Sadhbh (ryhmes with five!) for girl

[JuneMammy]

I really like Sadhbh for a girl, but i'm hesitant about it as it is difficult to get the spelling right, and i'm wondering if it would be really annoying to have a lifetime of "Sadhbh; S-A-D-H-B-H; rhymes with five...."

DH quiet likes it but is not overly keen due to difficulty pronouncing it if you are not familiar with it.

It is very popular in Irish folklore (i'm Irish, DH is Scottish). But there is a tendency to accidentally pronounce it SIEVE .

Shortlist alternatives include Aoife, Molly, Ellen and Lily.

Any thoughts? We have to finalise this shortlist very soon!

I prefer the other names on your shortlist.

Are there any other Irish or Scottish names you're keen on?

Just me who thinks it´s horrible?

Aoife OTOH is lovely.

I'm Irish, so very familiar with the name. To be honest, I've never liked it. I think it sounds a bit harsh. I know two Sabhas (pronounced Sava) which is much nicer.

I'm Irish and love it. I think the comparison with Niamh is a good one, and you're going to bump into people who can wrap their heads around different pronunciations more and more. Siobhan is now commonplace and has crossed every ethnic border even in the US, and apart from the odd report of someone pronouncing it See-ob-han, the correct pronunciation is used.

Aoife is gorgeous though, and there are probably more little Aoifes than Sadhbhs running around.

May I suggest Eilidh too?

I've never heard the name before, and would have no clue how to spell it - but it's ok. Doesn't quite sound like a girls name to me, but maybe that's because it's unfamiliar?

Just to point out that Urban Dictionary is full of ridiculous 'definitions' of virtually every name, all done by teenagers I should imagine. Either they are glowing (done about their own name) or scathing (done about mates). Check out 'Helen' for example. So don't let that put you off!

mathanxiety how do you pronounce Eilidh?

I love it, would love to use it if I had a girl, and think you should take courage and use it! Sadb (old spelling) in tradition was the mother of Oisin the fenian hero, and turned into a deer - it's a lovely story.

I don't like it. It has a rather ugly sound imho.

How about Ailsa?

I think it is a really ugly name - don't do it!!

I have a name which no-one can spell and, honestly, it is so maddening having to explain yourself to people over and over again.

Sadhbh? Really? You must be joking. Totally ridiculous.

Eilidh -- I would pronounce Ay-lee.

I would even be tempted to use the old spelling (Sadb) and eliminate all the baffling Hs, which can be confusing to anyone who knows no Irish.

But without the "h"'s it doesn't make sense - it just becomes sad-b (sad bum, more like).

To English eyes, DHBH makes no sense anyway -- why not just get rid of superfluous Hs which give a string of four consonants, all the same height for trying to read, and put in the right order when writing.

The only drawback I can see to Sadhbh is when learning to write children reverse d and b frequently -- although maybe having them both in her name would help her sort them out quicker, who knows.

I know a Medb who chose that spelling because it struck her as more gothy than Maebh.

My middle name is Mhari and I loathed having to explain it when I was young - "M-H-A-R-I pronounced Vhari, the M and the H make a V in Gaelic like a P and H make a F in English".

Saying that I have saddled my baby DD with Mathilda (with an H) Mae (as in West)!!! What a cruel mother. And don't even get me started on our surname!!!

I wouldn't go with it she will spend her life either having it mispronounced or having to spell it for people. Think Ellen is by far the nicest from your list.

You have to put these things in perspective; the majority of the world does not speak gaelic or know how to pronounce it, your daughter could potentially live anywhere in the world, but on probability alone, she's less likely to come across a person who'll know how to pronounce Sadhbh than will. To me, and I suspect most people, Sadhbh would be pronounced "Sadderbberh" It's up to you whether you want to saddle your child with having to constantly explain how to say it.

Also, "Sive" sounds like "Scythe", so I don't think the proper pronunciation is particularly attractive either.

Saddled with Mathilda? I have a Mathilda. It's a bloody great name.

Sadhbh is pretty but problematic. Aoife fairly popular and I think most can pronounce/spell it, but runs the small risk that it might be pronounced Eva here which is also ten a penny. What about Caoimhe? Although I have a friend called this and she was v surprised on the day we met that I could spell it without instruction.

I have a comparatively easy name Oonagh and not a day goes by without me having to spell it out ten times, explain it, have a massive discussion about where it comes from. If you think your dd will cope with that, go for it.

OTOH, no-one EVER forgets me once they know my name! It makes me very memorable... That and my stunning good looks.

OMG I can't believe the harsh opinions on here - Sadhbh is a beautiful real name, not just a collection of consonants! It is rish with cultural resonance and typifies strong Irish womanhood. JuneMammy please go for it and I for one back you up - I am an August Mammy and Sadhbh is my top girl's name (Tadhg is my boy's name). The world would be a very bland place if we were all called something easily spelt and unorginal

Oh I LOVE your name PuppyMonkey.

Thanks SoH.... it's taken me 43 years, but I think I do now too.

SOH how do you pronounce Caoimhe? It looks really pretty.

I think it's Keevey isn't it??