time.
The person could spell it out as the phonetic alphabet if they were at all concerned about it - India, Romeo, Alpha

I’d maybe stop making assumptions on these ‘areas of the city’ which you very clearly know nothing about. I do not feel that it is an affront to my personal history (again another assumption) but plenty of people would

I don’t need perspective, I am very well travelled and went to the most diverse school in the entire country where the catholic v protestant debate simply didn’t even exist. I am anything but small minded but I feel it is important to respect other cultures. As I pointed out I feel that kids need to be given names that will travel well with them wherever their lives may go. I really cannot see what your issue with this is

Isis is a lovely Egyptian name, that doesn’t make it appropriate given the connotations.

I love the name - very Jewish. But I’m in Australia where it wouldn’t be an issue at all. In the UK I think I’d choose Eli over Ira.

Yes, I actually think Isis is a lovely name, just unfortunate that it got used but some not so lovely people in the end. I've always thought Iris was pretty too, a neighbours mum was called Iris when I was child and I loved it

@MaloneMeadow
I do not want to perpetuate the argument anymore, let’s just agree to disagree.

But my main point is no one can honestly predict how a name given today will stand the test of time and I have no doubt a perfectly innocent name will turn out to be the same as a notorious serial killer sometime in the future. I have a good friend named Myra when she was born in the 1950s, a lovely name but she now calls herself Mim.

it isn’t pronounced the same. People do mispronounce Eira as eye-ruh but that isn’t correct, it’s Aye-Rah.

The trouble with that is all kinds of names are problematic somewhere in the world. And I really don’t think anyone with half a brain in NI would hear the name Ira and connect it with the IRA. Written down they might think it briefly, but again if they have a brain I’m sure they’ll realise it’s nothing to do with the IRA.

Great name. I know quite a few in the UK. In the main older Jewish men. Reckon it's due a revival.

Imagine the looks you'd get in Belfast if you named your child Malone.

A lovely part of the city to be named after if that’s a statement somebody really wanted to make. I’ve heard much worse