Name Help: An Accessible Irish-Scottish Heritage Name

 

Isabelle and Ronan are expecting their first child -- gender a surprise.

Isabelle writes: ."I am Scottish born and my husband is from the Republic of Ireland. We do come from Catholic families albeit not exactly religious. We want a name that is able to incorporate both of our backgrounds and cultures, that is both Irish and Scottish. 

My husband travels a lot for work and sometimes I do join him so we would like a name that is either easily understandable or able to be shortened to a nickname, as although we live in Ireland, we know that it could be possible for us to move elsewhere where a heavily Irish or Scottish name would be a potential issue. 

 

Names we cannot use due to family and friends already using are Brian, Seamus, Iona, Darragh, Lachlan, Niall, Hamish, Patrick, Quinn, Caitlin, Caitriona, Fiona, Murphy, Mackenzie, Fergus, Cillian, Padraig, Malcolm, Therese, Moira, David and Kieran. My maternal grandmother was half French, and I am named after her but we are unsure of using something other than Scottish-Irish but are open to any ideas you may have. 

 

I like names that have a nice meaning behind them or are culturally meaningful and so on. Other than that I do like names that can be shortened or have a nickname so it fits throughout life from birth to adulthood. 

 

My husband Ronan has grown up around quite traditional Irish names and does like the meaning behind those Gaelic names either Irish or Scottish. He does not like unisex names though or anything too long as we might use a double-barrelled surname. As he works in the entertainment industry he does not like pop culture names or anything like that. My husband also does not like names such as Lili or Kali or Birdie, and likes normal spellings but is flexible on using traditional Irish or Scottish spellings or not.  

 

Some names that we have been considering but are not sure about are Finn, Oscar, Oisin, Calum, Alexander, Aisling, Rosalie, Isla and Freya. I like Aoife but worry about pronunciation outside of Ireland and with potential childhood bullying over it too. I don’t want my baby to end up bullied because of their name.

 

 

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Gaelic names are so beautiful -- you are really spoiled for choice. Finding one that is phonetically transparent in English is a little harder but the good news is they do exist. The world is opening up now and Irish names are getting more international recognition. Names like Saoirse, Sean, Seamus, Niamh etc are all quite widely travelled these days.

You mentioned worrying about potential bullying. It is a completely understandable fear for any parent, but I honestly don't think name-bullying exist amongst youngsters today (and I am speaking here as a primary school teacher with over a decade's experience). Children today grow up amongst so many different names from all over the world -- India, Poland, Africa, Turkey to name just a few -- and it is the norm for them. We no longer live in a world where most of the children in a class have a top 20 name. 

 

Alannah – Essentially, Alannah is a feminine form of the Ancient Celtic name Alan. This spelling, however, is directly influenced by the Anglo-Irish word alannah, from the affectionate Irish Gaelic phrase a leanbh meaning "O child, dear child".

Alba – Similar in sound and style to Aoife, Isla and Freya on your list, Alba is not only a Roman name, it is also the Gaelic name for Scotland that once belonged to the Scottish Kingdom of Alba. Alba also means "dawn" in several European languages and is a popular name currently in Spain, France, Denmark and Belgium, so it travels extremely well all over the world.

Annabel – Lovely Annabel is often assumed to be a combination of Biblical Anna and the Latin Bella. However, its origins are very much Scottish. Dating from the 12th century, Annabel developed in Scotland, most likely as a form of the common medieval name Amabel (from the Latin amabilis "lovable").   

Arabella – Like Annabel, Arabella is also a Scottish creation. Although it is often mistaken as deriving from the Latin ara "altar" and bella "beautiful", it actually derives from the Late Latin orabilis meaning "benevolent". One notable bearer is Lady Arabella Denny (1707–1792), an Irish philanthropist who devoted her life to helping the poor.

Bethia – Bethia is a Biblical name meaning "daughter of God". It is mentioned in the Bible as being a daughter of a Pharoah; some have attributed the name, therefore, to the adopted mother of Moses. Bethia was especially used in Scotland from the 16th century as it was used to render the Scottish name Beathag (a diminutive of Scots Gaelic beath "life") into English.

Cara – A lyrical Irish name meaning "friend" in Gaelic. It also means "beloved" in Italian which gives the name Continental currency. 

Finola / Fenella / Finvola – Modern forms of the legendary Fionnuala, one of the children of Lir who was transformed into a swan in Irish mythology. The name was extremely popular in Ireland in the Middle Ages and Finola MacDonald "Ineen Dubh" (c.1550-1608), was a Scoto-Irish queen of Tyrconnell who ruled in her husband's stead when he became senile. Finola was more common in Ireland, while Fenella was popularised by Sir Walter Scott in Peveril of the Peak (1823) giving it a Scottish feel. Finvola is the Latin form, made famous by the ballad, Gem of the Roe about the beautiful daughter of an O'Cahan chief who married a Scottish laird. Nola is a short form that could be used independently.

Nora – Flapper-style Nora developed in Ireland from Honora ("honour") via the Irish form Onóra and variants Nóra and Nóirín.

Orla – One of the most accessible and beautiful Irish names around: easy to spell and pronounce. Composed of the elements or "golden" and flaith "sovereign, ruler, noblewoman", its meaning is also lovely. Even though Orlaith is used, Orla is the more common spelling in Ireland currently.

Saorla – Another sweet flaith "ruler" name, this one combined with saor "freeman, noble". Saorla is distinctly Irish in style but not too hard for non-Irish speakers to say.

Una – An ancient Irish name that appears more than once in mythology. It was borne by a fairy queen and the clever wife of Fionn mac Cumhaill.

Violet – A sweet floral name that has ties to both the Virgin Mary and Scotland. Long been associated with modesty, in the Middle Ages the violet was known as "Our Lady's Modesty" and a story developed that the violet turned from white to purple to reflect Mary's mourning. For this reason, several Renaissance Madonna and Child paintings depict violets. Violet also had a long history in Scotland -- much more so than England and Wales -- being in use there since the 15th century.

 

Brody –  A lively Scottish name that has numerous meanings, but links with the Irish Brady and Brollaghan. Brody is the most common spelling in Ireland ranking at #120.

Cormac – A name that appears more than once in Irish mythology and makes for a sleek modern name, too. There is even a Scots Gaelic form, Cormag, which shows its early use in Scotland, also.

Finlay – If Fionn feels too short, perhaps Finlay will appeal. It has been used in both Scotland and Ireland since at least the 10th century -- though most likely even earlier.

Finnian – Another Finn-derived name that has been borne by several Irish saints.

Flynn – A dashing Irish surname-turned-first name meaning "descendent of Flann" which itself was a quite popular early Irish name and borne numerous saints, a High King and a renowned poet.

Lorcan – The "little fierce one" borne by Kings of Leinster and the native name of St Laurence O'Toole.

Oran – An Irish saint who travelled through Scotland with Saint Columba. Even though Odhran is more common in Ireland at #93 currently. Oran is only marginally less popular at #132.

Rory – An upbeat and friendly traditional Gaelic name, borne by kings, which was well used in both Ireland and Scotland since the Middle Ages.

Rowan – Not just the name of the lovely rowan tree, Rowan is also a Scottish surname derived from places named Roan in Scotland and the anglicised form of Gaelic name Ruadhán. St. Ruadhán / St. Rowan (d.584) is considered one of the "Twelve Apostles of Ireland".

Shay – An anglicised form of Séaghdha meaning "esteemed, majestic" in Gaelic. This is the most common form in Ireland currently, ranking at #53. It is also the most common form in Scotland at #164.

Tristan – A handsome name which derives from the Pictish (from Scotland and Ireland) name Drustan. One Pictish king, Drustan son of Talor, is the subject of legends told of how he travelled to the Hebrides and was wounded while rescuing a princess that was about to be given as tribute to three giants. 

 

I hope this has been of use. Best wishes for finding the perfect name.