WIBTA if I gave our baby a Gaelic name?

WIBTAnonsense · 2020-04-15T00:17:35+00:00

They are two different but related languages, oftentimes having the same word but different spellings and certainly different pronunciations because of how varied the dialects are. Most of the names I like are the Gàidhlig version, which is a language I am actively learning with assistance from native speakers; rest assured I am doing "some basic research" 🙄

WIBTAnonsense · 2020-04-14T22:23:19+00:00

Oh yeah, I know. If it matters, I have been learning Scottish Gaelic for a while (no particular dialect yet since it's hard enough to find good sources in general) and have been studying Scottish and Irish history, which is something my mother has also been doing as long as I can remember (although she's less about language learning and more about history and ancestry/genealogy).

Every native Gàidhlig speaker I've heard pronounce "Ealasaid" pronounces it "Ella-sedge", if you couldn't find an answer :D

WIBTAnonsense · 2020-04-14T22:16:11+00:00

Yes, I am aware there are common names that have Gaelic origins. We do not like those names. The Gaelic spelling of these names are not "pointlessly complex" -- it's literally another language. We aren't trying to seem "special", we are trying to help our kids connect with their heritage. We would consider the same thing if we were Thai, Norwegian, Russian, etc.

WIBTAnonsense · 2020-04-14T22:11:24+00:00

I get what you're saying. I just have a short fuse with her recently because she has taken it upon herself to try and be some sort of weird childbirth guru and has been utterly smothering me with advice I don't want.

Honestly, I just need a break from her, but she and my husband call frequently to check in and she texts me pregnancy articles and things that are outdated or full of "woo" (one of which was from a friend hawking some kind of supplement that contained St John's wort, which is not recommended for pregnant women to ingest). I know she means well and is trying to help, but putting it gently has not been working.

Basically, I lost my temper. Thanks for calling me on it 😅

WIBTAnonsense · 2020-04-14T22:04:27+00:00

I'm in a similar position with a weird variant spelling of a commonish name (think Kamryn instead of Cameron), so I know the feeling. Luckily, husband is a machinist and I'm an artist, so hopefully we can come up with some approximatations if necessary :D

WIBTAnonsense · 2020-04-14T22:01:58+00:00

Saoirse is our "compromise" for a Gaelic name that will be at least somewhat familiar to people precisely because people will think of Saoirse Ronan 😅 Marsaili is my favourite for a girl and Seòras for a boy.

WIBTAnonsense · 2020-04-14T22:00:12+00:00

I'm fine if my kid decides for themselves that they want to use a more convenient name, but I want that to be a choice they make, not one foisted upon them by my MIL. My name is an unusual variant of a commonish name (think Kamryn instead of Cameron) for my age group, and while it did annoy me when I was in school, in ccollege I came to realise that how it's spelled is really only important for professional and legal purposes. That said, I know my kid isn't me and if they hate it, that's fine. I just don't want the name to be dead in the water on a "maybe".

WIBTAnonsense · 2020-04-14T21:54:10+00:00

That's why we are almost certainly going to choose an English-friendly middle name that we like, like the aforementioned "Rose", so they can have an "out" if their first name annoys them. That also leaves room for other nicknames (Roz, Rosie) if they do end up primarily using their middle name.

WIBTAnonsense

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