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?

@765penny658, I wasn't taught about the Nazis at school and WW2 was well before my time, but I wouldn't call a child Stasi.

Which is why I said, I don't think it will be an issue kids in his year knowing about it.
They are very likely to know about it. It is our history.

I'm all open for discussions, but you're literally picking for an argument.
You are being ignorant about recent history and implying we are wrong to point out that we are offended.

Its a thread about a name. Not about the English schooling system
You're the one bringing education into it, and BTW not all of us UK citizens are English. Some of use were educated in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

I’m not picking an argument. For you to say that kids his age won’t know about it is simply untrue. The IRA left a lasting legacy which is still very much alive and well today. Personally I wouldn’t want to saddle my child with a name that would make their life very awkward should they ever want to study or work in Ireland but each to their own.. Considering the massive London bombings in the early 90s I am genuinely amazed that you’d never heard of it - the troubles weren’t just confined to NI in those days!

I would assume the child was Jewish, I'm very aware of the IRA but on a child I would assume named after great grandpa (the age of the Iras i have come across)

I was born early 90s. So why would have I heard about it. I learned as I got older, much older. I never learnt about IRA at school, at any point. The the only time I learnt anything was as I got older maybe something was on the news and I asked my dad. My daughter is in yr7, and so far they've never mentioned IRA in any of her classes. But they've definitely learnt about the nazis. All I was getting at is, how can kids know about something they aren't taught, that's why I don't think people his age will think anything of it. And since I called my son Ira, I know quiet a few people that have too. So I'm sure people will just see it as a name, and actually separate it from a terrorist group.

@765penny658 , how can kids know about something they aren't taught, that's why I don't think people his age will think anything of it.
They will know. Children learn from many different sources, as do adults.
Type ira into the search field on your browser and see what the results are.

We honestly could go on forever. But to me I don't think of IRA. I just think of my little boy, Ira. I say his name daily it never once crosses my mind. Not every one agrees. And thats fine

I didn't see the connection and I'm Irish 😮

DD and her friends were all born in 2004 - they’re all fully aware of it and it would take an extremely sheltered + uneducated teen to not have heard of the IRA despite very few of their generation being directly affected. Of course kids learn things in places other than school, the lack of Irish history in the GCSE + A level curriculum is actually a big point of debate at the minute!

Bet you would if he spelled his name in Starbucks though

Good point @JenniferBarkley

It's very old school isn't it (like Asa which was popular early 20th century too).

I HRTFT but it's a man's name.

As far as I am aware it's a Jewish name - think Ira Levin - author - Rosemary's Baby, Stepford Wives..

Your choice !

Im not sure if you’re serious OP but assuming that you are then no, please don’t do it. Unless you’re moving back to Australia soon in which case it’s probably ok. No one in UK and Ireland will think it’s OK. And can you imagine having to spell the child’s name for every doctor app/school/creche etc .. “I R A” 🙈

And yet my friend has a 3 year old with this name in England and as far as I know nobody has ever batted an eyelid.

"as far as I know". Quite.

Not this thread again 🤦‍♀️

I will say it once and I will say it again to any new posters - if you want your child to be named after a terrorist group in order to cause issues/embarrassment every time they visit Ireland or NI then go ahead, name them IRA. If you’re a decent human being and don’t want these problems then make a more sensible and respectful choice

I know a boy whose name sounds like that but different spelling, not sure what it is maybe Ayra or Aiyra or something like that pretty sure it has a Y and an A somewhere but basically sounds the same nad I would never have linked it to IRA.

For a little bit I wanted to cal my daughter Isis but then the terrorist group hit the headlines. Eventually I had a boy whom I named a really standard old fashioned name that nobody would ask him how to spell 😉

A much more reasonable choice

I think it’s a lovely name. I’m of an older generation when the IRA were in the news all the time, but still had to think for a moment why Ira would be a problem.
if you like it, go for it. By the time DS is old enough to need to spell it out, very few people will have any or much memory of The Troubles. I suspect there then will be other names that have more unfortunate connotations which we can’t predict - Boris, Rishi anyone?

In my opinion it's not even a nice enough name to be on the fence about it, it's the name of terrorist organisation it's a no. Same with Isis I know it's not a popular name but I've heard it a few times it's always a shock to the system

Isis is the name of an ancient Egyptian goddess, that's where I got it from before I ever heard of the terrorist group (this is going back 10 years!)

Living near Oxford, when I hear the name Isis I think of the river or maybe the Ancient Egyptian God. I think people are a bit over the top about random connections that names have in a point of history.

Nobody is being named IRA. They are being named Ira. Most likely from the Hebrew etymology.

It isn't disrespectful to use a name that has been in use for thousands of years.

If OP’s DS happens to become friends with someone from Ireland/NI or chooses to move there I can assure you that they will be very aware of why his name is inappropriate. Kids here aren’t ignorant, they know the history of their own country. Teen DD and her friends have all lived very sheltered and privileged lives, none of them have been affected by the troubles in the slightest but they could still tell you plenty about the history of it, and the consequences that still plague many parts of Irish society today

We live in Belfast and there are certainly many parts of the city in which you would definitely not want to mention or spell that name