Aoife

[cherrysorbet.livejournal.com]

What do you guys think of the name Aoife (pn. EE-feh or EE-fah)?

Personally, I think it's a beautiful name... I really love it but I'm worried that if I ever named my daughter that she'd be spelling it out or pronouncing it to everyone her entire life. Sucks as I really love the name so much...


What say you?

Comments

[christhiane.livejournal.com]

Well, I couldn't figure out how to pronounce the name at all when I read it, but it sounds nice.

[cherrysorbet.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what troubles me :P

[th3-unicorn.livejournal.com]

Aoife is the correct spelling, I believe?

I'm sorry but these Gaelic names are way out of whack!
Where in the world are they expecting me to get Keeva from Caoimhe ??
That's just random letters thrown in together, if they ask me :P

It's totally ok for a middle name, but not for a first name, unless you live in Wales.

[cherrysorbet.livejournal.com]

lol, yeah, that was a typo.

I'm Welsh, living in Australia but by the time I have kids I'll probably be back in Wales. Even though it's an Irish name I'm sure more people would know of it in Wales as opposed to Aus. I'm not using it as a first name because of the difficulty I can see someone having with the name - I just love it a lot :P

[spikes-sexkitty.livejournal.com]

sorry, it always irritates me when ppl have that reaction. just b/c most consider Ireland an 'English speaking' country, ergo they should follow the same rules and confirm to the 'English speaking' ways, doesn't make it so.
Ireland was and is it's own seperate country. Their names are traditional and from their own language/dialects (there are three: Munster (Cork and Kerry), Connemara and Ulster (Donegal))

Yes, there are anglicized versions of most names, but anyone who is proud of being Irish or has family there and is decended from that land doesn't LIKE using English versions of their native names.

I plan on using traditional Gaelic names and their spellings and pronunciations with all my children. They will grow up knowing their cultural history and being proud of it. they should have no shame in their birth names or where they come from. That's no different than me trying to tell someone from india or china that their name spelling/pronunciation is too hard, they need to 'Americanize' their names for my benefit. pffft.

(if anyone is curious, here's an explanation AND pronunciation guide for Gaelic:
http://www.standingstones.com/gaelpron.html#Vow)


to the OP - if you love the name, use it. everyone else who doesn't like it just b/c the phonetics don't match the written in their English/American way of thinking can take a hike. lol. it's YOUR baby... not anyone else's. :)

[th3-unicorn.livejournal.com]

I perfectly understand how an indipendent country is entitled to use whatever spelling/language they like.

But the OP was asking "from an english-speaking point of view", which, truth be told, isn't even exactly my point of view, because I live in Italy.

But if I should consider Gaelic names from an english POV, then they don't make sense. Of course they make sense where the language is spoken, but they're simply not english, so they are bound to be mispronounced in english-speaking countries (and other places).

I think it's as simple as it is :)

[spikes-sexkitty.livejournal.com]

touche.

but honestly, when ppl make a comment like that: "wtf? that spelling and how it's said doesn't match. that's so weird."

i tell them, "oh, so it's weird and not 'ok' to name my child after a traditional name from a different language... but it's ok for YOU guys to eff up perfectly english/american names to be 'kree-8-yv'?"

Maikel - michael
Breon - Brian
Amantha - Samantha? Amanda?
Kaileigh - Kylie/Kayla
etc.

hell, they even eff up anglicized names!!
Aydin - from Aiden - from Aeden
and any derivitive name thereof: Caeden, Braeden, etc.

honestly, at least mine are ACTUAL names... and not keyboard epilepsy.

[th3-unicorn.livejournal.com]

haha that's a good point :D
I hope those ppl get it :P

I was just joking it up anyway, when I said the spelling is out of whack :) I know it isn't from a welsh perspective.

[cathubodva.livejournal.com]

I could give you a whole long list of English words that don't make sense.

Try: tough, bough, though, through, cough, hiccough.


=D

[cherrysorbet.livejournal.com]

Hey, thanks for your comment and I completely agree with what you're saying (coming from Welsh person who also gets peeved when her Australian friends say that Welsh language is just a bunch of consonants thrown in together, grrrrr).

If the name sticks in my head (which hardly any do, I'm ALWAYS changing my mind) I'll use it regardless of what anyone says 'cause I'm quite in love with it and obviously love Welsh/Celtic/Irish etc. names :)

[euphrosyna]

It's an Irish name, not Welsh. They're completely different languages.

[shortbutfast.livejournal.com]

yes, it sounds nice. but randomly seeing it somewhere, i would have absolutely no idea how to pronounce it and even with your explanation, i still can't see EE-feh in the word, haha. back in wales it must be obvious though. :]

[arbus.livejournal.com]

i had no idea how to pronounce it the first time i saw it several years ago (the lead singer of the band crooked still is name aoife) but once i realized how to pronounce it, i absolutely ADORE it!! i think you should use it if you really love it.

[krysteener.livejournal.com]

I loooooove that name! It's so sweet and adorable.

I'm American and if I were to use it, I'd use it as a middle name. Only because most people would have no idea how to pronounce/spell it.

My first name is spelled kinda weird and in school it was SO ANNOYING having to spell and pronounce my name for people (hell, I still have to do it every once in a while). Just know that your little girl is gonna have to do that constantly.

[amori-maris.livejournal.com]

I don't think spelling out a name for people is as irritating as people make it out to be. My name is Sasha and I've been spelling it out for people for twenty-four years and it's never bothered me one bit.

I really like Aoife; I think it looks and sounds pretty. I also think that more people than you think will know how to pronounce it, especially if you're moving back to Wales. From what I understand, it's a fairly common name in the UK.

[xxladyjxx.livejournal.com]

I went to hs with an Aoife, so I'd know how to say it! I think it is lovely. Her folks and she were Irish, and her parents were born in Ireland, so I thought it was just delightful. :)

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

I actually think it sounds pretty ugly... same with Siobhan and Caoimhe. Those are like the staple names that people use when they want to look Irish. I don't think names like these really work unless you're Irish, living in Ireland... just my opinion, though.

And for people who say that having to spell their name won't bother a kid, it obviously depends on the kid. Maybe you don't mind spelling your name every time you say it, but some people find it annoying when people are constantly spelling their name wrong.

[cathubodva.livejournal.com]

Well, the OP is Welsh... =D

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

Which is completely different than Irish. :P

[cathubodva.livejournal.com]

I am aware of that, but I think that picking an Irish name when you're Welsh (being that they are from the same language family) isn't quite the same as an American picking an Irish name, you know?

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

Er, no... German and Norwegian are from the same language family, but it'd be kind of odd if a German gave their kid a Norwegian name for no reason. And Welsh and Irish aren't even in the same category of Celtic languages.

[yukonsally]

I have to spell my entire name to everyone, all four names. It gets old and frustrating. People still mispronounce my name right after I introduce myself.

I don't like Gaelic names, I don't think they sound nice and they are a pain to spell to Americans, who can't get Elise right 95% of the time. If you do use Aoife, consider it as a middle name so if she wants to, she can to by Aoife when she decides it's worth it to spell it to every person she meets. I don't mean to name her Mary Aoife or some other super plain first name, but give the kid a fighting chance!

[florallove.livejournal.com]

I would know how to pronounce it, but it would be confusing, since it's not just a strange spelling, it doesn't really sound anything like the name at all.

of course, this is coming from someone who lives in the States, in your circumstance it sounds like it would go over better.

I think Aoife is cute, by the way:)

[americandiva.livejournal.com]

Im in a bit of the same situation as you...since i love both Aoife and Caoimhe. I live in New York, so the pronunciation is also a concern for me.

I think that I would def consider them for the middle name...and maybe even the first name. My name has a tendancy to get misspelled and misprounced, but overall I pretty much just tell someone once and they get used to it. Now Aoife and Caoimhe are more complicated than my name...so I have considered using Keeva or Kiva as a spelling alternative (though i do love Caoimhe more)..but there really isnt an easier way to spell Aoife that I like)

Yes, if you use these names you will have to explain it to people the first time you meet them..but I think after that its probably okay (besdiesa few spelling questions maybe lol) but if that is something you think is ok then I see no problem of using these names in a place other than Ireland.


ok this was kind of long. sorry. moral of the story, if you are ok with doing some explaining, go for it. Its beautiful.

[euphrosyna]

I'm an Irish speaker and in my dialect, we would pronounce Caoimhe as 'Kweeva' (not exactly that but close). The 'ao' vowel sound gives a sort of 'w' sound - i.e. baol meaning danger is pronounced 'bwale'. So even in Ireland, if someone was called Caoimhe (to be pronounced Keeva) people would be mispronouncing/misspelling it too. It's 'Keeva' in Ulster Irish, which is quite different from the others.

Basically I'm saying, there are differences of opinion over pronunciation everywhere so you shouldn't let that stop you from picking a name you like.

[darkenough.livejournal.com]

It's a really nice name. Even 'normal' names are often spelt wrong and whilst Gaelic names generally are different to english spelling rules, they are interesting. it's not as common in my experience as other irish names so not many people might be familiar with it but I dunno. Your potential daughter might be proud to have such a different name. :)

[requiem-morrow.livejournal.com]

I LOVE IT.

Its on my list and one of my favorite names.

[hells-librarian.livejournal.com]

Same here. It's my top girl name. Too bad that my SO hates it . . . too bad for him. ;)

[laminy.livejournal.com]

Well, it's kind of like how I really like the name Saoirse. Not easily pronounced at any glance. So I can't say like, "don't ever do that to a child!"

And being somebody with a name that people tend to have a lot of trouble pronouncing/spelling, I can say that it can suck, and I do get a little cranky about it sometimes, but it's not going to ruin their life. It might be easier to do it as a middle name, but if you love the name, I'd go for it as a first.

[traezer.livejournal.com]

So...how DO you pronounce that name?

[laminy.livejournal.com]

seer-sha

[aquilinum.livejournal.com]

Last year, when I still lived in Shetland, a native Gaelic speaker told me Gaelic sounds like speaking while slurping a slushie. AND IT'S TRUE. Scottish TV and radio carry Gaelic programs and, by golly, slushie-talk. Of course, Irish has diverged somewhat (and you could make a historical case that the languages were never actually the same, only similar)... but still. Slushies.

I think the appeal for most Americans actually lies in the image -- the wild winds, the green mist, etc., and not the sound of the names themselves. Otherwise your shortlist might look like:

Eefa
Keeva
Seerzhuh
Shavonne

And, well, no.

Not saying that liking these names for the image is bad, of course. But I wonder whether any of these Gaelic-loving name Americans are the same people saying it would be "weird" to name a mostly white child Ebony or Leilani.


Final thought: Welsh and Irish names are super incredibly totally different. Like... megadifferent. If somebody says they like both kinds, it generally makes my "likes the name for the unattainable British Isle link and not the name itself" antennae go *:PING:*.

[traezer.livejournal.com]

Lol, I knew a black girl named Siobhan. I never made the connection that it was a Gaelic name.

[cherrysorbet.livejournal.com]

I don't get what you mean by unattainable British Isle link? I live in Wales, my whole family is Welsh, and I visit Ireland constantly. I've never even been to America!

[cherrysorbet.livejournal.com]

And I really do like the name for the name itself, my list is comprised of many different names - mostly Welsh ones which I'll probably be using - but I like to expand my horizons a bit. Aofie is the only Irish name on my list.

[aquilinum.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry if it came off as personally indicting you; this was not my intention. But there are scores and scores of back posts here by Americans -- and I grew up in the States -- and this really is a phenomenon. Keep in mind that there, even FEWER people will know how to pronounce names like Aoife (as it is spelled, I believe, although I could be wrong on that).

Actually, since you're Welsh, perhaps you'll be able to understand even more clearly how unlikely it would be for a native American English speaker to like both Welsh and Irish names based on the sounds themselves.

[euphrosyna]

I like that name a lot. As for it not being common, it's been in the top five most common names in Ireland for the past 10 years or so! But if you're in Wales/anywhere not in Ireland, that will not affect you!

[cherrysorbet.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I didn't mean uncommon in Ireland... just difficult to pronounce in any other country!

[euphrosyna]

So are lots of names and even words, I wouldn't let that stop you. ;)

[cherrysorbet.livejournal.com]

Hehe, so so true. I don't really know why I decided to come off worried about it so much in this post, lol. I just wanted to share the name 'cause it's so lovely :P

[euphrosyna]

It is lovely, I'd love it if it weren't so popular here. If I move, maybe!

Welsh names are lovely too though.