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Original poster

Any thoughts on these Irish names?

119 replies

ninja · 26/08/2008 14:44

Dh Irish and DD1 has an Irish name - so I may regret this but gives us your views....

Girls

Maebh (Maeve)
Aine (Onya)
Molly (+DH's contribution - to my mind not really Irish but quite pretty)

Boys

Fionn (Finn)
Aodhan/Aidan
Fearghal/Fergal

Thanks x

OP posts:
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thumbwitch · 27/08/2008 00:44

praps it was crabs she was selling..

tortoiseshell · 27/08/2008 00:45

Molly is sweet. Ds2 has Aidan as his middle name, so I obviously love that!

Original poster
ninja · 27/08/2008 10:06

Thanks for all the comments - as I said before I'm not sure about anglicising spelling, although I guess if it's already there as an alternative it's not so bad.

Thanks for the support about that Turniphead, it was good to see your comments - I do love Oisin as well but it really wouldn't go with our surname. I know what you mean about having an easier name than siblings as DD has coped well with Caoimhe.

PookiePodgeandTubs I see what you mean about Aine.

Takver I know exactly what you mean - people always ask how to spell/pronounce dd's name, whereas they assume they know what my surname is and put an extra letter in which is really annoying.

Thanks for all the commnets, they have been helpful and made me think

OP posts:
3andnomore · 27/08/2008 12:22

oh ninja, love your mn-id Our dog is called Ninja ...

watsthestory · 27/08/2008 12:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

keevamum · 27/08/2008 12:31

Ninja just had to add, obviously I love your daughter's name. DD1 is also called that but yes we anglicized it. Now I am happy with my decision to do that but can you tell me why you dislike it when that happens? Also is your daughter's name pronounced Kee va like mine or do you pronounce it differently as I have heard it pronounced more like Quee- va?

Upwind · 27/08/2008 12:36

I've known two Irish Caoimhes who both pronounced it

Kwee-va

if that helps

Keeva sounds nice too though & with that spelling it is easy to say

Original poster
ninja · 27/08/2008 12:50

It's Keeva - DH is from the north. I think that Kweeva is southern. Prefer Keeva. I can understand why you would spell it like thart, believe me I've thought about it many times.

However, I have friends with Asian, Polish, Czech, French heritage and I wouldn't want them to have to spell their names differently. There is a phonetic logic to Irish pronounciation - it's just different from English.

As I say though - for something like Aidan, Maeve. I might go for the accepted English spelling.

I think I'll have to see the baby and decide

OP posts:
mamalovesmojitos · 27/08/2008 13:12

oooh dd is caoimhe (kwee-va). i love the way it is spelt. i think names are important to cultures and your background.

chipmonkey · 27/08/2008 13:54

The issue that I have with anglicisation is that people come to the UK from all over the world and nobody suggests they should anglicise their names. Hop over the Irish Sea, which is a stone's throw away and all of a sudden, the way we spell our names becomes unacceptable?
Feck it, what do I care, spell it whatever way you want to!

PinkTulips · 27/08/2008 14:21

fgs, dd is sarah and i have to spell her name to everyone and it gets written wrong on cards!

spell the name properly and just go for it

aine is pronounced [awe-nya] btw not [onya]

i like fionn for a boy... the girls names aren't to my taste sorry but if you like them go for them.... although molly isn't irish so if the aim is to have all 3 dcs with irish names it might not be the best choice.

Blocky · 27/08/2008 14:49

The old Irish names and how to pronounce/ spell it chestnut again.

If you are going to choose an Gaeilge name (by that I mean proper traditional Irish), then surely it shows repect to the culture and traditions of where that name came from to use the correct spelling and pronounciations.

Much in the same way that anyone from an African, Arabic, Asian or any other background would not anglicise those names.

As far as I am concerned, any Irish names that are anglicised are not Irish names andymore, rather an English version of what they suppose that name is. It takes away all historic/ religious or cultural meaning of that name - no matter how nice it sounds.

Apologies for the rant - of course this is just IMHO

Blocky · 27/08/2008 14:54

anymore not andymore (that is not a name!)

Blocky · 27/08/2008 15:02

respect not repect!

note to self: do not type and rant!

PinkTulips · 27/08/2008 15:49

Gaelic name not Gaeilge name

Gaeilge is what we call the language.

Original poster
ninja · 27/08/2008 17:05

Thanks PinkTulips - I've already admitted that my translation of Aine was flawed! In my defence I'm from the North of England and so my 'O' sound is longer nd more like an Aw. I also agree with you about Molly, funnily enough it's the one DH chose so it has to go on the list.

Which girls names do you like?

OP posts:
Turniphead1 · 27/08/2008 17:56

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

Upwind · 27/08/2008 17:59

In any case I always thought that Neve was pronounced - Nev
while Niamh - Nee-av? Making them two different names?

cikecaka · 27/08/2008 18:18

I too have a Caoimhe, pronounced Keeva, is the feminine version of Kevin in english.Sadhbh is Sarah in Irish, also have a Ciaran which is Kieran in english!

PinkTulips · 27/08/2008 18:55

i love Saoirse and Catriona (there should be a fada on the I but my pc won't do it today for some reason!) also adore Laoise.

it's all personal taste though, if you love the names than they're the right names for your lo

cikecaka.... sorcha is the irish of sarah, samhbh is translated to sophie.

Original poster
ninja · 27/08/2008 19:16

I love Saoirse as well and considered it for DD - however the baby's surname will have 'sh' sound in it and it's just too much. I love the idea of a girl called freedom. Friends have just called their baby this.

OP posts:
chipmonkey · 27/08/2008 19:34

PT, you you know my dsis and niece?

keevamum · 27/08/2008 20:51

Ninja just wanted to add we called DD2 an old english name which I don't regret but I do think we disappointed a few people when we revealed her name to the chorus of ...'Oh I thought it would be another lovely irish name' Thanks.

bletherer · 28/08/2008 15:13

My daughter is called Aine. Generally if people don't know how to pronounce it they ask, and if they mispronounce it I correct them.

Why should we have to change the spelling of a really old and beautiful Irish name. God, it's not that hard, once you know it.

It is such a lovely name, I have such a common first name that there were 6 of us in my year at school, which is naff.

Aine is authentically Irish, but also short enough to spell easily for those not familiar to it.

CuckooSplodgeandTubs · 28/08/2008 15:54

But chipmonkey, even in Ireland, it can be hard for Irish people to spell and pronounce Irish names, so it's not really comparable to say that nobody expects British people to translate their names when they come to Ireland.

I've seen Tadhg written Tadgh by Irish people. It's just hard!
I was about 14 before I could spell Dún Laoghaire. (Did I get it right?!)