[name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] has been on my name list for awhile, but I’ve always written it off as a possibility because the average American would struggle with pronunciation (SEER-sha). My husband and I recently watched the movie [name_u]Brooklyn[/name_u] starring [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] [name_m]Ronan[/name_m], and he surprised me by saying how much he loves the name.
We both have deep Irish roots (especially on his side), and would love to use [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] as a first name. In reality, I’m thinking of her first day of school each year and teacher struggling to pronounce (and mostly likely spell) her name.
That being said, we’re on the hunt for first names that we like just as much. Names we’ve considered are: [name_f]Jane[/name_f], [name_f]Kate[/name_f], [name_f]Ruth[/name_f], [name_f]Claire[/name_f]-- really any of the names in my signature.
Any suggestions would be great! Our last name is Andrews.
I feel like the popularity of [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] [name_m]Ronan[/name_m] has made [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] more accessible for the average American speaker.
I really like [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f]! With [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] or similar names I feel like the biggest challenge is not pronunciation but spelling. Once you tell someone her name is “seer-sha”, most people remember and will have no problem saying/pronouncing Seer-sha. It’s the spelling that people will have a really hard time with! I’m not usually a big fan of changing spellings but there are times where i would make an exception. For instance, one of my top names is [name_f]Neve[/name_f], I love the name but for me personally not the traditional Irish spelling for use in the US. If you really love the name I would still consider using it as a first name. You could consider spelling it Sirsha or Seersha.