Should I call my daughter Aoibhín in England?

[lovebeingmuma]

Will my daughter hate me for calling her a name no one can pronounce?

How do you pronounce it then?

I really wouldn't.

It’s pronounced Aiveen. We absolutely love it but scared she’ll struggle if she grows up in London.

I would have guessed Eefin for the pronunciation? But I’m Scottish with a very small amount of knowledge of Irish names.

I’m quite far off then! 😅 People won’t know where to start with pronouncing that in England, IMO.

@lovebeingmuma are you or your husband Irish?

Try giving it as your Starbucks name see what happens
Then imagine her whole life..unless she lives in Ireland

Yes both myself and my husband are Irish and their sister is called Aoife so I’d like to stick with another Irish name

Actually I would say living in London you’re probably fine.

Ah. I'd have gone for Eveen.

People will struggle seeing it written down for the first time but should get the hang of it pretty quickly!

I would have guessed it was pronounced Ay-Vin

my daughter has a fairly normal name, it’s in the top 100 and people still get it wrong.

j wouldn’t go for your choice if she was growing up in England I’m afraid. Can you find a similar sounding name that is easier to decipher?

Yes if you can get used to people calling her Ayobin. Otherwise no. What about something like Roisin or Saoirse that English people are more likely to be familiar with?

Please don’t give your child a name no one can spell or pronounce. She will spend her entire life with that name and will become sick of correcting people.

Gorgeous name! People have learned how to pronounce Niamh, Aoife, Caoimhe, Roisin and Saoirse in recent years so I wouldn’t worry too much. Especially if you’re in London.

I know two Aoibhinns (in London) - does the spelling make any difference? Just wondering if losing the fada makes it easier in England. As with any name, once you know how to say it, it's fine.

I would be more concerned it's a bit too matchy matchy re Aoife - is there another Irish name you like?

Use the name, it's lovely and not particularly unusual. You can always give an "easier" middle name she can use for Starbucks.....thats what we did with DD1 who has a traditional Scottish name

I bet it's a lovely name but I have no idea how to say it as would most people and it's a bit mean to saddle your daughter with that hassle hon 💐

I really wouldn't. She'll get called Oibin. No one here will have a clue how to pronounce it and she'll be forever having to tell people and having her name spelt wrong. I would honestly pick something else.

Isn’t it pronounced “Eee - veen” ?
Not “A - veen”?

Like your other dd, Aoife, is pronounced E-fa, and not A-fa.

I really wouldn’t.

Aoi makes an ee sound though. Aoibh is pronounced Eve. Aoibhín would be pronounced “eve-een”.

I can’t remember exactly how to spell it, but if you want the name pronounced Ay-veen, it starts with something like Eabh. Eabhaoinn? Something like that.

Thanks all. I did think if she had a English middle name she could use it also spell it ‘Aiveen’ for school etc if she wanted an easier life?

Sorry I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t even know how to start with that name. There are plenty of Irish names that people know and can pronounce.

Maybe use it as a middle name?

I still don’t know how to pronounce it even after you explained! I’m sure I could learn if I was close to you, but I would hate to be her having to spell it and explain it to everyone she meets. Do you have similar names?