Eoin or Billy for baby boy?

[PreggersWithBaby2]

Torn between Eoin or Billy. Which would you choose? I feel like Billy is growing in popularity which is turning me off slightly.

For some background, both names have been chosen in memory of family members. We have a daughter who has a dreaded name on mumsnet - a "shortened" name 😱😱😱 like Billy, so those style of names don't bother us and we won't be using William!

@WickieRoy it's similar here. I was a bit taken aback when I got an Ailie in my class but at least it saved the poor girl from being called Eyelid or similar if it had been spelled Eilidh 😆

I also found it absolutely hilarious that it's Eoin and Billy 🤣🙈

Definitely Eoin. My DH has a name with a similar vibe to Billy. Which was fine when he was a cute child but he hated it as soon as he was in his 20s and has done ever since. He calls himself something more adult sounding now but he hates it when he has to use his full name for official purposes.

I don't really like Billy as an actual name as I'm a bit old fashioned about names. As @Notreat said, it's fine for a little boy but he might not like it later in life. My OH has a name like that and he's changed it himself over the years. Maybe if you called him William, he could be Billy when he's little then decide to call himself any derivation when he's older

The only Billy's I know are either teenagers or 45+ but I take it on board. I will not be using William!

Same here.

ttps://medievalscotland.org/problem/names/iain.shtml

Billy is awful, so Eoin.

My only knowledge of Eoin is ex Aberdeen player Eoin (Ian) Jess so I voted Eoin thinking that Ian isn't used much now 😂

Neither name is great.
Have you any alternatives?

Voted Eoin despite potential pronunciation issues outside Ireland, as I think most people would assume Billy was actually William on the BC and he might find that annoying when older (like many others I do love timeless William with the nn Billy though! 🤣) I just don’t think Billy is like Liam or even Jack, Max etc yet, ie. popular enough in its own right that people will forget the name it originated from.

No but thanks for your input 👍

I like the idea of naming after people close to our hearts which is how we narrowed it down to Eoin or Billy.

And he showed it to the girl next door

Opened this for the exact reason lol. So funny as in n.ireland thus question would literally never be asked.

For context Billy would remind us on king Billy,which a Catholic wouldn't use and Eoin is irish and a protestant wouldn't use...obviously there is exceptions to this but none the less that's a basic explanation

if you are in England , Scotland or wales consider Owen as an alternative .

i also expected it to be Ian .

I thought the same. A super Irish name, or a super English one as two options seems weird. Assume OP is British?

Eoghan is Own and Eoin is Owen, OP. Two different if similar sounding names. One is an Irish form of John (Naomh Eoin Baiste is the Irish for St John the Baptist) and the other is something to do with yew trees.

She's Irish. Billy wouldn't be as contentious south of the border.

I agree.
I'm in the south and know a good few Billys.
A lot more Liams though.

I definitely love the idea of naming DC after people close to you, but imo it’s better in the middle name spot (you could even use both Billy and Eoin as lots of people have two middle names). I think first names should be something the parents love the sound of in its own right -if it happens to also be the name of a long deceased relative or something then that’s a bonus but I think it’s nice to give a first name that primarily makes you think of DC first.

I think first names should be something the parents love the sound of in its own right

Totally agree with this which is how we've narrowed it down to these two names. Both of us love other names that the other has vetoed!

I knew 2 Bills, 1 Billy and 1 Billy/Bill all in the southwest so it's common enough in the southern part of the country. Came across a Willy Power once... It's a common enough name in families with Anglo Norman surnames, along with Richard. Funny how both have shortenings meaning something else!

Thanks to all the Scots on this thread saying it's pronounced like Ian in Scotland. I had assumed that without a fada or strac they would all be pronounced the Irish way rather than the Gaelic way, but it looks like a whole new pronunciation as evolved!

I thought the Billy/ Eoin dichotomy too!

However, there is always Billy Connolly, who is:

a) a Catholic Billy
b) a really old Billy
c) a legend