Comments on: How to Give Your Baby an Irish Name

on 10/7/2008 VERY helpful article, especially withe pronounciations, which are tricky! *S*

on 7/8/2007 I love the name Caronwyn, even though it isn't Irish! And I love the name Erin too.

on 7/7/2006 I don't think anybody in Ireland is going to mind, considering the fact that the vast majority of people with Irish names in Ireland have the anglicized version. This includes the vast majority of people in the Gaeltachts.

Shawn is an anglicization of Sean which is a gaelicization of John.

on 6/30/2006 For example; the name Sean. Sean is the Irish spelling, as opposed to Shawn which would be the Anglicized (English) spelling. Now, I understand where my Irish friends are coming from, in terms of keeping a name spelled in the original (not "proper", necessarily, just original...like, to use the name Shawn is not a misspelling of an Irish name, just another way to spell it), however there is nothing wrong with Anglicizing a name. Anglicized names in the U.S. are very normal, and common, and there is simply nothing wrong with them. If people in Ireland mind this, well...the fault is theirs, I'm afraid.

I would also add that I don't think Irish people should make other people feel bad about having named their children an Anglicized Irish name whether the children are in the U.S. or in Ireland. If children with Anglicized names should be concerned about "setting foot in [Ireland]", that does not speak well of the Irish people or Irish society.

on 3/29/2006 Many of the names in "How to give your baby and Irish name" are incorrect or not Irish.

Dara or Daire or Daragh is a name for a boy, not a girl. Tara is a girls name, perhaps this is what the author was thinking of.

Many of the other names, such as Bec or Becca, Renny, Melvin, Grace, Hannah and Caronwyn are simply not Irish. Quinlan and Nolan are used as surnames, not first names, in Ireland.

on 2/22/2006 Other spellings for the name Ailis are Eilish and Ailish, both of them pronounced the same. Aoibhinn (pronounced a-veen) and Derubhla (dervla) are other Irish girl names. Kieran is a very popular Irish name for boys.

on 12/12/2005 If you want to give your baby an Irish name, please use the proper spelling. If you are unsure, get a book that has been published in Ireland. For example, the accent used in Irish only goes above vowels (not over y). If you do give your baby an Americanized Irish name, goodness help them if they step foot in the country. It is hard enough for us to keep our language and culture alive without everyone changing it on us! Thank you, and good luck with the new baby.

on 11/22/2005 I think that using an original Irish spelling reflects true Irish heritage. For example, instead of calling your child Shaun, call him Seán, or instead of Cathleen, use Caitlín. There are a great many Irish names that are now commonly spelled incorrectly and some Irish people find this offensive and/or unnecessary.

on 11/22/2005 I lived in Ireland and I believe that Erin, for a girl, is actually quite beautiful. No one thinks it strange to name a child after a state (Georgia, Florida, Virginia), nor do they think it strange when someone's last name is that of a country (Kathy Ireland, Jonathon England, French is a last name seen oftentimes). There are some geographical entities whose labels are beautiful and very appropriate for people. Erin is one of them. People in Ireland may see it as a bit funny to name a child Erin, but, as I explain to my Irish friends, in America the name is quite common and considered quite lovely.

on 11/22/2005 Erin is a beautiful name and very popular in Ireland, don't be put off!

on 11/22/2005 Avoid the name Erin or Eireann. It's from the word Eire, meaning Ireland. I liked my name, until I first came to Ireland when I was eight. I discovered that people here still speak Irish: the language is not dead. Not only did I feel like a fool having my name plastered on buses and bank machines, but anyone I told looked at me as if I had three heads. It's understandable. Can you imagine someone walking around saying, "Hi! My Name is Canada!"? Go for something a bit more subtle. ;)

on 11/22/2005 Feel free to play with spelling version of a name you like. Remember, nothing is written in stone. My husband and I both liked Catherine and the variant Caitlyn. However, we wanted her to have a little "give" in her name and allow her to choose her nickname with variety. After a bit of practicing spelling her name we came up with Kaitlynne and right now she goes by Kaity for a nickname. We also wanted her middle name to reflect our Irish heritage so we chose Briana for a middle name. However we liked the Brianna version better. Expiriment, but also remember, never chose a name you yourself wouldn't want for life.