One of the few names DH and I both like for [name]Baby[/name] 4 is [name]Saoirse[/name]. We’re afraid it will be a spelling and pronunciation nightmare here in the U.S. though. So I’m interested in opinions on a couple of things.
First, would it be an awful idea to spell it phonetically so all the Americans don’t slaughter the name?
Any ideas on how to do that without getting a train wreck of letters on paper?
Would a phonetic spelling be offensive, seen as dumb, etc. etc. among people who have a closer Irish heritage than we have? We just moved to a city that apparently has pretty thick Irish roots and occasionally you run into families that make you say WHOA, lots of [name]Ireland[/name] going on there. For example, we recently came across a family whose boys were named [name]Finn[/name], [name]Sean[/name] and [name]Patrick[/name]. My hubby has Irish roots but he’s not a fanatic about it, and certainly was not raised with much in the way of Irish culture/heritage – if anything we’re the branch of the family trying to bring back the roots.
I think [name]Saoirse[/name] is kind of a nightmare spelling wise even though it’s a beautiful name. The most intuitive spelling of [name]Saoirse[/name] is Seersha or maybe Siersha? Sirsha could also work so that the Sir- syllable was like in [name]Mira[/name], but that one might be harder to explain.
I don’t think it’s terrible to spell it phonetically but I also don’t live in an area that has an excess in thick irish roots.
From what I’ve read, [name]Saoirse[/name] can be pronounced Seersha, Sorsha, Sersha, Sairsha. Any of those should be fine to anglicize it. It’s a shame, [name]Saoirse[/name] is really pretty as it is, but I understand why you want to change it. The US will not get it.
[name]Just[/name] leave it [name]Saoirse[/name]. Seersha, Sersha, Sirsha, etc. just look silly. Hopefully, actress [name]Saoirse[/name] [name]Ronan[/name] will become more famous and her name will be more recognizable (I think [name]Sinead[/name] O’[name]Connor[/name] did that for her name.) If not, I really think you should just put up with the confusion or find another name. Part of [name]Saoirse[/name]'s beauty is its elegance on the page, and I think respellings like “Seersha” lack that elegance and look a bit cheap, though they may be easier. Plus, I think anyone who does know the name would be confused to death by “Sirsha.”
I agree with [name]Daisy[/name], if you use it just leave it as it is. I think all of the Americanized spellings look silly and yes If I was in any Irish community I would find it a bit ridiculous or offensive. [name]Saoirse[/name] is beautiful as written, changing that changes much of the appeal to me. I am a big believer in not shying away from using difficult names in the usa, just because the name is foreign or not in the top 100. Teach people, and teach your child how to say and spell her name to others would be my feelings/advice.
Honestly, I think you should leave [name]Saoirse[/name] as she is. Yes, sometimes people might pronounce it wrong, but eventually people will get the gist and won’t need to be corrected any longer. I’m not sure about it being offensive, but I know I definitely roll my eyes when I see made-up Americanized spellings of Gaelic names ([name]Shavonne[/name], I’m looking at you) so I’m fairly positive that that will happen in an area with Irish roots. [name]Saoirse[/name] is beautiful - if you use it, keep this spelling!
I’d leave it, but put the pronunciation in your birth announcements! I know a baby with this name and the first thing I did was google the pronunciation.
I love the way it works and I hate when people phonetically spell a word. It makes no sense to me. I would definitly put the pronunciation in the birth announcement though, as I had no idea how to pronounce the word till I saw it on this board.