I found Síofra (SHEE-fra) on behindthename a couple days ago and I’ve decided I like it. And even better, so does my fiance!
The tricky part is the spelling and pronunciation. Being gfrom the Midwest I doubt most people would be able to pronounce it correctly just by seeing it. However I think after hearing it they’d be able to say it correctly. Is there a way to spell it to get the sound right by reading it without creating a monstrousity? Or is it easy to say after being told how?
Also I’ve been playing with Síofra [name]Summer[/name] and Síofra [name]Jane[/name]. Any other suggestions?
And if you want the quick and easy question without reading, what’s your thoughts on the name?
I don’t mind it. The spelling is a bit tricky and you’d probably get a lot of people saying see-off-ra, but like you said, once corrected I think people would remember. I’m not a huge fan of the sound right now, but it may grow on me. Maybe you could try [name]Shifra[/name], but I don’t really think you need to change the spelling. Síofra [name]Jane[/name] is my favourite of your combos.
I really like it, but I already knew how to say it. However, I think it’s not so hard people can’t get it. At least on the [name]East[/name] Coast, [name]Siobhan[/name] and [name]Sinead[/name] are reasonably well known and they’re not really any easier, and I expect [name]Saoirse[/name] to be becoming more popular.
I don’t think correcting people (nicely) is the end of the world either, I did it all the time as a child and I was okay with it.
The elf/sprite/faery/changeling meaning appealed to my husband, who is Irish descent and likes Gaelic mythology. I had mostly been thinking of it as a middle name though.
I like Siofra [name]Jane[/name], or Siofra [name]May[/name]. [name]Maeve[/name] would also be pretty and still pretty soft and easy to deal with, without losing the Gaelic feel?
I think it’s pretty and although it would be somewhat tricky, I do think it’s “gettable” - really the S for Sh and the random o are the only “weird things” there. And I think people can get used to S saying SH - not just [name]Siobhan[/name] and [name]Sinead[/name], but also the very familiar [name]Sean[/name] have kind of set the stage for that.
It’s also just visually appealing, it kind of “looks like” [name]Sophia[/name]/[name]Sofia[/name] and [name]Fiona[/name] which are in right now.
I will point out that [name]Shifra[/name] is actually a totally different name with a different history. It’s a Hebrew name for a very positive bit character in the Bible - women in the Bible are often bit characters : D -
She was one of the midwives who delivered [name]Moses[/name], and was under instruction (together with the less-appealingly-named Puah) from [name]Pharoah[/name] to kill him, but they both defied [name]Pharoah[/name]. If you’re at all Jewish or [name]Christian[/name], this is pretty awesome.
If on the other hand you’re totally secular, at least she’s a positive character. BUT I do think people who know their Bible well would assume you were at least mildly religious (and, for that matter, more likely Jewish than [name]Christian[/name], I think) upon hearing it. On the other hand, I think plenty of religious people don’t obsess over names like I do, and wouldn’t recognize it.
I like both Siofra and [name]Shifra[/name], and of the combos your’e considering prefer either with [name]Jane[/name], although [name]Summer[/name] is fine.
I disagree with the “people will remember it when you correct them”
If I was a teacher and reading out names to get attendance, this would be the one I would butcher every time I have to read it.
Síofra to me would be “sigh-oh-fruh” or “see-oh-fruh”
If you of course said “This is my daughter Síofra” That’s not problem, but if I saw the spelling, well I wouldn’t get shee-fra from it…
This is my opinion, and though it is lovely, I would only use it in the middle to save my child from having a hard time with her name.
I don’t know if I would change the spelling though… Sheefra doesn’t look as nice imo.
I agree with pp that people are unlikely to get it on a “cold read” - but I am also not sure how often that comes up in life. I am a teacher, and by the time the kids arrive I have nearly always talked to a parent. Furthermore, beyond the first day of kindergarten - teachers in a school talk. They talk about the kids. Unless you’re unfortunate enough to live in an area where the schools have severely high turnover - there’s going to be enough continuity in staff that when a teacher says “what is this name”, another teacher will know.
What else - I guess in doctor’s offices cold reads happen sometimes. Of course you or she would leave the name’s pronunciation with the receptionist but it’s unclear if that would make it to the nurse or whoever goes into the waiting room. Although again, if you have a regular relationship with a doctor’s office, this becomes a non-issue after a few visits, too.
What else, telemarketers. Personally, I don’t care if they butcher my name or not : D. Doctors/nurses calling back with lab results - not that frequent.
I do think [name]Shifra[/name] is easier, although I’m inclined and probably other people would be to make that first i a short i (like ship) rather than ee. But I think ee is probably closer to the original Hebrew, and that’s even less confusing than io saying ee.
Thanks guys! I think it was the meaning that got my fiance’s attention more than anything but it’s also what.got mine.
I actually didn’t even think about all the other S names that make the SH sound. And I’ve seen teachers butcher the most common names. My brother [name]Cole[/name] winds up being called [name]Chloe[/name] all the time. And my sister is [name]Katlyn[/name], said like [name]Kaitlin[/name]. She said the mispronounciation and misspellings don’t bother you after a while.
Plus with [name]Jane[/name] or [name]Summer[/name] she has a normal middle name to fall back on if she decides she doesn’t like Síofra.
I have never heard of this name before but it was clear to me that it was Gaelic and therefore had the same first syllable as [name]Siobahn[/name].
It’s really not that hard. I know phonetic names are preferred in [name]America[/name] but it’s hardly rocket science. I would keep the correct spelling and just correct people. They will be the ones being ignorant not you.