Classic old Irish/Gaelic girls’ names

[Anonymous]

Deirdre will be continuously misspelled and mispronounced. Friend of mine who immigrated from Ireland actually changed her name because she was so sick of it (and hated the name anyway because it’s such a bad story).

Honestly, the only one that I would recommend is Fiona. Though Orla is a good suggestion too. Most traditional Irish names will make Americans’ heads explode. Unless you’re willing to use a phonetic spelling, of course, but it sounds like you want to use the real spelling.

[Anonymous]

^^ okay I’m chatting with her now and she’s laughing her a** off and yelling “Bernadette! Mary Bridgid! Bridgid Mary! Patricia!”

I assume that you two, being Irish, also think this is hilarious.

Oona just occurred to me...

[Anonymous]

I like Oona because it reminds me of a finn maccool story.

I am half Irish and my mother always said that the Irish transliterated all the Irish words in the most confusing way possible just to mess with the English. She also said that people speaking Orish always sounded like the had a mouth full of marbles, though.

I feel like Sinead. Siobhan, and Orla are all well enough known to be manageable if you aren’t too picky about the accent.

Funny but Ive got back to the early 19th century in my irish family and can’t find a single “irish” (gaelic) name. I don’t count Nora because that’s latin (short for Honore). So many Mary, Ellen, Patrick and Terrances!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oona, Colleen, Ciara (KEE-ra), Eileen/Aileen.

Most common name in Ireland!

So the same as Kyra/Kira? Not Kee-ar-ah?

Yes, I’m Ireland it’s pronounced like Kyra/Kira.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Aoibhe is pronounced differently to Aoife.

US pronunciations of Irish names can cause problems the other direction too - when I first moved here, I met more than one Caitlin, and I pronounced it as we would in Ireland (Cat-leen), and managed to offend people Another time, I told someone how their surname (Coughlan) would be pronounced at home in Irl (Kock-lan) and they got very offended (apparently here it's pronounced koff-lin!)

I’ve heard coughlan and coughlin each pronounced like you say. And Moran pronounces MORE Ann and not more ANN like many Americans.

[Anonymous]

I have a sense these Irish language names are more a recent trend. Like Jewish kids with fathers named Richard or Stephen calling their kids Noah and such. Traditional Irish girls names have been Mary, Kathleen, Deirdre, and the like. The ones using the Irish language spelling are certainly a late 20th century development. I can see it in the responses here. Just saying. People now like to identify more with their culture so using a collection of consonants with pronunciation literally foreign to English speakers is totally fine. Just own it. Call her something proud and old Irish language.

[Anonymous]

I know someone who spells it Chavonne. Could always do that! (I kid)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like Oona because it reminds me of a finn maccool story.

I am half Irish and my mother always said that the Irish transliterated all the Irish words in the most confusing way possible just to mess with the English. She also said that people speaking Orish always sounded like the had a mouth full of marbles, though.

I feel like Sinead. Siobhan, and Orla are all well enough known to be manageable if you aren’t too picky about the accent.

Funny but Ive got back to the early 19th century in my irish family and can’t find a single “irish” (gaelic) name. I don’t count Nora because that’s latin (short for Honore). So many Mary, Ellen, Patrick and Terrances!

My family is also Irish (greatgrandparents born there) and there are enough people named John, Michael, Patrick, Mary, Margaret, and Kathleen in my family to fill a small catholic school. I looked at my mom’s high school yearbook once and there were literally like 20 people named Mary in the high school with 500 kids.

[Anonymous]

Is Fiona Irish or is it Scottish?

[Anonymous]

Irish

[Anonymous]

Maureen
Saoirse
Niahm (you could always spell it Neve)
Erin
Brigid
Molly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like Oona because it reminds me of a finn maccool story.

I am half Irish and my mother always said that the Irish transliterated all the Irish words in the most confusing way possible just to mess with the English. She also said that people speaking Orish always sounded like the had a mouth full of marbles, though.

I feel like Sinead. Siobhan, and Orla are all well enough known to be manageable if you aren’t too picky about the accent.

Funny but Ive got back to the early 19th century in my irish family and can’t find a single “irish” (gaelic) name. I don’t count Nora because that’s latin (short for Honore). So many Mary, Ellen, Patrick and Terrances!

My family is also Irish (greatgrandparents born there) and there are enough people named John, Michael, Patrick, Mary, Margaret, and Kathleen in my family to fill a small catholic school. I looked at my mom’s high school yearbook once and there were literally like 20 people named Mary in the high school with 500 kids.

Hello, my Irish cousin PP! My oldest is Bridget, age 21 and named for her great-great aunt and sister of Mary Catherine, born circa 1880. Their family had several generations of Nora/Mary/Marion/Margaret/Kathleen/Katherine/John/Joseph/Michael/William/Edward/James/Patrick ...those were THE names and used in first and middle combinations. Things changed only in my generation with cousin named Timothy Sean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maureen
Saoirse
Niahm (you could always spell it Neve)
Erin
Brigid
Molly

I love Niahm but Neve looks like French for snow. You'll have to add another letter somewhere. Nieve?

[Anonymous]

^^

oops

[Anonymous]

Tallula
Mairaide (sounds like parade)
Siobhan