Hello all! I start college in a few weeks and I’m seriously struggling with finding a solid name for myself. For a long time I settled on the name [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] [name_u]John[/name_u] (TJ) and while I still have affection for that name, there’s many reasons why I just can’t have a name starting with the letter T (one of the reasons being I have two other siblings with first names that start with T and my last name also starts with that letter).
Recently I’ve been obsessed with the name Feargal. I love the meaning and the way it sounds with the middle name [name_u]John[/name_u], but I’m worried it sounds a bit dorky or outdated for an 18 year old. I also live in [name_u]America[/name_u] so the pronunciation problem might be a thing. I need some opinions, does anybody think this is a good name? Is there any other names with the same feel that would work better? I genuinely try to stick with Irish or Celtic names.
Some other names that have been bouncing around in my head -
As you can tell I love the name [name_u]John[/name_u] and I’m pretty adamant on using it. I’m open to placing it as a middle name or a first name - whatever works better with a name!
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Feargal before. Would it be pronounced fur-gull ? That would be my instinct as it reminds me of Fergus. Honestly I feel neutral on Feargal, but I can see myself really warming up to it if I actually met someone with the name! As far as pronunciation goes, you might have to correct people every once in a while, but I don’t think that should be a dealbreaker
From your other list I really love Francis John & John Cillian !!
Other suggestions:
Fallon
Kieran
Rafferty
Sullivan
Finnian
Fintan
[name_u]John[/name_u] [name_u]Francis[/name_u] is a great name! [name_u]John[/name_u] is definitely not outdated and would sound great on you. Maybe flip around [name_m]Enda[/name_m] [name_u]John[/name_u] to [name_u]John[/name_u] [name_m]Enda[/name_m]?
Some other Celtic-adjacent names:
[name_m]Duncan[/name_m]
[name_m]Donal[/name_m]
[name_m]Alasdair[/name_m]
Finlay/Finley
[name_u]Rory[/name_u]
[name_u]Arlo[/name_u]
[name_m]Brendan[/name_m]
[name_m]Colum[/name_m]
I’ve never heard of Feargal (my instinctive prn. would be “fear-guhl”) and I think you may run into some pronunciation and/or spelling hurdles for other people. however I’m a strong believer in “if you really love it, it works!” so follow your gut.
from your list, I think [name_u]John[/name_u] [name_u]Francis[/name_u] and [name_u]John[/name_u] [name_m]Graham[/name_m] flow well! also I think [name_u]John[/name_u] [name_m]Andrew[/name_m] would be nice!
without knowing their backgrounds, my first alternatives to Feargal would be [name_m]Ferris[/name_m] or [name_m]Fraser[/name_m] which I think work well with [name_u]John[/name_u].
I think you have some great names on your list! [name_m]Farrel[/name_m] [name_u]John[/name_u] is my favourite for a more unusual pick, [name_u]John[/name_u] [name_m]Graham[/name_m] is my pick for a more classic feel. The only name on ithe list that I am not feeling for you is [name_m]Enda[/name_m], only because I know many people assume it is feminine.
I love Feargal too! Maybe it’s best in the middle, so you don’t have to struggle with pronunciation and spelling issues.
[name_u]John[/name_u] [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] is super classic and fun to say, I think that’s going to be added to my list. Also, [name_m]Conall[/name_m]! Such a great name and an alternative to the familiar Connor/Conor
I like [name_u]Nolan[/name_u] [name_u]John[/name_u] or [name_m]Nevan[/name_m] [name_u]John[/name_u] from the Irish names list. @amal2970 [name_m]Ewan[/name_m] and [name_u]John[/name_u] are the same name, so I would pick one or the other.
