Sister for Maeve

Help please!
We’re at 30 weeks and still haven’t settled on a name. I need feedback because my spouse is more of a yes/no guy. I’m listing a few front-runners here but would love as much feedback/input as I can get to help me process!

Background: My 2yr old’s name is Maeve Eleanor & we’re expecting another girl. We live in an urban area of Georgia, USA. We are typically drawn to Celtic/Gaelic names but aren’t locked in on that. I like gender neutral names (Quinn) but my spouse does not. I have a lot of concerns around dooming her to fight pronunciation & spelling issues; people frequently have to be corrected on my eldest’s name and I feel that one is fairly easy.

Ideas:
Saoirse Quinn
Àine Sloane
Roisin (nn: Rose) Caoimhe
Elliotte (nn: El or Etta) Saoirse
Norah Morrigan

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If you are worried about spelling, [name_f]Norah[/name_f] [name_f]Morrigan[/name_f] is the only combo on your list that doesn’t seem significantly harder than [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] :confused:

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I love [name_f]Norah[/name_f] [name_f]Morrigan[/name_f] and can’t believe people can’t pronounce [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]!

[name_m]Hi[/name_m] there.

[name_f]Maeve[/name_f] [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is gorgeous! I live in an urban U.S. city as well, & a few of my little nephews have hard to spell & say Irish names. People have to be corrected on them reasonably often, but I still feel like it’s worth it to have a beautiful authentic Gaelic name.

Here are my thoughts on your list-

[name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] Quinn-This will definitely confuse people more than [name_f]Maeve[/name_f], but I think it’s nice as a little sister. It’s one of those names that’s an equal balance of pretty & fancy but still feels sort of badas*.

[name_f]Aine[/name_f] Sloane-I love love [name_f]Aine[/name_f]! It’s one of my favorites. I’ve always been hesitant to put it on my actual usable list because it’s hard to say right without an Irish accent. I don’t worry about people saying or spelling it wrong, but I worry about me saying it wrong. Maybe you’re better at it! Have you thought of [name_u]Sloane[/name_u] as a fn? That seems perfect with [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]. It’s Gaelic & somewhat gender neutral, but leans feminine. It’s a bit more well known, so maybe won’t confuse people too much.

[name_f]Roisin[/name_f] Caoimhe-This is a cool combo. [name_f]Roisin[/name_f] is definitely tricky to say & spell for Americans, I would think. And it’s honestly not my favorite. I think something about it sounds heavy. What about just [name_f]Rose[/name_f] as a full name? [name_f]Rose[/name_f] [name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f] is stunning with [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f].

[name_f]Elliotte[/name_f] Saoirse-I like the idea of [name_f]Etta[/name_f] or El(maybe prefer Elle) with [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]. But [name_f]Elliotte[/name_f] looks off. And also, it’s pretty boyish to me (spelled Elliott.)

[name_f]Norah[/name_f] Morrigan-This is an interesting combo. It’s a bit ‘r’ & ‘n’ heavy, but maybe I’m just being picky. I love [name_f]Norah[/name_f], but think that [name_f]Nora[/name_f] looks even sleeker. It’s pretty popular in my neck of the woods, at least. Still really a nice name & great w/Maeve.

A few more ideas-

[name_f]Alice[/name_f]

[name_f]Bridget[/name_f]

[name_u]Clare[/name_u]

[name_f]Catriona[/name_f] nn [name_f]Cate[/name_f]

[name_f]Colleen[/name_f]

[name_f]Celeste[/name_f]

[name_f]Ciara[/name_f]

Etta-just [name_f]Etta[/name_f]?

[name_f]Eloise[/name_f]

[name_u]Fern[/name_u]

[name_f]Fiona[/name_f] :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: :heart_eyes:

Gwen(dolen) or [name_f]Gwyneth[/name_f]?

[name_f]Maren[/name_f]

[name_f]Nuala[/name_f]!

Niamh-maybe too close to [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]

[name_f]Pearl[/name_f]

[name_u]Skye[/name_u]

[name_f]Stella[/name_f]

Tess(a)

[name_u]Wynn[/name_u]

[name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps. :slight_smile:

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What about [name_f]Etta[/name_f] [name_f]Morrigan[/name_f]?

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[name_f]My[/name_f] first thought was [name_f]Gwen[/name_f]. It’s not quite Gaelic but is Welsh. It’s very similar in sound and feel to [name_u]Quinn[/name_u], and technically could be unisex, but in the US is strictly feminine. And pairs nicely with [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]. Plus it’s easy to spell and pronounce.

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[name_f]Maeve[/name_f] [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is gorgeous!!

[name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] [name_u]Quinn[/name_u] - this is such a lovely name. [name_u]Strong[/name_u] but sweet. I would say that the actress has had this name more familiar but it also has two pronunciations anyway so if you’re wanting to avoid pn issues, this might not be the one

Àine [name_u]Sloane[/name_u] - another beautiful name. I feel like [name_f]Aine[/name_f] fairly easy to learn and [name_u]Sloane[/name_u] flows beautifully, though I’m not sure non-namenerds or people unfamiliar with Gaelic names would get it right straight away.

[name_f]Roisin[/name_f] Caoimhe-I really enjoy both of these names and nn [name_f]Rose[/name_f] makes [name_f]Roisin[/name_f] feel more wearable. Again [name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f] has two pronunciations but since it’s a middle that’s not a big deal. If you want a traditional Gaelic name I think [name_f]Roisin[/name_f] is a good bet.

[name_f]Elliotte[/name_f] [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] -I don’t super love [name_f]Elliotte[/name_f] if I’m honest. I’d prefer it just spelled [name_u]Elliott[/name_u] or the similar [name_u]Everett[/name_u]. Still, I think it flows well and sounds good -love [name_f]Etta[/name_f] though

[name_f]Norah[/name_f] [name_f]Morrigan[/name_f] - a solid and sweet choice! [name_u]Love[/name_u] [name_f]Morrigan[/name_f]! [name_f]Norah[/name_f] might have the h missed off sometimes but it wouldn’t have pn issues.

[name_f]Enya[/name_f], [name_u]Ellis[/name_u], Eilis/Eilish, [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f], [name_f]Fia[/name_f], Ciara/Keira and [name_u]Keeley[/name_u] came to mind!

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I think [name_f]Catriona[/name_f] [name_u]Quinn[/name_u] or [name_f]Catriona[/name_f] [name_u]Sloane[/name_u] would be so nice with [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]. I grew up in the US [name_u]South[/name_u] in a rural area with a classmate named [name_f]Catriona[/name_f] (ending has long O sound like Fiona) and everyone seemed to find her name easy to pronounce. It is also very pretty!

I love both [name_f]Norah[/name_f] & [name_f]Morrigan[/name_f] as sister names to [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]. [name_f]Norah[/name_f] [name_u]Quinn[/name_u] or [name_f]Norah[/name_f] [name_u]Sloane[/name_u] would be my favorite options from your list (if your spouse likes those better in the middle spot). [name_f]Morrigan[/name_f] [name_u]Sloane[/name_u] is cute, too.

I think most of your other options would require more teaching moments in terms of pronunciation than [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] has, which it sounds as though you don’t like.

Other ideas, if you’re looking for them:

Firsts that complement [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]-
[name_f]Addy[/name_f]
[name_u]Anne[/name_u]
[name_f]Fiona[/name_f]
[name_f]Lainey[/name_f]
[name_u]Marie[/name_u]
[name_f]Millie[/name_f]
[name_u]Rae[/name_u]

Middles that complement [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]-
[name_f]Adeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Ann[/name_f]
[name_f]Ava[/name_f]
[name_f]Caraline[/name_f]
[name_f]Claire[/name_f]
[name_f]Emma[/name_f]
[name_u]Everly[/name_u]
[name_f]Evie[/name_f]
[name_f]Jane[/name_f]
[name_f]Kate[/name_f]

Considering this, I think Norah, from your list, is a good choice – and if you’d consider spelling it Nora you will probably have 0 issues whatsoever with spelling! Either way, it matches beautifully with Maeve. And I think keeping a more distinctly Celtic name in the middle spot is a good idea.

Continuing the discussion from Sister for Maeve:

They usually make up a whole different name! Her Dr’s office has an admin that calls her Mauve every single time, even when corrected :roll_eyes:

[name_f]Gwenn[/name_f] is actually on my longer list! [name_m]Just[/name_m] couldn’t find a middle name that felt right with it.

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In the US, I would pick Norah. With the rest, I would be worried about having to correct people endlessly on the pronunciation/spelling. If they can’t get Maeve right when it’s a phonetic English spelling, then Lord only knows what they would make of Áine/Róisín/Saoirse :sweat_smile:. Have you considered Anya rather than Áine? Technically they have different roots but they would sound the same in an American accent.

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[name_f]Norah[/name_f] [name_f]Morrigan[/name_f] and [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] are simply beautiful together !

[name_f]Norah[/name_f] seems the easiest to spell and pronounce especially because people struggle with [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] ( which seems mind blowing [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] is beautiful)

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[name_f]Norah[/name_f] is my fav from your list and goes great with [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]. I’m afraid your spelling/pronunciation concerns would happen on the rest of your list.
Also, I second that I can’t believe people don’t know how to spell or say Maeve!!

Oh, dear! :slight_smile:
Our cat is [name_f]Tamsin[/name_f] [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] and our vet’s office calls her [name_m]Tasman[/name_m]!

[name_f]Maeve[/name_f] [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is beautiful. [name_f]My[/name_f] favourite as her sister is [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] [name_u]Quinn[/name_u] but she will have to spell her name out a lot and correct mispronunciations. If you want to avoid that, then [name_f]Norah[/name_f] [name_f]Morrigan[/name_f] is your best bet. I can’t say I’m a fan of [name_f]Norah[/name_f] but it does sit alongside [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] nicely. [name_f]My[/name_f] second pick after [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] [name_u]Quinn[/name_u] though would be [name_f]Roisin[/name_f] [name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f] ‘Rose’. It’s lovely!

While I personally love both [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] [name_u]Quinn[/name_u] & [name_f]Roisin[/name_f] [name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f], if pronunciation you would like not to wrestle with, they might not be the best ideas. Thus, and like others have also said, [name_f]Norah[/name_f] [name_f]Morrigan[/name_f] would be your best bet (and it’s also a great combo) and it might be best to keep the ‘trickier’ names in the middle. Also, as you do have [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] twice on your ideas list, perhaps [name_f]Norah[/name_f] [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f]?

I feel like with Norah, you might have to clarify that it is “Norah with a h”, but then it is rather straightforward.

I was going to suggest this too! So I guess I’m seconding this.

[name_f]Maeve[/name_f] [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is gorgeous! I love pretty much your whole list for her little sister. If you’re very bothered by pronunciation issues, I’d probably go with [name_f]Norah[/name_f] (which I adore!). Of course, though, [name_f]Norah[/name_f] can still be spelled multiple ways. Would you use [name_u]Sloane[/name_u] as a first name? [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] & [name_u]Sloane[/name_u] sound like natural sisters to me. I also love @LibelluleClaire’s suggestion of [name_f]Gwen[/name_f] for you. [name_f]Gwen[/name_f] [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] sounds lovely to me. Other ideas, repeats are seconds:

[name_f]Cara[/name_f]
[name_f]Ciara[/name_f]
Claire/Clare
[name_u]Delaney[/name_u]
[name_f]Enya[/name_f]
[name_f]Fia[/name_f]
[name_u]Finley[/name_u]
[name_f]Fiona[/name_f]
[name_f]Flora[/name_f]
[name_f]Isla[/name_f]
[name_f]Keira[/name_f]
[name_f]Nuala[/name_f]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f]
[name_f]Orla[/name_f]

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