I used to think this was super complicated but I got really used to it and I think it’s pretty.
It’s an Irish girls name, kee-lin.
I don’t want to use another spelling, I love the spelling.
It makes me think of a fairy’s name for some reason.
From “caol” (slender) and “fhionn” (fair, white).
What are your thoughts on Caoilfhionn?
It sounds so faerie-esque! How beautiful. I’m a huge fan. I don’t mind the seemingly complex spelling; I think it adds such a cool flair to a lovely sounding name.
sjdogjridig
I’m sorry, but I can’t spell the above name and I’m usually a good speller. I also don’t like the sound of kee-lin.
The sound is lovely! I do think it might be a difficult name to wear if you live outside of [name_u]Ireland[/name_u], though.
Caoilfhionn is a beautiful name. The spelling is hard but most american’s can’t spell Irish names, anyway. Kee-lin is a very pretty pronouncation if not easy to tell at first sight.
I don’t mean to burst your bubble, (and there’s a good chance you know more than I do, and I’m totally off base here) however I’ve always heard the Irish/Gaelic spelling of [name_u]Keelin[/name_u] was [name_m]Caelan[/name_m] or Caoilinn. Which are pretty complicated for [name_f]English[/name_f] speakers of themselves. This may totally be a legit spelling, but Id think Id choose one of the less complicated spellings myself
I actually know someone who’s sister is called Caoilfhionn on her birth certificate but lets people spell it Keelin because of living outside of Ireland and no-one knowing how to spell or pronounce it at a first glance. Personally, I think its such a beautiful name and I don’t think you should ever be put off a name you love because of the traditional spellings of them! If people don’t know then we just educate them 
I appreciate you think it’s a beautiful name, and I’m always the first to say that people can learn to spell and pronounce a name and they should make an effort, but… I’m afraid this name would just make things very complicated for your (hypothetical) child. No matter how much you love a name, the first thing you need to consider is the person who’ll have to live with the name.
You are totally off base both of the spellings you listed were anglisations, the two original spellings are Caolán for a boy and Caoilfhionn for a girl.
I think Caoilfhionn’s a very pretty name and having had a “complicated” Irish name outside of Ireland it doesn’t cause nearly as many problems as people think it would and English speakers are vastly overrated and not worth changing your tastes for.
Caoilfhionn has such a pretty sound!! It is very mystical
I agree, but it’s not just English speakers in this case, it’s the entire world except Irish speakers.
I named my son Hjörtur outside of Iceland, because I was pretty confident that most people where we live and in most of Europe are able to pronounce it right, or at least get it half right. I’m not sure that’s the case for Caoilfhionn. I, for one, wouldn’t even know how to begin to pronounce it if I came across it. And in every day life, that can be pretty annoying if it’s your name.
Thanks for all of your replies. Knowing some people with Irish names outside of [name_u]Ireland[/name_u] I personally hope that people will learn how to say and spell it. But I am glad that you shared your honest opinions, thank you for that!
Hjörtur is a cool name! But I personally think these are two completely different cases as most people in Europe will be able to say [name_u]Keelin[/name_u] (of course learning how to spell Caoilfhionn won’t be very easy, I am aware of that) whereas from my personal experience many people in Europe can’t produce the ö sound and don’t have it on their keyboard. In some way I find Caoilfhionn easier (pronunciation when she introduces herself or they hear her name) and in some harder (pronunciation when read, spelling).
Thank you again if anyone else wants to answer too, always happy to read more opinions.
I get your point. We do get the occasional yor-tur for Hjörtur, but that’s not something that bothers me (and I hope it won’t bother him when he gets older). The pronunciation for Coailfhionn isn’t hard at all when you hear it, I agree. I was thinking more of situations where your child, for example, gets a new teacher in school and they have to read the names out loud.
I’m definitely not saying that it’s a bad name, or that everyone should stay away from “complicated” names or names from other cultures outside the English speaking ones, as you can probably tell from looking at my children’s names. And I hope I wasn’t too harsh. It’s just that, now I have children of my own, I’m more aware of the problems names can cause in everyday life.
I am grateful for your comment, I love hearing opinions. Don’t worry you didn’t say anything wrong. Thank you for your answer
I love the sound of the name. I used to know a little [name_u]Keelyn[/name_u] it’s been a few years so I’m not sure on the exact sp it it was definitely more straightforward then what you put down.
The spelling you out just visually seems like way too many letters for such a name. It keeps making me think of cauliflower actually. I do love the alternate spelling suggestions a pp posted
Our database needs to be updated then! That’s what they have listed as the Irish spellings for Keelin.
And I don’t think you should ever change your taste to please someone else, but I do think it’s good to know what challenges you may have when naming a baby.
I can totally own being wrong but it always good to double check, there’s a lot of ‘original’ Irish (and others) spellings on the Internet that are totally made up and I would hate to name my baby thinking I was using the original spelling only to find out I had it wrong.
And personally I would still go with a more streamlined spelling because that’s my style, and that spelling isn’t something I would use, but if you love it than that’s the right name for you!
I added Caoilfhionn in the nameberry thread so I hope it will be updated.
I want to say bless you to this spelling since it looks like a sneeze to me! The sound is fine but the spelling would be challenging where I live anyway.
I like the sound but the spelling would be needlessly complicated outside of [name_u]Ireland[/name_u], I’m afraid. It might not be something that would bother you so I think this would be a great option if you wanted to change your own name, but not for a child. No one will be able to pronounce or spell correctly this name on the first try. No one. Thinking about it that way might help give some perspective: every teacher on the first day of school, every sub, every letter addressed to them, etc. Some kids might enjoy that and look forward to teaching people how to do it but there are plenty more that would hate it. I sometimes find it tedious to spell out my super common, 4-letter name, let alone an unheard of, 11-letter one (that also happens to be the same number of syllables as mine).
Thank you! Yes, this is true, I agree with you. But I think that what bothers children or not is really individual and you’ll just never really know. For example, I would really not like a common trendy name for myself and luckily my parents didn’t give me a super common trendy name. So we were lucky that our preferences matched. But if they had given me a super common and trendy name for my generation, such as [name_f]Mackayla[/name_f] I personally would have hated it. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though it is not a bad name, speaking objectively. I think if I explain to her why I picked it and what its history is she is likely to love it. But thanks for your thoughtful answer, it is another perspective and I will consider it, thank you 