I come from [name_f]Ireland[/name_f] and have an Irish name. I would love to include that heritage in my children’s names but I have been wondering after reading an interesting thread on “youneek” spellings.
If “youneek” names have discrimination from employers as I have read on a few threads, will Irish spellings be understood as traditional spellings or will they be misunderstood or discriminated against?
Names such as
[name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f] ([name_u]Keeva[/name_u]) F
[name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] (Seer-sha) F
Tadg (Teeg) M
I guess as a name-nerd I’m a bit biased but I think that traditional Irish names are sort of the opposite of treendee and youneek names. In reality though I think that if you have an Irish last name most people will assume it’s Irish but if your last name is something other than Irish (say Italian or Croatian) I think there is a greater chance for people to assume a youneek spelling.
I definitely think Irish spellings are understood to be traditional and not generally mistaken for “youneek”. Have you experienced discrimination you felt was due to your name?
to use traditional names and I love Celtic names. I do struggle with names like these because not only do I not know how to pronounce them, but I tend to forget once I know.
I love the Welsh [name_f]Eluned[/name_f] but I cannot seem to say it right.
I don’t know if people discriminate but I know people tend to avoid saying words they have no idea how to say…
[name_m]Tadhg[/name_m]/Tadg is pronounced ‘tie-g’, like the start of tiger. My former teacher is Irish and this is what she named her son. I guess this could be a dialect thing though.
I’m curious as to how Eilhoise (ayl-hoosh??) says ‘ay-leesh’? I’ve only seen it spelt [name_f]Eilis[/name_f] or [name_f]Eilish[/name_f]. It looks more like an Irish interpretation of [name_f]Eloise[/name_f].
Thanks for your input! My husband’s last name isn’t Irish but he has Irish heritage as well. Would it work considering that we have the background?
@Emsky
I do get people who do the “Oh, that’s…interesting” with the awkward smiles. Personally, I love my name - especially when I had my very Irish last name.
@lesliemarion
[name_m]How[/name_m] do you pronounce that name? Does it have an English translation?
@renrose
Yeah, I’ve heard it said both ways. I like that way better, now you mention it
I agree , I don’t think Irish names would be grouped in with the youneek category. As someone involved in the hiring process though I can say that the child would most certainly have to accept that their name will be mispronouced/misspelled quite often here in the States. I’m usually a good guesser but my coworkers are always asking me for help with pronounciation and they often tell applicants “I’ll learn to say/spell your name eventually - [name_f]Corri[/name_f] will teach me.”. sigh
While I agree that these are traditional Celtic or Gaelic spellings of Irish names and not necessarily “youneek” spellings, I cannot imagine that most Americans would ever pronounce these correctly at first shot. [name_f]Siobhan[/name_f] is common enough that Americans can recognize it, for the most part. I am considering “Caomihe” as a name for my girl - but I would probably use the alternative spelling of [name_u]Keeva[/name_u] or [name_f]Keva[/name_f]. It’s almost like you have to be fluent in another language to read the names correctly. I like the meaning of “[name_f]Saoirse[/name_f]” as well, and was looking at it as a possible middle name. For a middle name, I might keep the traditional spelling, but I think as a first name, you’re giving your child and future adult a huge uphill battle, unless the name is relatively well-known.
I don’t think they would discriminate as much as just be confused. With the exception of Eilhoise (which could be mistaken for a trendy spelling of [name_f]Eloise[/name_f]), most of the names look distinctly foreign, not made-up. Besides, with all the Jaxyn’s and [name_f]Emersyn[/name_f]'s and Zoiwiee’s running loose nowadays, employers can’t afford to discriminate. And [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] is just plain ugly spelt Seersha : )
You would be far more confronted with mispronunciation/spelling issues in the US than anything else – which would be something to make your peace with now so you don’t find yourself irritated when constantly correcting everyone.
To me, who is not overly familiar with Gaelic but not completely oblivious either, these names look as though they are from a different culture rather than someone try to spruce up an established name by spelling it all funky.
If you’re worried about discrimination, I think in some cases this is unavoidable and unpredictable. Where I live the Irish are not discriminated against, though I have also lived on the [name_f]East[/name_f] Coast where it’s a bit of a different story. Here I would say if certain people saw a latino or middle-eastern sounding name they very well could discriminate against them, which is unfortunate and I believe allowing those people to influence what you name your child isn’t worth it.
So I say go for an Irish name that honors your heritage if that’s what you wish to do.
I guess this could be a dialect thing though.