Anonymous wrote:Go for it. I went to school with an AA Siobhann and we all managed just fine.

Siobhan usually has one "n." Did her name have two?

Siobhan is Gaelic for Joan.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go for it. I went to school with an AA Siobhann and we all managed just fine.

Exactly! I just met a little Isla recently-I saw it written on her tag, I asked, what's your name? She says eye la. Bam! I know how to pronounce it.

Any kid named Saoirse or Siobhann or any other not typical name is going to be in school with kids with names like Noah, Emma, Hector, Marisol, Amir, Isaiah, Darshan, Jorge, ect.....it's not like 1975 when every kid was Jason or Jenny.

Those names are spelled phonetically in English except Jorge which is phonetic in a language commonly spoken in the US. Irish isn't spoken commonly in the US. See the difference??

Sasha
Sierra
Sancha (aristocratic name)
Sirsha (Indian name)
Charissa

Anonymous wrote:Go for it. I went to school with an AA Siobhann and we all managed just fine.

Exactly! I just met a little Isla recently-I saw it written on her tag, I asked, what's your name? She says eye la. Bam! I know how to pronounce it.

Any kid named Saoirse or Siobhann or any other not typical name is going to be in school with kids with names like Noah, Emma, Hector, Marisol, Amir, Isaiah, Darshan, Jorge, ect.....it's not like 1975 when every kid was Jason or Jenny.

Married into a big and intensely Irish family. Our kids have Irish names, heck, even some of our pets have/had Gaelic names. If you haven’t seen Song of the Sea, an arrestingly beautiful animated film, highly recommend it. The half human - half selkie little sister is named Saoirse (in the movie pronounced “seer-sha” v. S.Ronan’s “sir-sha, like inertia.”)

I don’t doubt you’ve considered the Irish names other posters have suggested and you keep circling back to Saoirse. Yes, you’ll have to spell it multiple times, like at doctors offices, etc., but you’ll often be met with a “that’s beautiful,” response. We have kids who are the only ones in their entire school(s) with their unique name. It’s rare but nice to meet parents/kids who share their name, sometimes in families with rich, mixed-cultural heritage i.e. not exclusively Irish.

So from the perspective of an outlier in a large, boisterous Irish clan, I say go with your heart. It’s really a lovely name.

Shannon is far far better.

Saoirse Ronan pronounces her name like inertia (sur-sha), but most Saoirses I know pronounce their names like seer-sha. So that’s disconnect right there. Don’t do it.

Anonymous wrote:I'm 36 with Irish heritage (far back) and I don't know how to pronounce that name. Don't do it.

It's really not that obscure. How'd you miss it?

It connotes trying-too-hard Plastic Paddy or an Irish Nationalist. And most people won't know how to pronounce it. It would sound extra terrible if the baby's last name isn't Irish.

What about: Keira, Kathleen, Maeve, Teagan, Nora

Go for it. I went to school with an AA Siobhann and we all managed just fine.

The only Saoirse I know is Irish born and her whole family has traditional names. It is just too Irish-specific for your situation in my view.

I'm 36 with Irish heritage (far back) and I don't know how to pronounce that name. Don't do it.

I don’t like how it sounds. Sorry.

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

Yes, because her dad was Paul Hill, an Irish freedom fighter.

Anonymous wrote:

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 ...

DP. Sierra is really beautiful.