Yeah I realized afterward I just know Irish people named [name]Rhiannon[/name], which is a bit different from it being an Irish name, my bad.
[name]Riona[/name] and [name]Roisin[/name] are still Irish though. [name]Riona[/name] is derived from Rioghnach (but influenced and like it means “queen.”
[name]Rosaleen[/name] was an Anglicization of [name]Roisin[/name]. It’s a bit eccentric but miles easier than Rioghnach probably is to deal with.
I actually think Rioghnach sounds pretty. At least the way I’ve heard it said via It doesn’t look great though and its not going to be read out correctly but once in a blue moon. I’ve also seen it spelt [name]Rionach[/name], as in: here, with a sound .wav in a lovely accent: http://www.babynamesofireland.com/rionach
Speaking as an Irish person, I think that people are used to the “aith” ending of Irish names here - e.g. [name]Orlaith[/name], Saorlaith, however that said I agree that there are prettier Irish names there (although as an Irish speaker I can’t help but make the association of gorm being the word for [name]Blue[/name], which could be a cute pet name if you were to go for it.)
I actually really like Rioghnach, but I’m from the [name]North[/name], where in the style of Ulster Irish, we tend to disregard the last syllables - e.g. Brónach is never pronounced Bro-nak, but Bróna; so I would automatically pronounce Rioghnach the same as Ríona ([name]Ray[/name]-a-na) or ([name]Ree[/name]-a-na). Personally I don’t find the ‘gh’ visually appealing so would be more likely to go for Ríona or even Ríonach.
Some other names in the same style that come to mind -
Gormlaith - [name]Orla[/name] / [name]Orlaith[/name] / [name]Orlagh[/name], Saorla / Saorlaith
Rioghnach - Raghnaid / Ríonaid
Thanks for the feedback and suggestions. I just love the meaning of Gormlaith! You’re right - it might make a good pet name. I prefer [name]Orlaith[/name] to [name]Orla[/name] but am still not sure how I feel about it.
As for [name]Rhiannon[/name], it’s gorgeous and I don’t know why I always forget about it. Maybe I’ve subconsciously ruled it out due to fear of it being forever (or at least for a decade or more) confused with or assumed to be derived from [name]Rihanna[/name]. I don’t know how valid that assumption would be, as [name]Rhiannon[/name] was at least somewhat well-known before [name]Rihanna[/name] became famous…
BTW I was under the impression that [name]Riona[/name], Rioghnach, [name]Regan[/name] and [name]Regina[/name] were all distantly related, and just looked up [name]Rhiannon[/name] and found out it and [name]Regan[/name] are derived from Rigantona (which is related to [name]Regina[/name] and [name]Raina[/name]).
[name]Rhonwen[/name] has potential. Unlike [name]Riona[/name], it doesn’t have any look/sound-alikes that are common in the US (unless [name]Bronwen[/name] gets more popular)! Same goes for [name]Rowena[/name].
From the perspective of someone with a PhD in Irish history (and I must have the equivalent in Irish names by now!):
Gormlaith should be usable - at least in [name]Ireland[/name] or Irish circles. On paper, it combines [name]Grainne[/name] and [name]Orlaith[/name], two wildly popular names, and its most famous bearer was the wife of four kings and mother of three, a tenacious, politically shrewd woman in the midst of 10th/11th century dark ages. But I think it suffers a bit from the “[name]GORE[/name]” sound, even though a native speaker would say “Gurr-m-la”. The anglicised forms Gormley and Gormla still don’t translate well to a ([name]North[/name]) American ear. Kind of equates to Gobnait in my mind - just can’t get past “GOB”.
[name]Rionach[/name]/[name]Rionagh[/name] is somewhat easier for me to picture in a non-hardcore Gaelic enviro, at least with these spellings. While Rioghnach is perceived as the “correct” spelling, [name]Rionach[/name] and [name]Rionagh[/name] are equally acceptable in modern Irish, while avoiding the “rhymes with [name]Fiona[/name]” confusion of [name]Riona[/name]. The “gh” ending, in particular, is a t least somewhat familiar to (Irish) Americans, given names like Sheelagh and Branagh ([name]Kenneth[/name]) or phrases like “[name]Erin[/name] Go Bragh”.
This is me being objective. On the other hand, my daughter has a fairly unusual Irish name that I have to spell and/or pronounce repeatedly to my non-Irish friends (we’re in western [name]Canada[/name]), and my next daughter will bear one that is very similar to Gormlaith, but with a softer first syllable. So I’m biased in favour of either, if you’re prepared to accept the frustrations that will come with these names. My vote goes to [name]Rionagh[/name], though!
Honestly, they look like something out of the [name]Elder[/name] Scrolls video games. Which could be bad. To me, they’re ancient sounding and they should stay in history. They look unpronounceable and they don’t even sound nice. Sorry
I just love the meaning of Gormlaith! You’re right - it might make a good pet name. I prefer [name]Orlaith[/name] to [name]Orla[/name] but am still not sure how I feel about it.