Caoimhe

PSlove

What are your thoughts on Caoimhe? It's a pretty popular name in Ireland right now, pronounced Key-Vah. DH's entire family lives in Ireland, but it's my American family I'm worried about! Do you think they will get over the "crazy" spelling pretty quickly and be able to appreciate the name? I don't like the alternative spelling(Keeva).

momo21

I would have no idea how to pronounce this name.  However, given your husband's heritage, I think it is a great name.  Your family will get used to it pretty quickly, I'm sure.  I agree that the alternate spelling is not great.  With the original spelling, you can tell it's an Irish name, but you lose that with the alternate spelling

Where will your child grow up?  You also may want to think about that.  In the US, this name will be mispronounced all the time.

EastCoastBride

I think that would be a very hard name to live w/ in the U.S.  I like the pronunciation, but the spelling will just confuse people.

I have a friend who named her DD Saoirse (seer-sha) and I've seen it before and kind of knew how to pronounce it.  But I still, everytime I go to write it, have to stop and think about how to spell it and sometimes even have to look it up. 

So many irish names aren't pronounced how they are spelled, but many have become kind of mainstream (Seamus, Siobhan to name a couple) and kind of look like how they are spelled.

But I still fee Caoimhe would be a hard name to grow up with.

 

Baby*Kisses

i thought this was someone trying to be creative with the name Cammy lol. it sounds pretty but even after knowing how its pronounced im still thinking Cammy in my mind.

azuremama

As much as I like some of the traditional Irish names, I think they'd be really hard to grow up with.  I think Caoimhe is pretty, but I would have absolutely zero idea how to pronounce it (or how to spell it).  I personally wouldn't go for it if you live in the US.

braveangel2

Irish names are tricky, and I agree...there are some more mainstream Irish/American names out there. Honestly, I would have no idea how to say this or spell it if I were going to be tested on it. I see a big headache for you kid if she lives in the states.

braveangel2

Irish names are tricky, and I agree...there are some more mainstream Irish/American names out there. Honestly, I would have no idea how to say this or spell it if I were going to be tested on it. I see a big headache for your kid if she lives in the states.

Phillychickadee

Being a rather untraveled American, I have no idea how you get Key-vah out of this!

I can imagine her teachers saying her name during role call and coughing simultaneously b/c s/he has no idea how to pronounce it!

When you say it, I am sure it sounds pretty, though.

MnM7608

I think it's pretty.  I'm hoping people get over the crazy spellings for our kids too...I think eventually they will.  Go for it, but be prepared to correct people a lot.  Our insurance cards have yet to come back with the correct spelling for Aoife, and we've already gotten new cards 4 times!

[lu?ia]

I personally don't like Caoimhe. I know the name, I'm not confused by the spelling or anything, it's just not one I find appealing, sorry. There are a number of Irish names I do like, though. 

I think your family will probably adapt (though, there may be a few who continually spell her name wrong. I have a simple name, in my opinion, and my grandmother always spelled it wrong), and it just depends how much time and energy you want to put in to correcting people.  

braveangel2

Mj does make a good point, which makes me think of the fact that we get some weird-ass spellings on this board and made up names, so I guess I can't fault a legit name. I still see the issues, but people can learn. If you give your kid a name story they can love, then even when they go through phases when they don't like their name, they know you gave it to them for a wonderful reason. Sometimes a good name story will help people overcome name issues. I've certainly voted for names I wouldn't normally like because they had personal meaning to the namer.

kammmmay

I think the pronunciation sounds beautiful, but i with the irish spelling, she would have a heck of a time growing up in the states. Americans have a hard time stringing together vowels, not to mention letters that have different pronunciations. What if you made up your own alternate spelling, like Keyva? Or using it as a middle name? 

sunnyday016

I can appreciate ethnic names and I think they're cool, but this one is going to cause nothing but headaches for you child as long as they live in the US. Most Americans (myself included) will have no idea how to pronounce it and will always spell it wrong.

inque223

Phillychickadee:

Being a rather untraveled American, I have no idea how you get Key-vah out of this!

I can imagine her teachers saying her name during role call and coughing simultaneously b/c s/he has no idea how to pronounce it!

When you say it, I am sure it sounds pretty, though.

This.  I'm still trying to figure out how you get Key-vah from Caoimhe.  But I do like the way it sounds...just not the way it looks. 

inque223

Phillychickadee:

Being a rather untraveled American, I have no idea how you get Key-vah out of this!

I can imagine her teachers saying her name during role call and coughing simultaneously b/c s/he has no idea how to pronounce it!

When you say it, I am sure it sounds pretty, though.

This.  I'm still trying to figure out how you get Key-vah from Caoimhe.  But I do like the way it sounds...just not the way it looks. 

waterfly

inque223:

This.  I'm still trying to figure out how you get Key-vah from Caoimhe.

In Gaelic, "mh" and "bh" are pronounced as a "v" sound...the E is short, so "veh".  C is almost always hard, like a K, and in this instance "aoi" is pronounced as a long E.  It's one of those languages that makes very little sense if you come at it from trying to follow English(or even Romance-language) rules...though likewise English makes very little sense for non-native speakers(G-H-O-T-I can be pronounced as "fish" in English, for example).

Unfortunately a lot of the awesome Gaelic names are hard for the native English speaker to grasp, unless they're familiar with the language.  Having a bit more familiarity with it from music, stories, etc, helps...but the average person on the street isn't going to know how to deal with this name.  It's like trying to explain to people that Ceilidh is pronounced "Keely."

juniper19

To me it isn't entirely different than someone from a country that doesn't use the Roman alphabet expecting people to know how to pronounce their name in their native alphabet.  If you were Russian you wouldn't use Cyrillic to spell your dc's name.  If you were Japanese you wouldn't use Kanji to spell your dc's name.  You would transliterate it into English.  If you want your child's name pronounced Key-va, than you should come up with an English spelling that reflects the pronunciation. 

MrsVo

I think it looks very pretty written out but I would certainly be one of those dumb Americans who has to be told how to say it (and I even have Scotch Irish heritage). 

Scout05

Irish names are really hard, because they aren't spelled phonetically to the American eye.

Our daughter's middle name is going to be "Aibhlinn" which is pronounced AVE-leen. I wanted it for first name, but decided I would have to change the spelling and I didn't want to do that. So we ended up opting for it in the middle instead.

I really like Caoimhe, I just think she would have a hard time in school and among peers outside of Ireland.

backinpgh

When i see it written my first guess was "Keema" from my very very limited knowledge of Irish names. I never would have guessed "Keeva" at all.

If I met someone who said their name was "Keeva" my first guess at spelling would actually be "Kiva." Maybe that would work for alternate spelling?

I think it sounds beautiful, but I think the spelling will ultimately be a burden. I somewhat agree with PP who said you wouldn't spell your kid's Japanese name with Japanese characters, you come up with an American English alternative...that makes sense to me. In fact, I know lots of friends with non-native parents who have their native name and their English name. Is that something you could do?

jallascalla

I am someone with a hard to pronounce/spell Gaelic name who grew up in the US, and I loved it. 

Yes, you will have to explain the name and the pronunciation, but it has always led to interesting conversations. When I was a teenager I was a waitress in a restaurant where we had to wear name tags -- and I had the best time with my customers who were fascinated/intrigued by the name. My friends were convinced I got the best tips because of my name -- it is all in the way you deal with it. Teachers learn it after the first day, so do doctor's offices (or at least they put the pronunciation on your medical file).

Irish people (and almost everyone in America has some claim to Irish relatives) love to hear about it, where my family is from, etc. I also love when I meet people who know  it and they insist on spelling it for me, then they tell me that they went to school with/worked with/had a patient with my name. It is funny how people are so proud that they can spell it, I always tell them I am really impressed. 

Thought you might like another perspective! 

MnM7608

jallascalla:

I am someone with a hard to pronounce/spell Gaelic name who grew up in the US, and I loved it. 

Yes, you will have to explain the name and the pronunciation, but it has always led to interesting conversations. When I was a teenager I was a waitress in a restaurant where we had to wear name tags -- and I had the best time with my customers who were fascinated/intrigued by the name. My friends were convinced I got the best tips because of my name -- it is all in the way you deal with it. Teachers learn it after the first day, so do doctor's offices (or at least they put the pronunciation on your medical file).

Irish people (and almost everyone in America has some claim to Irish relatives) love to hear about it, where my family is from, etc. I also love when I meet people who know  it and they insist on spelling it for me, then they tell me that they went to school with/worked with/had a patient with my name. It is funny how people are so proud that they can spell it, I always tell them I am really impressed. 

Thought you might like another perspective! 

As someone whose kids have Gaelic names, that's actually really nice to hear!  DH insisted that they have Irish names, and sometimes I worry about how it will turn out.  Can I ask what your name is? 

metzy144

braveangel2:

Irish names are tricky, and I agree...there are some more mainstream Irish/American names out there. Honestly, I would have no idea how to say this or spell it if I were going to be tested on it. I see a big headache for you kid if she lives in the states.

this

onelittlemonkey

My thoughts on this after some experience with the issue:  when I was in Ireland it seemed that the Irish were more apt to give their kids "anglicized" spellings (Shawn vs. Sean), and here in the Boston area Americans (of Irish descent) are more apt to give their kids the Irish spellings because they want it to be more authentic.  I find this kind of amusing. 

 Personal taste, really.  You know she's going to have to deal with people mispronouncing it all the time and spelling it to people.  I know the name because I live in an area with a high Irish population and have an interest in names, but I think I am the exception.  

 I have two friends from Ireland (not just of descent), both with girls named with the name Niamh/Nieve/Neve.  One spelled it "Nieve" because she didn't want to "put that on her"- having deal with having to spell out her name- and the other named her daughter Niamh because she thought they were going to be moving back to Ireland when they had her, but now they're in the US long term and I think she kind of regrets it a little.

 

PSlove

Wow! thanks for all of the great insight! I feel like every single reply is something that's gone through my mind in regards to this name! Hopefully I can remember all the various questions....

Our child/children will most likely be raised in the US with frequent trips to Ireland. I feel like they will have a very good understanding of their Irish culture, which may make having an Irish name a little easier. Also, I feel like it's important to DH that the future DC's have Irish names. 

I know of 2 Caoimhe's . They both live in Ireland and they're both spelled this way.

I am aware of all of the anglecized(and not) Irish-American names. Aiden, Liam, Owen, Erin, etc. While I like most of those names, I feel like they are a little too popular.

For those that mentioned you have Irish names, I'd love to hear them! 

MnM7608

PSlove:

Wow! thanks for all of the great insight! I feel like every single reply is something that's gone through my mind in regards to this name! Hopefully I can remember all the various questions....

Our child/children will most likely be raised in the US with frequent trips to Ireland. I feel like they will have a very good understanding of their Irish culture, which may make having an Irish name a little easier. Also, I feel like it's important to DH that the future DC's have Irish names. 

I know of 2 Caoimhe's . They both live in Ireland and they're both spelled this way.

I am aware of all of the anglecized(and not) Irish-American names. Aiden, Liam, Owen, Erin, etc. While I like most of those names, I feel like they are a little too popular.

For those that mentioned you have Irish names, I'd love to hear them! 

Our kids are similar to how yours will be...DH's family all live in Ireland, so we get over about one or two times a year.   Our son is Eoin Peadar, and our daughter is Aoife Rose.  Good luck to you!  Where in Ireland is your husband from?  Mine is from Cavan.

Angel0423

i thought the pronunciation would be like Naomi! lol! I guess if it doesn't bother you that no one will ever read her name correctly....

alandals

I think that names such as this one should be left in Ireland, Scotland.. what have you. Not at all because they are ugly names, but because no body in the US is going to be able to pronounce this correctly the first time. Before I read the pronunciation I would have pronounced as... well I'm not even sure I would have known where to start. Sorry but I'd try to find something else Irish/American

BetchySprout

I really like it. Please don't bastardize the spelling. People close to her will get it. I hate when I see the name Shivonne just so "dumb Americans" can pronounce it. I believe we have had many conversations about Schuyler and it was agreed that was much better than Skyler/Skylar/Skyylaer. That has a learning curve just like this one. 

 

ncbelle

I like it and think you should go with the traditional spelling.  So what if she has to tell people how to pronounce it or spell it?  Then again, my top pick for this kiddo is Saoirse so I'm obviously a fan of traditional Irish spellings ;-)

jallascalla

While it is true that most people are not able to pronounce it at first, they do figure it out, usually after the first try. I don't think you need to "dumb it down" for Americans, they can handle it, honestly, that has been my experience. If anything it has generated wonderful conversations. Sure, there will be people who will get annoyed because it is different or it is hard, but these folks are just one personality type -- the type get annoyed at everything that is different. 

 Also, someone stated that Irish Americans are more Irish than the Irish, my mother (from Ireland) says this often, and there is some truth to it. But I have extended family/friends in Ireland and they would cringe at spelling Sean as Shawn, and so forth. Most use the the original spellings, but they also love American names like Jack and Emma over there too!

 **Edited to remove personal information