Oona vs Oonagh?

I love [name_f]Oona[/name_f] but I love the strong Celtic feel of [name_f]Oonagh[/name_f].

I live in [name_u]Scotland[/name_u] so the more “complex” spelling isn’t much of a problem here.

Thoughts?

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i think they’re both lovely! if the oonagh spelling isn’t an issue, though, i think i would go with that!

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I’m team [name_f]Oona[/name_f]. I love the oomph of the double O and to me the extra visual weight of the gh spelling counters that verve a little bit.

Both are lovely though — follow your heart!

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I prefer the simplicity of [name_f]Oona[/name_f] I think she’s visually beautiful

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Oonagh is gooorgeous!! I actually totally prefer that one!

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[name_f]Oona[/name_f] for me! [name_f]Oona[/name_f] without the -gh seems stronger and spunkier imo.

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What a tough choice!! I think I do slightly prefee [name_f]Oonagh[/name_f]!

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Editing my comment after some research. Apparently, “Oonagh as a girls’ name has its roots in Greek and Latin, and the name Oonagh means “pure, holy”. Oonagh is a version of Agnes (Greek). Oonagh is also a derivative of Oona (Scottish, Irish, Gaelic): respelling of Una (Latin) "one.” So, I think the original Oona/Oonagh are derivatives and I’m not sure which is more originally Celtic. Oonagh - Name Meaning, What does Oonagh mean?

Ultimately, I think it depends! I’d just be prepared for misspellings and mispronunciations regardless of which you choose since there are so many different spellings and it’s already an uncommon name. A pro for Oonagh is that according to nameberry, Oonagh means “Queen of the Fairies in Irish mythology; wife of Fionn MacCool; had long golden hair which reached to the ground.” That’s a stellar association!

Meanwhile, if you go for Oona, it’s phonetically English (but I’d argue that Una without the accent is also phonetically English) and therefore probably the more assumed spelling outside of Ireland and Scotland.

I’d probably go for Oona since the double-O is so fun and the ending’s sleek.

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Oona’s very pretty but [name_f]Oonagh[/name_f] is pretty but with substance. I’d be asking where did it come from. Asking about the culture, the language.

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[name_f]Oonagh[/name_f] looks really unpleasant to me but I don’t live in a place where this spelling would be understood at all. [name_f]Oona[/name_f] looks strong to me!

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I prefer [name_f]Oonagh[/name_f], especially given that you live in [name_u]Scotland[/name_u], so it’d be easy enough to wear there!

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I like Oona’s streamlined look more. [name_f]Oona[/name_f] feels like a whimsical, fairytale-ish name to me while [name_f]Oonagh[/name_f] doesn’t quite have the same vibe.

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I really love both, but I adore the simplicity of [name_f]Oona[/name_f]!

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I prefer [name_f]Oonagh[/name_f], I live in [name_f]England[/name_f] so it wouldn’t be odd to see here either.

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This may not be helpful (and for context, I live in [name_u]North[/name_u] America) but I don’t think I’ve ever encountered [name_f]Oona[/name_f] or [name_f]Oonagh[/name_f] in real life and the “Oo-” is a bit jarring to see at the beginning of a name - it reminds me of “ooze”. So I would prefer [name_f]Una[/name_f] to either of them.

If [name_f]Una[/name_f] isn’t on the table, I think I would go with [name_f]Oona[/name_f] for the sake of simplicity/sleekness.

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I can appreciate [name_f]Oonagh[/name_f], but to my very American eyes my brain just tags on a G sound without my permission. So for that reason I would go for [name_f]Oona[/name_f] personally, but if you don’t have [name_u]North[/name_u] American pronunciation in mind (which you don’t need to) then I think [name_f]Oonagh[/name_f] would work well :slight_smile:

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[name_f]Oona[/name_f]. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though I would pronounce [name_f]Oonagh[/name_f] as oo-na instinctively nowadays (a side effect of spending years on NB), I still read is as Oo-nag in my head, which isn’t nearly as pretty to me.

i like both but i slightly prefer oona! i’m in scotland too and i don’t think the oonagh spelling would be an issue here at all so it’s just what you like better !