[name]Hi[/name] everyone,
Was just wondering how much of an issue you think the weird and wonderful spellings of gaelic names are when it comes to pronounciation?
Would you know how to pronounce [name]Caoimhe[/name], [name]Aoife[/name], [name]Niamh[/name], [name]Roisin[/name] etc.?
[name]Do[/name] you have a favourite gaelic name?
Thanks, [name]Caoimhe[/name]
[name]Hi[/name] - I love looking at Gaelic names, but can never figure out how to say them! I love [name]Aislinn[/name] for a girl, and [name]Eamon[/name] for a boy.
Having spent nearly seven years in Belfast, Northern [name]Ireland[/name] (and a phD in Irish [name]History[/name]), I’m pretty familiar with the pronunciations, etymologies, and mythologies of most Gaelic names.
However, when we were considering names for our (now 6-month-old) daughter, so many of the names I loved were vetoed due to my husband’s spelling/ pronunciation worries. Goodbye Sadbh, Eadaoin (Etain), Ceibhionn, and Damhnait. We both loved [name]Caoimhe[/name], except for the fact that DH thought it was pronounced to rhyme with “[name]Naomi[/name]”. Sigh.
We eventually went with [name]Sorcha[/name], in part because I loved the meaning and because I had a personal connection to the name, but mostly because we felt it would be less confusing in the long run. [name]Alas[/name]… my daughter has been called everything from “Sorsha” to “Zorka” - even [name]Zora[/name]. But I still love her name.
If we’re lucky enough to have another girl, she’ll be [name]Aoibheann[/name]. Gaelophobes be damned.
[name]Sorcha[/name] is beautiful! As is [name]Aoibheann[/name]…
I have always loved my name! (and yes I’ve had every mispronounciation… kay-o-mi… ka-om-h… or just a stunned silence!) We are currently debating names for our daughter… My fiance is Welsh so we’re going for a mix of the 2 origins (we have poll under girls names). At the moment it’s between [name]Niamh[/name] [name]Seren[/name] and [name]Arianwen[/name] [name]Roisin[/name]…
Was just interested in how many people would be able to pronounce the names unaided!
Thankyou, [name]Caoimhe[/name]
[name]Just[/name] wanted to say I love both of your options! [name]Niamh[/name] [name]Seren[/name] (“bright star”) and [name]Arianwen[/name] [name]Roisin[/name] ([name]Silver[/name] rose") are just stunning! I think either name would be a beautiful choice for your future daughter! Best of luck.
Was just wondering how much of an issue you think the weird and wonderful spellings of gaelic names are when it comes to pronounciation?-- I think that it may be an issue depending on where you are. (I think that [name]Niamh[/name] and [name]Arianwen[/name] will be alright). However, I much prefer the original spellings over the anglicized ones.
Would you know how to pronounce [name]Caoimhe[/name], [name]Aoife[/name], [name]Niamh[/name], [name]Roisin[/name] etc.?-- Well, I know only because I’m a name nerd 
[name]Do[/name] you have a favourite gaelic name?-- I love a lot of them!
I can not, for the life of me, figure out how to pronounce a gaelic name just from looking at it. It’s just way too missleading. When you pronounce a letter in a completely different way, there are sure to be missunderstandings.
That being said, I love those names. They are beautiful to look at (written down) and once you find out how they are pronounced you love them for their sound as well.
Should I ever have children I’d love to go slightly gaelic/celtic and name them [name]Kieran[/name] or [name]Roisin[/name], and I might even get away with [name]Kieran[/name](unlike me, my family knew exactly how to pronounce it), but [name]Roisin[/name] is just pointless and will be the eternal “[name]Rosine[/name]”(raisin).
Sometimes I’m sad that I don’t live in [name]Ireland[/name], where there’s more beauty in names…
[name]Caoimhe[/name] - kee-va? I think I am right, but the anglicised version is Keavy … although it is a Scottish name, as well as an Irish name, so perhaps it has a different pronounciation the two countries.
[name]Aoife[/name] - ee-fa
[name]Niamh[/name] - neev
[name]Roisin[/name] - rosh-een.
I’m not a fair representation, though, as I adore Irish names and have done a fair amount of research, so many unusual Gaelic names are familiar to me.
Is [name]Caoimhe[/name] your real name? I love it!
On a related note, could anyone shed some light on the pronunciation of the Gaelic name Siofra?
I’ve learned how to pronounce them, but it always takes me some time and some thought (and I often get it wrong anyways) but they really are beautiful names unfortunately for myself, I wouldn’t give one to my child, it would just cause to much confusion in the US
I’ll show my ignorance… I have no idea how to pronounce a single one of the names mentioned in this post! I live in the midwest US. I just learned how to pronounce [name]Siobhan[/name]…ok, I might not even be spelling that right… but, I learned the name on American Idol!!! I do think they all look very pretty on paper, and once someone who knows how to pronounce them says them they sound lovely…I just am an ignorant person and don’t know how to pronounce them myself!
[name]Hi[/name] auburn,
Yes, [name]Caoimhe[/name] is my real name ([name]Caoimhe[/name] [name]Roisin[/name] [name]Doyle[/name] soon-to-be [name]Jones[/name], nice to meet you!) and it is pn keev-a. Yay for most pn - almost with [name]Roisin[/name] - is pn ro (like to row a boat) -sheen. I’m unsure of what the anglicised version of [name]Caoimhe[/name] is… poss just [name]Keeva[/name]…
Siofra is pn shee-fra.
[name]Caoimhe[/name] x
Here’s a good website you may enjoy! - It has audio tracks of people pronouncing the names:
http://www.babynamesofireland.com/pages/girl-names-a-c.html
Enjoy!
[name]Caoimhe[/name] x
My name is [name]Siobhan[/name] and honestly I have never found people’s knowledge or lack of knowledge on the pronunciation to be an issue. Most people don’t know how to pronounce it the first time they see it written, but you tell them once and they remember. Also most interactions in life where you tell someone your name, you are just introducing yourself rather than spelling it out anyway. If anything, many people here my name pronounce first before they even see it spelled out, and then remark on how nice the spelling is when they see it later. People are also interested in asking about the meaning of the name or Gaelic language in general, which makes me feel more vested in my name and which I love to talk about. Nice ice breakers. When I was little it wasn’t an issue either, I actually kind of liked getting to tell other kids or substitute teachers, etc. how to pronounce it, it made me feel like my name was special.
My daughter went to school with a [name]Siobhan[/name]… and for 6 months she thought it was a Sio-b-han an Egyptian boy.
Of course once she knew she knew and she was a child.
But alot of people are dumb/ ignorant and won’t even try to remember.
The names are pretty in sound but crazy weird spellings! LOL
I do love them though. Probably wouldn’t use any as a FN.
Wow I absolutely love arianwen roisin it sounds so beautiful and for those that don’t know , its pronounced [name]Ari[/name]-ON-when ROW-sheen. [name]Man[/name], I love that combo… and I think siofra is shee-frah
I come from a pretty multicultural area and I’ve known a [name]Siobhan[/name], a [name]Roisin[/name] and in fact even a [name]Caoimhe[/name] with sister [name]Aoife[/name] over the years. [name]Caoimhe[/name]'s name was the one I had the most trouble with at first because I saw her name on paper before I met her, as she was at a Brownie camp I was helping on. I knew from [name]Niamh[/name] (ex-colleague’s daughter’s name) that the -mh made a v sound, so I gambled on it being said Keev. I was only a syllable off, better than any of the other adults could have got.
I know a [name]Siobhan[/name] as well, but many of these names I haven’t been exposed to before. My middle name choice if I was having a girl was [name]Aine[/name]. I love it, but was using it in the mn spot specifically because I thought most people would have problems with it. I’ve had a couple people I mentioned it to ask why I wouldn’t just use [name]Anya[/name], but for whatever reason, that spelling just doesn’t hold the same appeal for me.
I know how to pronounce them all from memory (they’re all quite well-heard of in my area) but since becoming more interested in names I’ve definitely picked up some of the letter-sound patterns.
I heard of a girl named Aoise the other day. I’m not convinced it’s a ‘real’ name or not. Is it pronounced EE-sha?
Only ones I knew how to pronounce before coming on nameberry were [name]Aisling[/name] and [name]Aoife[/name].
Kee-vah
Ee-fah
Neev
[name]Rosh[/name]-een
I [name]LOVE[/name] Irish names!!
My faves are [name]Saoirse[/name], [name]Aislinn[/name], [name]Rory[/name], [name]Sorcha[/name], [name]Sinead[/name], [name]Mairead[/name] and many more!
~[name]Jasmine[/name]