What are some thoughts on this name? My husband brought it up when I was looking through one of my lists. I thought the nickname [name]Faye[/name] would be cute. Should I add it to my list? I also like the original Irish spelling [name]Faolan[/name], which one is better?
Oh, I have a friend by this name! He’s a really tall, rugged, pipe smoking, never properly shaven musician. He smells of tobacco and Guinness, I could never in a million years picture this on a sweet little girl. Sorry! (He spells it [name]Faolan[/name] though).
However, trying to put that aside… picturing [name]Rowan[/name]'s little sister running around in NC. [name]Fay[/name]/[name]Faye[/name] would be adorable.
Edit:
babe, just looked at Rowan’s pictures again, and I tried to say Phelan (assuming you’re pronouncing it FAY-luhn) thinking of pigtails and daisies and playing hide-and-seek in bluebell forests; I can absolutely see it work.
Aww thanks for your polite honesty [name]Ottilie[/name]! I’d imagine, being in the UK you might know a few pipe smoking, Guinness drinking, guy [name]Rowan[/name]'s as well. 
I don’t know why I’ve always pictured [name]Phelan[/name] as feminine, I do pronounce it [name]Fay[/name]-luhn. It’s awesome on a boy too though.
I think [name]Rowen[/name] and [name]Faolan[/name]/Phalon make a great sibset! I’m not sure how I’d spell it though
[name]Kinda[/name] looks like it would be pronounced felon…
I think it works! [name]Rowan[/name] and [name]Phelan[/name]. It’s adorable. [name]Do[/name] you think she’ll get the pronunciation you want where you live? That is my issue with it- not sure how to pronounce it at first glance, but once you said it, it makes sense.
This…
Totally random, but this name always makes me think of Phalène, a dog breed and a French word for ‘moth’.
This was originally a surname, pronunced [name]Fee[/name]-lan. It crossed over the border as a boys name a while back, commonly spelled [name]Faolan[/name] which is either [name]Faye[/name]-lawn or [name]Faye[/name]-lin, depending on your dialect. It doesn’t even seem remotely feminine to me. You would have to spell it [name]Faolan[/name] to get the pn you want. While it isn’t exactly my style, I really love your daughters name, and I [name]Rowan[/name] is miles miles ahead of [name]Faolan[/name]/[name]Phelan[/name].
I immediately thought of phlegm…
I don’t find it attractive or feminine, sorry. [name]Faye[/name], on the other hand, is sweet.
I have a relative who lives in [name]Phelan[/name], [name]CA[/name] and pronounces it [name]Fee[/name]-lan, so that was my first thought upon seeing it. With the proper pronunciation, it is much prettier. Still not sure that it’s on par with [name]Rowan[/name] though.
Definitely the problem I’m having… it seems nothing is on par with [name]Rowan[/name].
I think most people would get it after the first time I told them, but we still have some older country folk who have trouble with [name]Rowan[/name] so I’m sure it will be botched occasionally. They would probably say Phee-luhn, instead of [name]Fay[/name]-luhn. If I spelled it [name]Faolan[/name], there would be no hope.
Sorry it doesn’t strike me as attractive. And the first thing I thought of when I saw it was felon.
I prefer the [name]Faolan[/name] spelling by a mile; [name]Phelan[/name] makes me think of [name]Judge[/name] [name]Phelan[/name] from The Wire. The former spelling seems more feminine to me, but I don’t know…I’m not sure I can support it on a girl. I like it a lot for a boy, and it does strike me as sort of a “soft” name, so I can see where you’re coming from, but I would not like to see it used on a girl at all.
I’d like [name]Fallon[/name] a lot better for a girl, though I suppose then the nn [name]Fay[/name] / [name]Faye[/name] - which is cute! - would be a bit more of a stretch.
Yup, my thoughts too.
What if you spelled it Faylan? Yes it’s a made up spelling but it’s phonetic so you would get people to pronounce it and spell it easier than [name]Phelan[/name] or [name]Faolan[/name]
[name]Just[/name] by visual alone? Because it doesn’t sound like phlegm at all.
I could, but then it just wouldn’t be the same I guess. It would just disconnect it from it’s history and meaning. I don’t know, I like it a lot but I’m not sure it’s list-worthy quite yet. 