is my husband’s favourite baby name and first choice for our second daughter. Its Irish and pronounced “EE-[name]FA[/name]”, we picked up the name when we lived in [name]Ireland[/name] a few years ago, where its quite common. I really like it too, I just worry about a lifetime of pronunciation and spelling issues, so myself would prefer the English version, [name]Eva[/name]. But I admit I do love the flair of [name]Aoife[/name]!
Since Im a [name]Natasha[/name], I dont really know what its like to have a name people don’t know how to say. Is it really a big issue to correct people all the time? [name]Will[/name] she hate us for it? I liked having a name other people didnt have when I was younger, but also didn’t have a name thats sort of unheard of.
Would love some thoughts and feedback on this. Have you heard it before? [name]Do[/name] you like it? Does it matter?
Side note: Husband is from NZ, Im from the USA, daughter #1 is [name]Zoe[/name] and from Australia and this one will be born in [name]Canada[/name]. We are unsure where they will grow up, most likely NZ or USA.
I grew up with a name that had constant pronunciation problems (longer [name]Em[/name] name that doesn’t sound the way it’s spelled.) It was never a strain - you just correct people in the event that they’re misreading your name aloud, and move on. I think [name]Aoife[/name] has so much more grace and mystery than [name]Eva[/name], and part of that is the amazing Irish spelling that isn’t phonetic to our eyes. It’s a strong name, with an interesting history, but somehow it’s also whispery and sweet. I say go for it!
I tend to like to see these really Irish names on people who are actually Irish… especially those who are obviously physically so. I went to college with a beautiful fair-skinned, freckled, red-haired girl named [name]Siobhan[/name] and her lovely name just intensified her Irish charm and no one thought it was weird, nor forgot how to pronounce it once they heard it. Being that you at least lived in [name]Ireland[/name] does offer a bit more credibility, but you will invariably get asked about the “uniqueness” of the name and the spelling from people who are unfamiliar with Irish names, so if you’re Irish, an easy response is, “We’re (or I’m/my husband’s) Irish and it’s a traditional Irish name.” But when you’re not, it becomes questionable as to why you would choose such an unfamiliar name.
I love [name]Aoife[/name] though, for folks who are actually Irish. [name]Eva[/name] is a fantastic alternative, though. And pairs wonderfully with [name]Zoe[/name]!!
Its a beautiful name but most likely there will be mispronunciation and misspellings of the name. You could consider anglicizing it (efa) though that isn’t as pretty as the original spelling.
My name is Raya and it is pronounced the way it looks. However, with Maya rising in popularity, I have to constantly correct people when they say [name]RYE[/name]-[name]AH[/name]. Aoife is not really my cup of tea, but I can appreciate that you, like my mom want to give your daughter a unique name. I’ve learned that I cannot blame my mom or other people for a mistake and once I correct them, it usually doesn’t happen again. It is worth it in the long run to give your child a name you love for a few seconds of confusion when she meets someone new. She will learn to appreciate the uniqueness too.
It,s goregous, so what if if you have to correct a few people, a name like [name]Aoife[/name] is worth it… especially compared to some of the other not so nice names :s
My name is [name]Keely[/name]-[name]Anna[/name] pn kee lee anna i am always getting called kelly anne or people add an extra e when spelling eg keeley it is annoying but i love the fact that everyone remembers me becsuse of it! Rather than normal names that there are two or more in a class where u get forgotten so out of personal experience i would say go for it ! x
I think there will definitely be a lot of pronunciation issues. Especially in the US I think people will really butcher it. If it were me I’d stray away from it because I have a name that gets pronounced wrong all the time and hate having to correct people. I think [name]Eva[/name] is a nice alternative.
Ditto. My name, [name]Reine[/name], might have a great history and meaning, but it doesn’t mean much when people I’ve known for years can’t spell it correctly.
[name]Aoife[/name] is a beautiful name, but I think it is best for a middle.
My hubby’s name is Alain, which most English-speaking people seem to have a hard time with. They always end up calling him Alan or Al. He hates his name and just go to a point now that he just tells people to call him Al.
That being said it isn’t the end of the world and we are seriously considering Alaina for our next if it is a girl.
Thanks so much for the feedback. My husband keeps saying that people will learn it and get over it but I keep thinking [name]Eva[/name] is so similar without any of the problems. And no we’re not really Irish, I mean way back in the lineage sure- esp on my husband’s side, but our families have been in the USA and [name]New[/name] Zealand for generations.
I actually like the name- there was a joke about it in The Vicar of Dibley, the Songs of [name]Praise[/name] episode I think? That’s the first time I heard it but since then I’ve decided it’s extremely pretty
I love the name [name]Aoife[/name], personally. I couldn’t use it because I’ve got no connection to [name]Ireland[/name] (or Great [name]Britain[/name]) whatsoever. I think any lineage that goes to [name]Ireland[/name] (no matter how many generations back) makes an Irish name meaningful. My family’s been in [name]America[/name] for 150 years, but everyone’s originally from [name]Russia[/name] and I absolutely feel a connection to that land and the names there. I feel very comfortable considering names from that part of the world. I think that a lack of (recent) Irish blood should not hold you back, especially considering the time you lived there. And it absolutely seems like your children will be “citizens of the world”, so a unique name like [name]Aoife[/name] isn’t so weird.
Yes, she will have to correct spelling and pronounciation. So living with that is a choice you will have to make. I suggest giving her a simple, easy middle name to balance it out. You could also nickname her [name]Effie[/name] and spell it like that to give her something to fall back on.
My opinion is… [name]Aoife[/name] is difficult enough to pronounce that most people will ASK before pronouncing it. If you try to pronounce it phonetically, you can barely get anywhere, which is a good thing. I don’t think people will mispronounce the name… they will probably hesitate and ask for help. [name]Aoife[/name] and [name]Eva[/name] sound slightly different, so I would go with [name]Aoife[/name] if that is what you like.
I love [name]Aoife[/name] but I feel like people without an Irish background will mess it up. I went to a school with a [name]Siobhan[/name] and whenever a teacher who didn’t know her called out her name they pronounced the B in the name. Beautiful name but it was constantly butchered!!
I think [name]Aoife[/name] is gorgeous! I have a friend who named her daughter [name]Aoife[/name]…if my friend introduces her as [name]Aoife[/name] (said aloud, not on paper), people instantly catch on. If people see it on paper first, they generally just ask her how it is pronounced before they attempt to say it. I would almost rather have that than have my name constantly being slightly mispronounced, know what I mean? It is a beautiful name, I hope you use it.
While I feel sorry for all the people who will see your daughter’s name before meeting her and have a moment of panic and an embarrassing, “Ay-oh-ee-fuh” moment, I think it is worth it. The sounds are all pronounceable by English speakers so people will catch on once corrected.
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