Classic old Irish/Gaelic girls’ names

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tallula
Mairaide (sounds like parade)
Siobhan

You kinda butchered the spelling for Mairead there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tallula
Mairaide (sounds like parade)
Siobhan

You kinda butchered the spelling for Mairead there.

Can you believe it?

[Anonymous]

My Irish grandparents definitely Americanized all of their 10 kids’ names, and then the kids got nicknames! Micheal became Mike, Joan became Joanie, Thomas became Tommy, etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

I know a few Irish Americans/Irish-other diaspora named Neve - parents/girls maybe have to correct the first time (most often people say Nehv, like Neve Campbell), but people mostly get it. I've never seen it anglicized as Nieve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Irish grandparents definitely Americanized all of their 10 kids’ names, and then the kids got nicknames! Micheal became Mike, Joan became Joanie, Thomas became Tommy, etc

That is so unique. So, like James would be called Jimmy and William would be called Bill or Billy?

I hadn’t really heard of that. I didn’t realize that was unique to Ireland and not something people have done for years and years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The most interesting name of my Irish ancestors, both on the Irish census and the first time they are on the US census in the late 1800s, is Anthony. Tons of Irish boys named Anthony. The rest were Michael, John, Peter, Patrick, Owen, Joseph, John, James, and Thomas -- with much repetition.

The girls in our line were Katherine, Margaret, Mary, Bridget, Ellen, Ella, Anne, and Norah -- with much repetition.

OP, given what you are looking for, I'd consider: Norah, Maeve, Aurnia, Treasa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The most interesting name of my Irish ancestors, both on the Irish census and the first time they are on the US census in the late 1800s, is Anthony. Tons of Irish boys named Anthony. The rest were Michael, John, Peter, Patrick, Owen, Joseph, John, James, and Thomas -- with much repetition.

The girls in our line were Katherine, Margaret, Mary, Bridget, Ellen, Ella, Anne, and Norah -- with much repetition.

OP, given what you are looking for, I'd consider: Norah, Maeve, Aurnia, Treasa.

Treasa will be called "Tree asa" and Theresa. People are dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No dumb American can pronounce these beautiful names by their spelling. Your daughter will spend her days in the US explaining her name, only to have it mangled and kids will laugh at her. Just name her Kathleen.
~Roisin

Gee, this “dumb American” knows how to pronounce all of them. And you’re an a&@hole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The most interesting name of my Irish ancestors, both on the Irish census and the first time they are on the US census in the late 1800s, is Anthony. Tons of Irish boys named Anthony. The rest were Michael, John, Peter, Patrick, Owen, Joseph, John, James, and Thomas -- with much repetition.

The girls in our line were Katherine, Margaret, Mary, Bridget, Ellen, Ella, Anne, and Norah -- with much repetition.

OP, given what you are looking for, I'd consider: Norah, Maeve, Aurnia, Treasa.

I agree with you Anthony is more primarily a British name. I think it was one of the most popular names in England for boys born in the middle of the 20th century. Such as Tony Curtis, Anthony Hopkins, Tony Blair etc. it seems less popular. But a few years back it was all Nick, Tony, and Nigel! But that is England not Ireland. I assume due to proximity Ireland has a fair number of Anthonys.

[Anonymous]

I am Irish living in the US. My daughter is named Maeve and I’d say it’s 50/50 on whether people pronounce it correctly on their first try. It doesn’t bother me or her too much though. The name is gaining in popularity for sure. I know of at least 4 other Maeves in our town of 20k people in NJ (two with Irish parents, 1 Irish-American, one with no Irish connection that I know of).

[Anonymous]

I’m an Irish Saoirse and my brother is a Tadgh. Pretty much you pronounce your name for people once and they get it. Older people have a harder time but kids get it immediately.

Pick the name and spelling you love.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The most interesting name of my Irish ancestors, both on the Irish census and the first time they are on the US census in the late 1800s, is Anthony. Tons of Irish boys named Anthony. The rest were Michael, John, Peter, Patrick, Owen, Joseph, John, James, and Thomas -- with much repetition.

The girls in our line were Katherine, Margaret, Mary, Bridget, Ellen, Ella, Anne, and Norah -- with much repetition.

OP, given what you are looking for, I'd consider: Norah, Maeve, Aurnia, Treasa.

I lived in Ireland for a while and knew several Anthonys but it was post commonly pronounced Like Antony, no th. Could just be the accent. I prefer it that way now.

I like Nora and Maeve. It’s funny, I also like the Irish spellings for Owen (dated one for a while, spelled Eoin. I think it can also be spelled Eoghan).

[Anonymous]

OP, pick the beautiful name you want regardless of posters here and whether some older Americans can pronounce it. Kids these days do not care about complex names and manage them beautifully. It's the adults that have a hard time, but they are pretty irrelevant.

My kids have been in public, suburban school (so no fancy international school) with kids with names from all over the world. People don't "Americanize" the same way, thankfully. In our small elementary alone, my kids had classes with kids with names that are Chinese, Serbian, French, Ethiopian, Nigerian, Mexican, Indian, Russian, Pakistani, Japanese, and many more. The kids were fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, pick the beautiful name you want regardless of posters here and whether some older Americans can pronounce it. Kids these days do not care about complex names and manage them beautifully. It's the adults that have a hard time, but they are pretty irrelevant.

My kids have been in public, suburban school (so no fancy international school) with kids with names from all over the world. People don't "Americanize" the same way, thankfully. In our small elementary alone, my kids had classes with kids with names that are Chinese, Serbian, French, Ethiopian, Nigerian, Mexican, Indian, Russian, Pakistani, Japanese, and many more. The kids were fine.

+1. Kids hear a name once and get it. I stumbled over our African neighbor’s name for months and my two year old would correct me!

Choose the name you love!

[Anonymous]

I went to school with a girl named Aisling and thought that is a pretty name.