Teague and Tegan

So I’ve fallen in love with [name]Tadhg[/name] but I know that would lead to a lot of spelling/pronunciation problems so I figured [name]Teague[/name] would be the better spelling option (even though I’m not a huge fan of the spelling) for living in the Midwest where most people aren’t familiar with Gaelic names. Any other spellings are welcomed.
And then there’s [name]Tegan[/name], which I like for a girl. I obviously can’t use [name]Teague[/name] and [name]Tegan[/name] on siblings but with [name]Tegan[/name] I could maybe get [name]Teague[/name] as a nickname and is one of the few girl’s names I like. My thing is that it seems out of place next to [name]Isaac[/name], [name]Lilith[/name], [name]Milena[/name] and [name]Marcus[/name]. Thoughts on whether they go together? And general opinion on [name]Teague[/name] or [name]Tegan[/name].

Thanks in advance!

I’m wondering how you’re pronouncing them. I would pronounce [name]Tadhg[/name] something like “Tie-g” with the long i sound sort of holding over. But [name]Teague[/name] and [name]Tegan[/name] I would pronounce Tee-g and Tee-gin (with a hard g, not like the actual word gin). I’m also only familiar with the spelling [name]Teagan[/name] for the girl’s name. I am just curious to see whether I’m pronouncing them the same way you are/correctly.

As for the names themselves, I’m not really a fan of [name]Teague[/name]. Although it looks nice written down, it sounds kind of like a nickname. I do like [name]Tadhg[/name], but [name]Teague[/name] just doesn’t have the same … I don’t know … feel to it, I guess? I do love [name]Teagan[/name] for a girl though. Especially the meaning, which I believe is “beautiful” or something similar. I wonder if folks who don’t know better would think [name]Teagan[/name] is a Celtic boy’s name that you’ve given to your daughter though. Still, my vote would be for [name]Teagan[/name], with possible nn Teag/[name]Teague[/name] if it feels right. Not quite like [name]Tadhg[/name], but a great alternative!

[name]Tegan[/name] is pronounced the same as [name]Teagan[/name] (Tee-gan) to the best of my knowledge. It is the Welsh version of [name]Teagan[/name] and is strictly feminine, compared to [name]Teagan[/name] which seems to be male only.
[name]Tadhg[/name] and [name]Teague[/name] are both pronounced as Teeg (it’s just like League but with a T instead of an L).
I like the spelling of Teag as a nickname for [name]Tegan[/name]/[name]Teagan[/name]. And I agree the [name]Teague[/name] is missing something compared to [name]Tadhg[/name]. I have the same problem with [name]Aislinn[/name] and [name]Ashlyn[/name].

Interesting! My family is Irish and I have a second cousin named [name]Tadhg[/name] (in [name]Ireland[/name]) and he pronounces it Tie-g with a long i sound. Must be a difference between Irish and Welsh? I’m also only familiar with [name]Teagan[/name] as an Irish girl’s name. This is very interesting, indeed! Thanks for sharing! Makes me want to do a little research. :slight_smile:

I may be wrong about the exact way to pronounce it. I’m horrible at reading pronunciation guides and I’ve only heard [name]Tadhg[/name] said as Teeg on an American tv show so I’m not 100% sure.
I like the looks [name]Teagan[/name] better than [name]Tegan[/name]. According to behind the name.com [name]Tegan[/name] is feminine Welsh name meaning fair and [name]Teagan[/name] is a unisex Irish name meaning descentant of [name]Tadhg[/name]. The book at my library says [name]Teagan[/name] is male only but it is old and with it meaning “descendant of [name]Tadhg[/name]” it could be a masculine or feminine name.

Yep, this is the right way to say it.

Funny that you should mention [name]Tegan[/name] not matching other names. There is a music duo called [name]Tegan[/name] & [name]Sara[/name]- and they are twin sisters! To me those styles are very different.
With [name]Isaac[/name], [name]Milena[/name], [name]Marcus[/name], and [name]Lilith[/name], I get a “biblical with a twist” feel- they’re unique, fresh and new, without feeling foreign. In that sense, I think [name]Tegan[/name] nn [name]Teague[/name] fits in perfectly.

I also know an Irish Tadgh pronounced Tie-g. It would be a difficult name to spell phonetically - maybe [name]Tyge[/name] could be an option?

My housemate is part Welsh and has a cousin called [name]Tegan[/name] who lives in [name]Wales[/name] - the way she pronounces it is Teg-an (Teg to rhyme with leg, a shorter ‘e’ sound than Tee-gan). I don’t know how to pronounce Tadgh at all.

[name]Tyge[/name] might work but it still is missing something. Essjay: with a shorter ‘Ew’ it sounds like it would almost rhyme with [name]Megan[/name]. So maybe [name]Teagan[/name] would be the better option to get to Tee-gan?

Great names! I love [name]Teague[/name] for a boy and [name]Tegan[/name] for a girl. [name]Teague[/name] as a nn for a [name]Tegan[/name] seems unnecessary. I think T would be a cute nn, if you needed one.
You’re right, I don’t think they fit in with [name]Isaac[/name], [name]Lilith[/name], [name]Milena[/name] and [name]Marcus[/name].