Fiachra - thoughts?

[pontipinemum]

I'm Irish and live in Ireland.

I found out I am having a boy 🤗I already have a Pádraig, we are looking for something else Irish, and preferably not super popular. I've posted before, I have a massive family so a lot of names have been used already

What are thoughts on Fiachra? Non Irish people, would you have any idea how to say it?

I’ll let my very close relative know that he’s pronouncing his own name wrong then 😉

I also thought it was the word for teeth in Irish. Not a big fan of it but it is your choice and once you are happy with it. I gave my son an Irish name and most people manage with it but often gets called out wrong if at a doctor appt. etc

It is a nice name, but yes, it does bring teeth to mind.

Ruairí is a great name.

I like the name that sonjadog suggested Ruairi... I also love the name Niall.

@pontipinemum if you’re living in Ireland, why are you worried that people won’t be able to pronounce “Fiachra”? If you’re going up put the question to people living in England, I’d expect a totally different answer, and if you were not living in Ireland yourself, I can understand why you’d be concerned. But surely Irish people are going to be able to pronounce it? It’s not that unusual. If you like it, use it. (As for it reminding people of Viagra -it’s nothing LIKE viagra! )

Had to edit-stupid phone autocorrected it!🙈🙈🙈

We strongly considered Ruairí with our first DS. But had a few people say Rory/ Ruairí are pronounced the same so it put me off.

@Procrastination4 the majority of people on this site are not Irish so I was just curious

If you’re Irish and living in Ireland, I really don’t see why you’re asking the opinion of English people who, in a recent thread, will only countenance ‘subtle Irish names’ ie. not too incomprehensible to a Little Englander who thinks foreign names are mildly embarrassing and that it’s unreasonable to expect them to even try to learn how to say them. (And yes, not all English people, but they’re over-represented in these threads)

I do like Fiachra, though I didn’t consider it for DS because of the Fiachra Frog and fiacla associations, but it is a nice name. DS was nearly named Ferdia or Iarla, and if we’d been living in Ireland at the time, he would have been. Either of those do it for you?

I love the idea of you roaring ‘Pádraig! Pierce!’ across a field.

Fee-Kra?

Yes I know that, but people in Ireland-where you’re living-most likely would be able to pronounce it, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
If I really wanted to use an Irish name for my son or daughter, and I was living in Ireland, I’d do so. Anyone not familiar with the name will learn it easily.
.Think of the Welsh name Siân-my colleague pronounced that as “Cee-Ann”, (and had her whole class of children doing the same!) Luckily it wasn’t a child’s name in her class, but rather, a character on a Maths programme. But I presume that, had she been Welsh, she would not have made that mistake.

It does matter for the future though. Mr Fog every so often points to a name and asks how to say it - he works with international teams. All mangling each other's names in a glorious Babel. The misreading isn't always based on English - and it's worth remembering that in many languages Viagra is actually the same vowel sounds as Fiachra.

@PlasticOno people would think we were very republican! Someone else said Ferdia, not that it's a bad thing but for some reason I think that sounds very Portuguese not Irish, not a fan of Iarla

There’s also the problem of people who aren’t from a culture/don’t speak a language, but use a mispronounced version of a name. I had a hairdresser in England called Siân, pronounced ‘Sye-Anne’.

Gorgeous name :)

I tried saying it and it comes out like either firecracker or viagra. Better in an irish accent?

Naoise was the other one we seriously considered for DS. And Fergus.

But now I really want you to have Pádraig and Pierce.

It’s better if pronounced properly. FEE-a-kra.

@Blackcats7 everything sounds better in an Irish accent 😉I'm not getting the Viagra sound at all. But it's Fee-ah-cra

Awful. No matter how you want to pronounce it, remember your daughter in (probably 18-20 years) will want to go out on her own in to the world.

Adding a name that the vast population of the world can't say or understand, is not a good move.

I would read/say it Fye Akk Ra

With hard "a" sounds, like in tan.

In fact, not dissimilar to Viagra, which I pronounce Vye Agg Ra.

Another thought, I have a very unusual last name. I get entirely fed up with spelling it and telling people how it is pronounced.
Might this name lead to similar issues?

What a moronic post. It’s a boy’s name, as clearly stated in the OP, and the majority of the population of the world couldn’t pronounce Jack, George, Sophie and the other beige names preferred by the ‘Foreign names are impossible brigade’.

What an insult to the millions of Irish people!
The op lives in Ireland and wants to give her son an Irish name.
The whole world doesn't need to call their DC by English names just to please you and your lack of ability to comprehend other languages!

@Bananabredd it's a boys name.

@Blackcats7 I don't have an unusual name but one with many legit spellings and I don't really mind. My maiden name was very unusual I quite liked it, until I got married from what I could see online I was the only one in the world with my name, I'm now one of three.

I don't think I'll go with Fiachra after this, which is why I posted. Good to see unbiased opinions.

I do like Finn/ Fionn but they are so popular. Maybe I need to be less worried about that