May McManus

[Evmamai]

Hi all, I posted before but looking to know thoughts on this.

We have a toddler named Eve and are expecting baby girl 2. We love the name May it’s our favourite name but our surname is McManus and we are worried it doesn’t flow.

Thoughts on May McManus?

The 2 names together sound like an old woman's name. With a name like that, I picture someone 70+
Maya Mc Manus, or Maia Mc Manus are very similar but don't sound as old fashioned.

If you love it then you should use it. I think May McManus sounds sounds perfectly ok.
I don't see any issue with a first and second name starting with the same letter. And McManus isn't a ridiculous name!

Too many Ms for me, bit tongue twistery

Isla McManus
Cara McManus
Beth McManus (although not with Elizabeth)
Freya McManus
Rose McManus
Lila McManus

I think it's a great name and flows nicely. It's cool, yet also 'normal' so stick with your gut instinct

I am English and pronounce it to rhyme with, day. i haven't heard any other pronunciation of it. How else is it pronounced?

Lovely name use it.
My child's name is an alliteration which rhymes with that name - and we love it.

No… M M M is too much, reminds me of the wrestler Mick McManus!

I have no idea. I also pronounce it to rhyme with day but now it’s making me question how I pronounce day.

Well, yes, I rhyme it with all the same words you rhyme it with. But my vowel is different to yours!

Listen to the Nicola Sturgeon in the video I posted. Imagine her saying “the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain”. (Which is the same “a” sound as May). Now say it yourself.

In Ireland we pronounce mc as mac because that's where it comes from. Mac means 'son of' in Gaelic. The name is son of Manus. Also, how else would you pronounce May other than it rhyming with day? Some of the pronunciation stuff on mumsnet is bizarre.

I was thinking that too. My parents used to go to watch him in the Kelvin Hall!

I have just listened to about a dozen English people pronouncing May and it sounds no different to the way that I pronounce it.

I'm Scottish and I absolutely LOVE this name! I can just imagine a wee feisty toddler who grows up into a beautiful badass young woman and when she's old she's the matriarch of a whole village . Do it 😊

I like it. I like Mabel too

That’s interesting. I have a friend who is MacManus and we would say her surname with “Mack” but McManus with “Mick”, obviously the origins are the same just said slightly different. Running through all the Macs and Mcs I know I think it’s consistent. Other than off the top of of my head McGovern/MacKellar/McGhie which we say MihGovern and MihKellar, MihGee and so on.
Fascinating how language and pronunciation works.

Fabulous name, love the alliteration.

Amy?

I do like May but think it needs another syllable. The only other McManus I can think of is Michelle McManus which doesn’t sound as tongue twistery.

Maeve McManus is lovely.

In my head this little girl will look quite similar to my DD (I know this may not be the case but it’s where my brain goes). And I just can’t see her with Mabel/Rose etc. as lovely as they are I just can’t imagine a little feisty blonde with messy curls being those names.
I think I have my heart set on May which is making other names less appealing too, like when you get your heart set on a specific snack and realise it’s out of stock so end up getting nothing instead!

Having read the whole thread, although it initially looked like a lot of 'm' sounds, the more I see it the more I like it! I think people would very quickly get used to it - and May is a great first name.

Think it sounds great... Prefer Elizabeth to Victoria as middle as softer abd more rhythmic...the T seems to stop the flow..
My grandma was a Mae .... Never met another..

Love it! Think it sounds absolutely meant to be / like it's already a name, if you know what I mean... like if a celebrity was called that I'd think great name. And like of all the options for naming your baby sometimes one just sounds like yes, that's the one. I reckon this is the one!

May is great, goes wonderfully with your surname x

Mollie McManus
Milaia McManus
Micha McManus

Wtf! Lots of people have the surname McManus!! It us every common Irish surname and this is yet another of the nasty anti Irish comments on here. I am reporting. It is racist.

@Needmorelego , Of course they are.