Declan?

[CheerfulYank]

I'm sure this thread's been done before but I'm having a lazy moment. I think it's great, what are other people's opinions?

In just think of Ant & Dec!!!

No
No no no no no

I like it - v traditional Catholic name and, if that's the way you are inclined, then go for it

Well,I do like it but the 'Dec' issue kept holding us back. DS1 is Fintan - his sister calls him Finty and he is never Fin.

I would have had a Lorcan but DH hates the name passionately. I have a thing for 'an' names

We are Catholic actually, at least DH is and that is the church we attend. I pushed for this w/DS and DH thought it was too out there...had I known that St. Declan's feast day was a week after DS's birth I probably could have convinced him. But I really like it for a future DS.

I'm American and no one knows who Ant and Dec are here. I only know b/c of the commentary track on "Love Actually."

The only problem is, I feel like it's about to get really popular in America. Everyone's very big on Irish (or what most of the US considers to be Irish ) names here and now that Liam and Aidan are exhausted I think names like Declan will be the next thing.

So why the vehemence, moondog? Do you just hate the way it sounds or is it a particular kind of name that you don't like? Honestly curious, not offended.

Dunno.Just doesn't sound nice on the ear.

a traditional catholic name

I think you mean a gaelic name. Catholic and Irish are not exactly the same. I keep seeing this on this board. As though people outside of Ireland can not separate Ireland from catholicism. People in Ireland meanwhile manage it just fine.

Well, Declan was a saint, perhaps that's what Tommy meant?

RedLentil I actually really like "Dec" as a nn...

If you want the irish version it's: Deaglan, with a fada (accent) on the last a, so making a long 'a' sound at the end.

I have to say though it's not my total fav -it's a very 60/70s irish name... MaggieTaSeFuar - ca bhuill do ghansai? nach bhuill se agat?

link to appelation mountain here

bhfuil

ha ha zzazen.. most of the time i wear my coat inside!

If there is a st declan then I suppose it is a catholic name, just got a bit unfairly rankled after seeing two posts in two days using 'Irish' and 'catholic' interchangeably as though they meant exactly the same thing. But my last post was a bit uptight.

That's ok maggie, I get upset when people confuse "American" with "crazy religious fundamentalist".

Zazen, I was pronouncing it DECK-lan, is that wrong?

I don't know, I just think it's cool.

DECK-lan is the way I'd say it.

I like it

Now I just have to convince DH we should have another...he's all "logical" and whatnot about us not having any money.

I'd pronounce Declan = DECK lan
and Deaglan = Day gLAN

Eamon= AY mon is nice, also
Padraig = PAD drig.

Cheerful - things change (the value of your investments can go up or down...blah de blah blah) - but babies bring their own bread, as the Polish saying goes.

maggie - you need a woolen shawly, a la Peig!

Yeah, what is a Catholic name...?

I've known a few in my time and they've all been Catholic - perhaps that's what I meant

Oohh..am quite fond of Deaglan actually. I really like Eamon as well, zazen, I've always thought it was nice. (DS is Samuel, called Sam, though. Would it be odd to have Sam and Declan?)

I totally agree about things changing; I keep telling DS that we're not impoverished people living in debtor's prison or anything-we can afford another child! He's not convinced though. If DS hadn't been a total surprise I very much doubt we'd have children at all at this point.

I think you'd have to have experienced living in Ireland or some parts of Scotland (esp. around Glasgow) to understand the idea of a 'Catholic' name (vs. a 'Proddy' name). There are names that are identified with each community -- you just don't hear of many NI Protestants or Glaswegians named Declan. Names and other insignia identify the foot you kick with.

You might find either protestants or Catholics named Edward, but only Catholics named Eamonn. Same for Liam and William. You are unlikely to find NI protestants named Patrick or Padraic (which I would pronounce PAW-drig or PAW-rick if Connacht Irish). In general, protestants in NI and Scotland do not use Irish (i.e. names in Irish) names unless they are unaware those names are Irish/ 'as Gaeilge'. Irish Catholics are less choosy and you find any and all sorts of names. I think this divide only goes for the more traditional names, though, on both sides. There are plenty of Jasons, Trevors, Dereks on both sides.

The idea of a 'Catholic name' is an idea that has a specific political context, to answer your question, Ziggurat.

thanks mathanxiety

MA has the right of it with the whole Catholic names thing. I live in on the west coast of Scotland, not to far from Glasgow actually, and there are a lot of names that you just couldn't call your child. It's not very sensible, here, to give any indication that you might be RC, so you wouldn't find any Padraics/Patricks, Declans, Lachlanns, Francis, Dominics or anything else here at all, same with girls names that might be seen as Catholic (Clemency, Theresa, Rosemarie or whatever). It can lead to a great deal of unpleasantness for a child, or even an adult.

Names are very loaded, here, and you won't find kids with names which might indicate "class" (for want of a better word) either, so no Marcus, Casper, Hugo, Struan, Hector or Alisdair either.

Sweetkitty had a thread recently about this very thing, as she was struggling to find a name for her expected baby boy that was safe.

I like it!