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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

May McManus

111 replies

Evmamai · 13/02/2025 18:28

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?

OP posts:
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Lou205 · 13/02/2025 20:20

Love it OP.

salamithumbs · 13/02/2025 20:20

I think it sounds nice! Irish here so the surname wouldn't strike me as odd at all

JanetareyouokareyouokJanet · 13/02/2025 20:21

It’s a great name.

ChampagneSuperNova00 · 13/02/2025 20:25

I like it because I love alliterative names, but since hearing your description of your dd1 I think Molly goes even better and has a great ring to it

ChampagneSuperNova00 · 13/02/2025 20:26

I’m probably biased because my dd is called molly and is very similar!

Original poster
Evmamai · 13/02/2025 20:27

ChampagneSuperNova00 · 13/02/2025 20:25

I like it because I love alliterative names, but since hearing your description of your dd1 I think Molly goes even better and has a great ring to it

I do like Molly, but DH is not a fan. He says it makes him think of Molly Coddled and a girl he used to teach who made his job … stressful at times.

DH being a teacher has ruled out loads of names for us!

OP posts:
ChampagneSuperNova00 · 13/02/2025 20:29

Ha! Mollycoddled describes my dd to a T 😂

Original poster
Evmamai · 13/02/2025 20:32

ChampagneSuperNova00 · 13/02/2025 20:29

Ha! Mollycoddled describes my dd to a T 😂

Haha, I’m definitely prone to a little mollycoddling with DD myself!

I think Molly is a lovely name and I went to school with a Molly who was very sweet and always kind (one of those girls who was just friends with everyone and no one had a bad word to say about her).

Unfortunately a couple of years ago DH taught a Molly who was … well from what I’ve been told quite the character and rather funny but maybe not the easiest to teach!

OP posts:
SheridansPortSalut · 13/02/2025 20:32

How about Maeve? It's a bit less of a tongue twister with McManus but you could call her May when not using her last name.

MirandaBlu · 13/02/2025 20:33

I understand why you question it - with two Ms in the last name, and the first name being one syllable starting in M, it COULD be a bit much. But honestly, it seems fine to me. I would probably not use something like Minnie McManus or Maris McManus, but May seems OK.

(I'm also Scottish and may be used to kind of tuning out all of the Macs and Mcs, though!)

Original poster
Evmamai · 13/02/2025 20:33

SheridansPortSalut · 13/02/2025 20:32

How about Maeve? It's a bit less of a tongue twister with McManus but you could call her May when not using her last name.

Because Maeve ends in Eve when written they feel too similar on paper.

OP posts:
SheridansPortSalut · 13/02/2025 20:34

Evmamai · 13/02/2025 20:33

Because Maeve ends in Eve when written they feel too similar on paper.

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Fair point.

HelloMyNameIsElderSmurf · 13/02/2025 20:34

YourWinter · 13/02/2025 19:52

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

That's the boy. I didn't want to come out and say 'it sounds like a wrestler' but that's why I'm thinking that.

I think you need a longer first name op to balance the three syllables in the surname.

Maeve McManus
Mairi McManus (pronounced Mah-ri, not like Mary)
Margot McManus (but I adore Margot as a name)
Megan McManus

Needmorelego · 13/02/2025 21:27

HugoYorway · 13/02/2025 20:19

@Needmorelego , Of course they are.

"Of course they are" what? I'm not sure what you are tagging me about.

Moreteaandchocolate · 13/02/2025 21:38

May is such a gorgeous name and so perfect with Eve. I think you’ve got your heart set on it and should go for it 😊 It seems from this thread that in a Scottish accent it works well with your surname, and that’s the most important thing as that’s where you live!

Catlover1705 · 13/02/2025 21:44

May is lovely or Maisie McManus

Hopeallwillbefine · 13/02/2025 22:25

Evmamai · 13/02/2025 20:07

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.

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That’s interesting. Where are you Evmamai? Like pp, I’m in Ireland and say Mac and Mc names exactly the same too. There is no difference in the pronunciation of Mac vs Mc for me.

Edited to say I just saw you’re in Scotland, sorry!

Original poster
Evmamai · 13/02/2025 22:56

Hopeallwillbefine · 13/02/2025 22:25

That’s interesting. Where are you Evmamai? Like pp, I’m in Ireland and say Mac and Mc names exactly the same too. There is no difference in the pronunciation of Mac vs Mc for me.

Edited to say I just saw you’re in Scotland, sorry!

Edited
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Yeah we are in Stirlingshire but not too far north of Glasgow.

OP posts:
loropianalover · 13/02/2025 23:03

Pity your DH doesn’t like Mollie! It’s lovely. As is Maia or Maisie.

You’ve made multiple threads now though so obviously your heart is set on May 🙈

HotCrossBunplease · 13/02/2025 23:08

IHateWasps · 13/02/2025 20:02

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

Where are you from?

Whoarethoseguys · 13/02/2025 23:11

HotCrossBunplease · 13/02/2025 19:58

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.

Edited
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I have listened to her and I don't think she says May any differently from me

desperatedaysareover · 13/02/2025 23:12

Evmamai · 13/02/2025 18:28

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?

Absolute winner

Normallynumb · 13/02/2025 23:20

May McManus is lovely
Eve Alexandra and May Elizabeth

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 13/02/2025 23:20

Beautiful, I really like alliterative names. And May is stunning.

HotCrossBunplease · 14/02/2025 01:08

Getuptherenow · 13/02/2025 20:01

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 never said that May doesn’t rhyme with day. It does.

But the sound of the vowel in both May and day varies depending on a person’s accent.

Click on the mic here for the RP English pronunciation of “May”
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/may

Compare that to Scottish actress Laura Main saying here
“I want everything to be OK with May”

https://youtube.com/shorts/ga1QONH0EuM?si=LfcFt-aoNt2sF7aM

If you can’t recognise that these sounds are different @IHateWasps perhaps you just don’t have an ear for accents.

may

1. used to express possibility: 2. used to ask or give permission: 3. used to…

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/may