the name Saoirse

Califlorida

is pronounced SIR-sha  or SEER-sha and is gaelic for freedom.  i love the way the name sounds but that spelling would never make sense to anyone, right?

RFBsbride

That's a very pretty name, but you're right, the spelling would really throw everyone.  Those gaelic spellings usually do!  I like the sound of it though.

MamaMandaW

I would never in my life pronounce that correctly, sorry

shanBmcg

I love this name and have been trying to sell my DH on it but he's not taking the bait (damn him!). We have a Scottish last name and I kinda want a name that starts with an 's.' This one was my fav.

Yeah, people are going to have a problem with pronunciation, etc., but who the hell cares?! This is a traditional name, spelled in its traditional form. I wouldn't change a thing. And I personally think the spelling is what makes this name so neat.

Tess12

Unless you plan on moving to Ireland, you are going to have a hard time with this name.

kegallagh

I love this name! And, being Irish, I am familiar with it so it seems natural for me to pronounce it correctly.... but I can definitely see how it would be troublesome. I think I'd still use it though.

liza0828

I can tell you from experience that it really sucks constantly getting your name mispronounced.

j*&p*

It sounds really pretty, but I would never for the life of me have guessed that pronunciation from the spelling.

FutureMrs.Steen

MamaMandaW:

I would never in my life pronounce that correctly, sorry

This?

Sept17.05Bride

MamaMandaW:

I would never in my life pronounce that correctly, sorry

ditto.

miababy

I love the name and know how to pronounce it, but I don't think most people would have a clue how to say it.  That could make it pretty tough on your LO.

*Scuzzlebutt*

I think it's a gorgeous name, but there will be very few people who will know how to pronounce it.  I had a friend in University who was named Saoirse, so I've seen it before and am familiar with it.  If I hadn't known her, I would have no idea how to pronounce it.

kizz11

i think the look of the name is much better than the sound of the name.

NYCred

I live in a very, very Irish neighborhood in NYC and, even so, the kids at daycare with Irish names with the traditional spellings have problems.  It's a beautiful name, but it'll be a pain in the butt for your little one. 

Melaina25

Americans always get all cranky-pants about Gaelic names or anything that isn't phonetically spelled.

I have an extrememly common name, spelled in the typical way but some people still ask me how to pronounce it.

Basically there are idiots everywhere, so if you like a name, don't let it's ethnic spelling scare you away

EastCoastBride

I go back and forth on this.  Saoirse is extreme, to be honest, as far as really not looking anything like how it's pronounced, and yes, people will have problems w/ it, and it may be a pain for your child.

That being said, the reason I go back and forth ist hat we named DS Declan.  When my DH picked it out, even I was like "de-clan?".  I had NEVER seen it or heard it before.  But once I saw how it was pronounced, I'm good to go.  And as it's becoming a tad bit more popular, more and more people understand how to pronounce it. 

Which I think would happen w/ Saoirse too.  BUT- not as easily, though.  Because while I had the same issue, I think Declan it a bit more obvious than Saoirse.  And the spelling is what gets me.  I have to keep looking at it in order to write it.  If I, a grown adult who is a pretty good speller, can't do it easily from memory,, think about not only your child but the kids in her life.  Will they ever spell her name correctly? 

Not saying dont' use it- just giving you some things to think about. 

tnpjuly04

Irish/Gaelic names are becoming very popular now, which leads me to believe that more and more people will become accustomed to the spellings that way.

What about the ever popular Sean when we were growing up?  We're used to seeing it and would never pronounce it "seen" would we? 

Saoirse is a beautiful name - out of the other Irish/Gaelic girls names, I like this one at the top!

AggieDee

MamaMandaW:

I would never in my life pronounce that correctly, sorry

me either

dpdw

I'm curious about why you are considering the name.  I assume you know that there are a lot of political undertones associated with it.  (For those who don't) It's the name of the Sinn Fein newspaper (Irish political party who, for all intents and purposes, wants the British out of Northern Ireland) and over the years the word has been used in the name of many groups who support the end of British control in Ireland.

I guess if you/your DD never travel to Ireland or the UK (or meet people like me who know about Irish politics) you won't have to encounter people who will immediately make an assumption about you/your DD based on her name.  But, maybe that's what you are going for.  Like I said, I'm curoius.

 

naflmj

I agree it wouldn't at first but I know plenty of Siobhan's (Sha-von) who need to correct people once and then it's no problem.

tan1180

I love this name and I think it is beautiful.  Will there be people who can't pronounce or spell it?  Yes, but that is the case with a lot of names.  Teachers will be the ones who will see it written out the most and she will only have to deal with that on the first day of class and even if she is in the same school a lot of teachers will get to know her so it won't be a problem.  There is also an actress in Hollywood with this as her name.  She was at the Oscars this year and as soon as I saw her I knew this name would gain popularity!  I've seen it mentioned a lot more now then five years ago!  If you like it go for it!  I don't think you would have any regrets!  HTH!

teamla2000

dpdw:

I'm curious about why you are considering the name.  I assume you know that there are a lot of political undertones associated with it.  (For those who don't) It's the name of the Sinn Fein newspaper (Irish political party who, for all intents and purposes, wants the British out of Northern Ireland) and over the years the word has been used in the name of many groups who support the end of British control in Ireland.

I guess if you/your DD never travel to Ireland or the UK (or meet people like me who know about Irish politics) you won't have to encounter people who will immediately make an assumption about you/your DD based on her name.  But, maybe that's what you are going for.  Like I said, I'm curoius.

This.  Spelling aside, I love the sound of the name, but it would be too political for me to use.

Califlorida

dpdw:

I'm curious about why you are considering the name.  I assume you know that there are a lot of political undertones associated with it.  (For those who don't) It's the name of the Sinn Fein newspaper (Irish political party who, for all intents and purposes, wants the British out of Northern Ireland) and over the years the word has been used in the name of many groups who support the end of British control in Ireland.

I guess if you/your DD never travel to Ireland or the UK (or meet people like me who know about Irish politics) you won't have to encounter people who will immediately make an assumption about you/your DD based on her name.  But, maybe that's what you are going for.  Like I said, I'm curoius.

 

it's the name of a young irish actress who was in atonement.  i heard it and loved it.  i got a vague sense of the political stuff behind it but since i'm not from the region i can't speak to that.  from what i can understand the name itself means freedom.

dpdw

Califlorida:

dpdw:

I'm curious about why you are considering the name.  I assume you know that there are a lot of political undertones associated with it.  (For those who don't) It's the name of the Sinn Fein newspaper (Irish political party who, for all intents and purposes, wants the British out of Northern Ireland) and over the years the word has been used in the name of many groups who support the end of British control in Ireland.

I guess if you/your DD never travel to Ireland or the UK (or meet people like me who know about Irish politics) you won't have to encounter people who will immediately make an assumption about you/your DD based on her name.  But, maybe that's what you are going for.  Like I said, I'm curoius.

 

it's the name of a young irish actress who was in atonement.  i heard it and loved it.  i got a vague sense of the political stuff behind it but since i'm not from the region i can't speak to that.  from what i can understand the name itself means freedom.

Yeah, "freedom" from the Brits.  I agree it's a pretty sounding word, but you might want to learn the true meaing of it b/c it's connection to the history of Ireland isn't something to take lightly.

Califlorida

dpdw:

Califlorida:

dpdw:

I'm curious about why you are considering the name.  I assume you know that there are a lot of political undertones associated with it.  (For those who don't) It's the name of the Sinn Fein newspaper (Irish political party who, for all intents and purposes, wants the British out of Northern Ireland) and over the years the word has been used in the name of many groups who support the end of British control in Ireland.

I guess if you/your DD never travel to Ireland or the UK (or meet people like me who know about Irish politics) you won't have to encounter people who will immediately make an assumption about you/your DD based on her name.  But, maybe that's what you are going for.  Like I said, I'm curoius.

 

it's the name of a young irish actress who was in atonement.  i heard it and loved it.  i got a vague sense of the political stuff behind it but since i'm not from the region i can't speak to that.  from what i can understand the name itself means freedom.

Yeah, "freedom" from the Brits.  I agree it's a pretty sounding word, but you might want to learn the true meaing of it b/c it's connection to the history of Ireland isn't something to take lightly.

just so i understand... are you saying it was a political word that was co opted as a given name?  or was it a given name that was used to brand a political movement?  kind of a which came first question...

ETA honestly, the majority of things i am finding are about it being a given name and it's meaning. one brief mention of it being the name of an irish movement's newspaper, but mostly that the name has been popular since the 20s.

dpdw

Califlorida:

dpdw:

Califlorida:

dpdw:

I'm curious about why you are considering the name.  I assume you know that there are a lot of political undertones associated with it.  (For those who don't) It's the name of the Sinn Fein newspaper (Irish political party who, for all intents and purposes, wants the British out of Northern Ireland) and over the years the word has been used in the name of many groups who support the end of British control in Ireland.

I guess if you/your DD never travel to Ireland or the UK (or meet people like me who know about Irish politics) you won't have to encounter people who will immediately make an assumption about you/your DD based on her name.  But, maybe that's what you are going for.  Like I said, I'm curoius.

 

it's the name of a young irish actress who was in atonement.  i heard it and loved it.  i got a vague sense of the political stuff behind it but since i'm not from the region i can't speak to that.  from what i can understand the name itself means freedom.

Yeah, "freedom" from the Brits.  I agree it's a pretty sounding word, but you might want to learn the true meaing of it b/c it's connection to the history of Ireland isn't something to take lightly.

just so i understand... are you saying it was a political word that was co opted as a given name?  or was it a given name that was used to brand a political movement?  kind of a which came first question...

ETA honestly, the majority of things i am finding are about it being a given name and it's meaning. one brief mention of it being the name of an irish movement's newspaper, but mostly that the name has been popular since the 20s.

Saoirse (the word Freedom, not the name) has been the battle cry of Catholics/Republicans in Ireland for centuries.  It was, without a doubt, a word before it was a name.  I'm guess the popularity of the name in the 1920's had to do with 26 counties in Ireland getting their "freedom" from the Brits in 1922. 

ETA: and it's popularity continues as a name, because 6 counties in Ireland are still not free.

dpdw

Here's a really great explanation of the significance of Saoirse:

https://homepage.ntlworld.ie/derek.ivory/saoirsename.html