Is Saoirse cruel?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sair-sha.

Sur-shuh is the correct pronunciation in Ireland.

[Anonymous]

Yes it’s cruel

[Anonymous]

I had a family name that I hated and when I was 32 went to count and changed my name. Give your children names they can live with and are easily pronounced and spelled!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've loved the name Saoirse for years but now that it's actually coming time to pull the trigger, I'm wondering if it's a bad idea.

Some context: I'm Irish-American with a very Irish name (first and last) but one that's pretty well-known in the US (more so now than when I was a kid). DH isn't Irish at all. DD is getting his last name so I knew I wanted an Irish first because it connects her to me and my family. Saoirse has always been my favorite and I really adore the name but knowing she's staring down the barrel of years of mispronunciations and poor guessing, I'm beginning to reconsider.

We've considered other more American Irish names like Mara, Nora, Quinn, etc but don't love them as much. What are your thoughts? Especially people who had a lot of trouble with their names growing up. Is it worth it? Also have people really become that much more familiar with the name after Saoirse Ronan?

FWIW we're planning on using Sari (said like hair, just like how we'd say sair-shuh) as a nickname but much more as a pet name than every day use name.

Do you like Maeve? I always thought that was pretty!

[Anonymous]

Just name her MURPHY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sair-sha.

Sur-shuh is the correct pronunciation in Ireland.

Definitely not sure-Sha in Ireland.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s fine, but your child is ALWAYS going to be correcting people. I knew a 10 year old Siobhan at summer camp (in the U.S.) and after being told how to pronounce her name once, everyone got it.

[Anonymous]

Do you say it say-or-see? If not, yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s fine, but your child is ALWAYS going to be correcting people. I knew a 10 year old Siobhan at summer camp (in the U.S.) and after being told how to pronounce her name once, everyone got it.

I don't think it's cruel, and people in the US will adjust, but it will be a CONSTANT thing. It also doesn't travel AT ALL so good luck if she ever goes international. I think names like this are somewhat unique in that they're not at all phonetically pronounceable in any other language. That's a negative for me.

[Anonymous]

I was a teacher at a private school near Boston for a long time. Saoirse and other Irish names were very popular among wealthy Boston families.

Aoife, Niamh, Siobhan, Saoirse, and more were all there.

[Anonymous]

Why don’t you make it your name and spare her the life of trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was a teacher at a private school near Boston for a long time. Saoirse and other Irish names were very popular among wealthy Boston families.

Aoife, Niamh, Siobhan, Saoirse, and more were all there.

Having an Irish name in NY or Boston is much less of a burden than having it here in the DC area or the rest of the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s cruel but I also wouldn’t do it. Some people love having unique names like that, some people hate it. No way to know how your kid will feel.

Saoirse Ronan is great but not big enough to have made much of a dent in how familiar the name is to the general public

Yeah sorry but even though I vaguely know who this is (starred in Ladybird, right? Did she write or produce it too?) but I have absolutely no idea how to pronounce her name. And I’m certain I’ve heard it pronounced before. It just didn’t stick.

[Anonymous]

As someone who has a name that is very often mispronounced, I would caution you from doing this. It really had a negative impact on my self-esteem as a child. I actually considered changing my name as an adult (to something similar but more common) but ultimately decided against it.

I gave my children easily recognizable names as a result of my experience.

[Anonymous]

I am Jewish and really wanted to name my son Simcha. It's a name we both love and a family name. When pronounced correctly, I think it's really beautiful and figured Sim or Simmy could be a lovely nickname. But so many Americans can't pronounce the ch sound and we decided no names with a ch in them. Both of my children have what I would call distinctly ethnic names that connect them to their culture.

I also know of not one but two Aoifes in my neighborhood. I wouldn't do it, but you wouldn't be the only one and there is something to keeping these cultural names alive. It strikes me that this might feel especially poignant for as Irish person given the specific linguistic history there. That said, Nora and Quinn are really wonderful names and id personally go for one of those.