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'm in full support of Fiachra. It's a beautiful name, I'd use it for ours due later this year if there wasn't one very close by already in the family (we also have an Oisín, which I've seen you like too!). I also don't think it's the "worst" in terms of assumed pronunciation either, so not something I'd worry about in the UK.

@Axx I had a quick look Michael is actually very popular, it's been consistently in the top 15 since records began here - early 60s

Rhymes with viagra?

It's really interesting to me the number of people imagining it rhymes with Viagra 🤔

I'd also never seen the name before but it starts with Fi so, in terms of names, I associated it with Fiona or Ffion (both of which are a 'fee' sound). It wouldn't have ever occurred to me to pronounce the first bit as 'feye' instead.

No, the F and ck combo could be too tempting to mispronounce by bullies.

What now?

Sex on the brain this lot. A Fiachra I know retired as a college lecturer recently. Nobody ever compared him to a treatment for erectile dysfunction , still less the sex act itself.

Btw , a taxi in Paris used to be known as a fiacre because horse drawn cabs assembled outside a hotel of that name . Which was built on the site of a church dedicated to the Saint of that name - afaik ! Just off to double check .

Not Irish, so no idea. I do think it’s a bit rubbish to give a child a name that they will permanently be explaining and spelling

So no one who emigrates should give their DC a name from their own culture?

In any case OP lives in Ireland @HummingbirdChandelier.

The op asked specifically if non Irish people would know how to say it 🤷🏼‍♀️

Well I just googled and it wasn't a church but a house bearing the saint's effigy. Fiachra protects gardeners as well as travellers.

Absolutely fine not to know how to say a name in another language.

Saying that someone shouldn't use a name because it isn't phonetic in your country is a different matter altogether.

Not what I said

It is though.

You said:

I do think it’s a bit rubbish to give a child a name that they will permanently be explaining and spelling

OP lives in Ireland, so her DS wouldn't be permanently explaining and spelling his name there. It's not super common but certainly well known enough to be very familiar to most of the population.

Presumably you meant she shouldn't use the name as it would have to be spelled and explained to people from elsewhere.

Do you apply the same to names like Catherine/Katherine/Kathryn with multiple spellings or names like Naomi and Helena with multiple pronunciations, or is it just foreign names?

I went to school with a keeva and a qweeva both Caoimhe.. lots are now using Keeva and spelling it that way too

Caoimhe pronounced ‘Queeva’ and pronounced ‘Keeva’ is a regional variant. Always Caoimhe pronounced Queeva around here. Anglicising happens — Órflaith to Órla, but using a letter that doesn’t exist in Irish does bother me.

Do British people have a problem pronouncing Fiona 🤔 same as Fiachra FI said FEE same as the FI in Fiona
I can't believe anyone believed it's pronounced FYE achra or is Fiona actually FYE ona 🙄

Kian and Kieran come to mind

Some appear to struggle with the concept of foreign languages in general, let alone people they think of as fellow monoglot English speakers who can and do speak other languages in these islands — it’s why they’re always so vociferous on threads about Welsh people shockingly speaking Welsh in pubs and shops in Wales.

Caoimhe was always closer to Queeva (not Keeva) when I was in the Gaeltacht (West of Ireland)…there are many regional differences - just look at the travesty of duolingo 😂

Depends which Gaeltacht you are in! But if the OP is looking for a name people have a chance of pronouncing correctly outside of Ireland, I am not sure Caoimhe is the name to go for. It is also a female name.

Yes it is a female name, we have been side-tracked 😂

I think Naoise is a great name but while it is definitely originally a boys name, t’Internet says it is now more commonly used for girls.

What about that Irish writer Caimh McDonnell?…I had never heard of that name before him. T’internet suggests it’s basically equivalent to Kev 😃

Try Rollercoaster?

If you like Fiachra go for it. The trouble with this site is it's out of context. ITRW it will be grand.

Same thing happens with English boys names like Beverly and Shirley.
Once they're popular for girls that's it. Though I do know one male Shirley