Saoirse but not Irish

[Anonymous]

Pick another heritage Irish name that’s easier to pronounce - Maeve is lovely!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the name a great deal. Just curious what the political connections are though?

Saoirse means freedom in Gaelic so it is most popularly used by Irish nationalists. The name is certainly less of a political statement than it was thirty years ago but I would still assume the parents of a Saoirse to super Irish reunification

It's also the name of the official newspaper of the Republican Sinn Fein party, which split from Sinn Fein in the '80s because they thought SF was too conciliatory. They continue to support the IRA.

But you won't get those connotations in the US. And it's popular enough in Ireland that it's certainly not the exclusive purview of militant separatists. I think it's fine, OP.

You will from people Irish enough to consider using it.

[Anonymous]

I would investigate your interest in the name, a bit. It's easy to fall in love with a name when you are pregnant but you have to take the long view.

Saoirse has become more popular recently in large part because of Saoirse Ronan. On the one hand, this will make people more familiar with it (and more likely to correctly pronounce it) than they would have 10 years ago. But that will fade, and then your DD will have an extremely Irish name that few people in the US will know how to spell or pronounce. And yes, they will all assume your family is very Irish and will probably be a bit confused. It will either seem kind of disingenuous when you explain that you have some Irish but not strong roots, or they will just assume that you're very Irish without asking and that could be confusing too.

So I'd really ask if your fondness of the name will last. People will mispronounce it, make incorrect assumptions about it, roll their eyes about you behind your back, etc. Now, people are ridiculous and if you love the name, who cares what they think? But if it's just a temporary infatuation, it might bother you more once that infatuation has faded.

[Anonymous]

OP, give us a list of possible and eliminated names. Maybe we can help you.

I’m all for unusual, foreign names, but they need to be understood.

[Anonymous]

I've shared this story before on DCUM. My maternal great-grandparents' generation came over from Ireland. Lots of Mary, Marie, Catherine, Jeremiah, and Michaels. I was born shortly after Bloody Sunday and the first person in my family to be given a distinctively Irish name. My name is unusual and people get it wrong all the time, but I still like it and I do like having a connection to my militant nationalist relatives. What's more immigrant American than to be the descendant of terrorists fleeing their homeland? I think that having an unusual name is less and less of an issue as we become more diverse. I meet people all the time who have given names that I've never encountered before and I learn a new name. In closing: use the name you love, OP!

[Anonymous]

I think more people have learned how to pronounce it because of the actress, but if you think your child is going to live in the US, just don't. It's not worth the hassle.

Kind of like, don't decide you're going to name your Eva and spell it "Aiofe".

[Anonymous]

What about Deirdre?
It’s a pretty Irish name but is much easier for Americans to pronounce imo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is pronounced like Circe on Game of Thrones?

Use whatever name you like, though you’re definitely going to get comments and questions about being Irish every time you introduce you child. If you’re the type to be embarrassed or annoyed, I would consider using it as a middle name.

It's pronounced like the word inertia.

Really? That’s weird; it doesn’t even start with an “I.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: It's pronounced seer-sha.

It's a pretty name OP. I know a teen Saoirse and she's happy with her name.

Interesting. Sounds like the more popular name Say yara or Sea-airah. Hmm try translating those to English. You will find them very popular.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is pronounced like Circe on Game of Thrones?

Use whatever name you like, though you’re definitely going to get comments and questions about being Irish every time you introduce you child. If you’re the type to be embarrassed or annoyed, I would consider using it as a middle name.

It's pronounced like the word inertia.

Really? That’s weird; it doesn’t even start with an “I.”

Sertia.... serrrrssshhhhaaa

Not that hard

[Anonymous]

It’s a gorgeous name

[Anonymous]

I have a Sean, truly one of the least complicated and easy to pronounce Gaelic names, and you would not believe the mispronunciations he gets. I love the name Saoirse, but I don’t think I could subject my child to a lifetime of people not knowing how to say her name.

[Anonymous]

Kind of reminds me of the SNL substitute teacher ...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=LL1I50dhl7eChXnKODf2he7w&v=Dd7FixvoKBw

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: It's pronounced seer-sha.

It's a pretty name OP. I know a teen Saoirse and she's happy with her name.

Interesting. Sounds like the more popular name Say yara or Sea-airah. Hmm try translating those to English. You will find them very popular.

Sierra? You pronounce Sierra like it’s spelled ...

[Anonymous]

It was the name of that Kennedy girl who OD’d a few summers ago at the family compound.