Should I call my daughter Aoibhín in England?

[lovebeingmuma]

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

Or as one of those people with a name that makes no sense in English phonetics, I realise that’s only a problem if you allow it to be a problem.

Not true at all, such problems are common in any country where the name is spelt in a little-known language with different pronunciation rules to the main language of the country.

It is in fact a typical "little-Englander" attitude to believe these problems are unique to the English. 😂

I hear what you're saying, but I don't think it's a big deal. I'd rather have a traditional name that means something and put up with any hassle. I think that's more important.

I'm one of those people too, and it is a problem with or without my permission. 😄

But clearly some people never tire of the same dreary ritual whenever a new doomed attempt is made to pronounce their names.

I think the difference is, other people try and make an effort, ime

So do the English, every time. But if you're happy to set them up to get it wrong, you can't blame the hapless person trying to make sense of little-known foreign spellings.

As someone with an impossible to pronounce Irish name with too many consonants, the comments here don't surprise me at all. Most people ask how to pronounce my name and only need to hear it once to be able to pronounce it themselves. A small minority seem to gain some satisfaction from playing the fool - "I still don't get it, looks like HIJKLMNOP to me hahaha".

Honestly, after living with what has always felt like a difficult name, I went the opposite direction with my own children. I don't think you should be put off if you love the name though.

That's not true.

Certainly not limited to the English, which is why you come across quite a few Aislinn (pronounced Ayz-Lynn), Ashlynn, Shevaune, Neve, Caitlin/Catelyn/Katelyn, Shawn, Aidan, Declan, Kieran etc in Australia/Canada/US

it really isn’t true that every other person in the world would know how to pronounce this name. I’ve got a pretty standard name and it’s very common when spending time in an other country to have to get used to your name being pronounced in a different way - not everyone is able to pronounce everything. It’s not wrong, it’s just that we all have a different accent! And that’s not rude or a lack of trying, it’s just a fact whatever accent you've grown up with means that certain sounds are really hard or almost impossible for you to master - or even hear to be able to identify the subtle emphases and sounds. It’s not racist to understand this! Sometimes you get given an entirely new nickname if your own name is too tricky to pronounce with a particular accent.
Irish isn’t spoken by many in England and we don’t learn it at school so don’t know how the phonics work and thus can’t pronounce the words when written - that’s not racist!! How arrogant to think that if people find it hard means they are ignorant.

That’s up to the child really. She’ll have a British birth certificate, and will grow up culturally English. It’ll be up to her as to what country she identifies with.

My husband & his sister had 3 passports from birth. Neither have any cultural affinity for their parents birth countries despite visiting plenty as children. His best friend has a US passport by descent. He doesn’t remotely consider himself American.

Eh. If a child was born in England to two Indian parents, and you referred to that child as Indian rather than British, I think you would find yourself in quite a tight spot

It’s a lovely name but I think people in England will struggle to pronounce it.

I struggled with the name Siobhan for years when I was younger! I was only late teens early 20s at the time and used to pronounce it as Sy-o-ban. It was only when a friend of mine had a baby and named her Siobhan did I realise that it was actually pronounced as Shavonne 🤣

No of course they won't automatically know, I'm saying other people make an effort

isitreally - that’s not true either, many people have a couple of attempts, laugh (not unkindly) and give up. Most just go either what they think or ask once. I have very rarely met people who make a massive effort - and most people who have traveled widely don’t expect them to, they understand that pronunciation varies and that their name will be pronounced differently with different accents and don’t mind. I know that many people can’t pronounce my name, but I’m not offended if they go with an adaptation- I don’t expect them to be able to spend ages trying to get it right.

I love it!

Yep, my thoughts exactly!

yeah just don't. Very very few people will pronounce that correctly throughout her life.

You're Irish, it's a lovely name. Use it! I don't think you'd get lots of these "ooh it's unpronounceable" answers if you were from another culture.

My in laws are Chinese and have moved away from using "english" names (they were advised to pick these when they first moved here as teens) because... well why should they? My BIL has stopped going by his English name and now goes by Yǔxuān. People ask how to pronounce it once, then get it right.

Go with the name you like otherwise you might have regrets if you meet other little girls with the same name down the line. The world would be a boring place if we never learned new names. My Dsis has an eastern european name that's quite unusual and we have no ties to that country. It really suits her and helps her to stand out - once met, never forgotten! I gave my DD a name from a different country. Only once or twice it's been mispronounced, and then I've explained how it's said. Once you know, you know!

I don’t know how to pronounce two of those. But that doesn’t matter. I would quickly learn

Why do so many modern mums feel the need to go out of there way to give there son or daughter a name that no one accept can say and read? Then they get offended 🙄

Her name is for her for life. it’s about her not you. Plenty of sensible names you can use instead.

What’s wrong with Elizabeth, Eve or Emma?

That’s his choice but at the end of the day people are use to saying and spelling names that they are use to. So if I went to China I would get that people can’t say or spell my name.

so He can’t get offended if people in this country struggle to say his name

It works both ways

It was an example of IRISH people having babies abroad, as per how it works legally for Irish people. Besides, my ex husband was born in Britain with one Indian parent, and he was proud to be BOTH Indian and British. You're turning this into something it's not.

Plenty of sensible names you can use instead.

Irish names aren't sensible apparently according to Victoria39. Have you any idea how offensive this comment it to Irish people?