[name_m]Hi[/name_m] everyone! I’ve been coming to this site for a long time but just joined today and am making my first post. I’m looking for your honest opinions about the name [name_m]Seamus[/name_m]/[name_m]Shamus[/name_m]. This name seems to be one that people either love or hate, so what is/was your first reaction to this name? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you find it charming or off-putting? A lot of people I have polled said they can’t get past the “shame” of the name. Does the sound instantly turn you off to this name?
Another concern is the spelling. Being that both DH and I are part Irish, we had no problem pronouncing [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] as “shay-muss.” But the opposite has been true when I have written [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] down and asked people to pronounce it. Everyone says “see-muss” which leads me to wanting to use [name_m]Shamus[/name_m] instead. That being said, I almost always prefer traditional spellings and I love Irish names.
DH and I have loved this name for a long time but I don’t want to give my child a name that will cause them grief because of how it sounds. Please give me your honest opinions about this name and any factors you think are a deal breaker. I appreciate your insight and kindness.
(BTW I’m not expecting, we’re still TTC our first)
I prefer the traditional spelling. I feel like it could be a little annoying to correct people on the pronounciation but people should pick it up quickly. And the shame part I think is silly. It is a wonderful, handsome name.
I’m in the off-putting camp. I just see too much teasing potential. I wouldn’t hesitate to use it as a middle name, though, since it holds such meaning for you.
Also, when I first read them, I pronounced them differently. And if I’m being blunt, in the first spelling I just saw/heard “semen,” and in the second spelling I got caught on “shame”.
With that said, I understand that it is a traditional Irish name, and there is merit in following heritage.
Honestly, I adore [name_m]Seamus[/name_m]! I think you should stick with the [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] spelling, don’t spell it differently. He may have to tell others how to spell it throughout his life, but I have to do the same thing with my name! I don’t think it’s a huge deal, in my opinion. And about the ‘Shame’ thing, I truthfully never had that run across my mind, not until you mentioned it. I definitely think you should use the name
I admit that the first time I saw it I pronounced it Sea-mus.
I think [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] is a nice name, though I wouldn’t use it without a distinct Irish heritage.
Given the HP character with the name I think there are more people who will pronounce it correctly than there were 10 years ago, but you’re still going to have to correct a lot of people.
It’s a similar problem that [name_m]Sean[/name_m]/[name_u]Shawn[/name_u] had in the 90’s.
I think if you’re really worried about the pronunciation I wouldn’t fault you for changing it to [name_m]Shamus[/name_m].
I have a friend named [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] and people are ALWAYS mispronouncing his name. Usually, they pronounce it “see-muss” and it sounds a lot like semen. Personally, I like the name, but there are a lot of other really nice Irish names to honor your heritage. [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] can always be used in the middle spot!
If you’re fine with the teasing potential, then go for it! My friend is super Irish (like a crazy Irish last name with accents and like 15 letters lol) and I think he likes his very Irish name.
Here are some other Irish names you might consider:
[name_m]Liam[/name_m]
[name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] ([name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] sounds really cool!)
[name_m]Sean[/name_m]
[name_m]Patrick[/name_m]/[name_m]Padraig[/name_m]
[name_u]Brennan[/name_u]
[name_m]Breccan[/name_m]
[name_m]Cillian[/name_m]/[name_m]Killian[/name_m]
[name_m]Eamon[/name_m]
Cieran/[name_u]Kieran[/name_u]
[name_m]Hugh[/name_m]
[name_u]Finn[/name_u]/[name_m]Finnian[/name_m]
I like it. I don’t love it, but I do like it. I prefer the [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] spelling. I’m surprised at the trouble with pronunciation, considering how familiar the name is - at least it is to me. If you love it, and your partner loves it, then use it. I honestly can’t see it causing that many issues.
Thank you so much for everyone’s input!! I’m especially grateful for all of your kindness and tact! Most people are so rude about this name if they don’t like it. I honestly didn’t expect very much positive feedback. All your opinions and comments mean a lot to me!
I like the traditional spelling. But honestly, I wouldn’t use it as a first name in any case, because the “shame” part might unconsciously influence the way people treat him.
I don’t think of shame at all, would only if the name were spelled [name_m]Shamus[/name_m].
I know how to pronounce it, but it would depend where you lived and how name-educated the folks there were. No one wants to go through life being called See-mus.
I’ve taught a [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] and everyone said his name right.
The name somehow sounds like a put-down of the Irish to me. Probably totally inaccurate, but it got into my head that to call an Irish person a [name_m]Seamus[/name_m]/[name_m]Shamus[/name_m] or a [name_m]Mick[/name_m] or a [name_u]Finn[/name_u] is pejorative.
For those reasons, I wouldn’t name my son any of those names.
Eamus I am not familiar with. It sounds a bit like some unpleasant words to me.
I think [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] is a great name! Perhaps it’s because I grew up going to an Irish restaurant called [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] McDaniels, but I’ve never known anyone to struggle with the pronunciation of this name. [name_m]Shamus[/name_m] just looks odd to me.
I like it quite welk, don’t think of Shame.
My daughter is [name_f]Isla[/name_f] and she gets a fair amount if Ice-la?? But a simple correction does the trick.
I personally think [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] is a wonderful name! It’s unique and has a great Irish vibe. I prefer the (sea-mus) pronunciation over [name_m]Shamus[/name_m]. I feel like that [name_m]Shamus[/name_m], although unique and clever, will bring a bit of bullying in school. If you like the pronunciation of [name_m]Shamus[/name_m], you could try Sheamus, but the spelling [name_u]Shea[/name_u] is quite feminine and actually my middle name! Go with your gut feeling and if you like the pronunciation of [name_m]Shamus[/name_m], I would personally spell is [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] and tell people how it is pronounced. A lot of people get my pronunciation wrong by using UH instead of AND, it can be bothering, but usually people only make the mistake once. (ps my name is [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f])
Good [name_m]Luck[/name_m]!
I don’t really have any strong feelings about the name either way. I certainly don’t make the ‘shame’ connection and also wouldn’t mispronounce it (but perhaps that’s just because I live in [name_f]Scotland[/name_f] and it’s a pretty well known name here).
I love the name! I prefer the original spelling of [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] and the original Irish pronunciation of [name_u]Shay[/name_u]-mus. I agree with some previous posters that HP has raised (in a good way) the level of awareness of this name. I think you may have to pronounce it for people at first (you can explain the Sea in [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] is pronounced like [name_m]Sean[/name_m]) but they will quickly catch on. I find that usually people who oppose my names have very different taste from me (my cousins have a [name_f]Jazmin[/name_f] and [name_m]Colton[/name_m] so we have different styles). However, I have listened before when everyone had a negative reaction to one of my possible names. That’s not the case here, you’ve got a keeper!
I adore [name_m]Seamus[/name_m]! I do not think it’s too big of a deal to pronounce it, and I think that people would get the hang of it once you pronounced it for them. With the [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] books out and popular, one would think it would be easier for people to pronounce this name.
I really don’t like [name_m]Seamus[/name_m]. I pronounced it Sea-mus before I saw it nameberry. What about [name_u]Shay[/name_u]? Is it too feminine for your tastes?
