"What's in a name? I want to change mine from Irish to English."

johnolocher

http://worldirish.com/story/33002-opinion-whats-in-a-name-i-want-to-change-mine-from-irish-to-english

Following the recent mega thread about people changing names from English language versions to Irish language equivalents, I wanted to share this opinion piece from an Irish person with an Irish language name who wants to officially change it to the English version because he encounters issues living abroad and publishing works.

Do you think he should? or should he stick with the name he was given?

Dravokivich

Ask the Chinese? They've no problem Englishing up their names.

Madam

I find no problems with his name . Do Indian or Pakistani people feel the need to change their names - of course not! People who can't read or pronounce his name are lazy imo!

smash

Haha, the head on him!

looking_around

Its his name, he should be allowed to do what he wants.

If he feels it's causing trouble/confusion then why not change it. I know alot of people that use the english version of their name for simplicity. Nothing wrong with that.

Grayson

I think a lot of irish people would have trouble pronouncing that surname.

biko

From Tadhg to William is it?

Anyone

I can understand why having an Irish name and looking like Gerry Adams love child might cause some problems.

Shave the beard Hegerty, might solve some of the problems!

Kichote

Thinly veiled self loathing paddy crap. Perhaps the russians should pack in the cryllic alphabet too to make it easy for foreigners who insist that people who dont 'just speak english' are backward folk

Or maybe i should anglicise my own foreign last name or gaelicise it so I fit in better over here. I could change it each time I go on a holiday to a different country to make life easy for the locals.

Even if your last name is Smith you'll still have to spell it out for people.

Duggy747

Dravokivich wrote: »

Ask the Chinese? They've no problem Englishing up their names.

Lived with a Chinese guy who's name sounded like Ping Pong, thought he was pulling the piss until I saw a letter addressed to him.

His name over here though was just Thomas :pac:

Ziphius

Makes perfect sense. Academics will often use a pen name for the sake of simplicity and to improve recognition. Nothing to do with being "anti-gaelic".

kylith

Mr. O hEigeartaigh should tell the Brits that he'll change his name to the anglicised version when they fix Magdalen, Featheringstonehaugh, Churmondley, Mainwairing, and Worchester.

kylith

Duggy747 wrote: »

Lived with a Chinese guy who's name sounded like Ping Pong, thought he was pulling the piss until I saw a letter addressed to him.

His name over here though was just Thomas :pac:

I used to know a Chinese girl whose name was Ping Ing.

I generally ask what their Chinese name is; they're generally not too hard to pronounce, and it's got to be better than always being called by a completely alien name.

Tombo2001

Our little boy has English name. We only ever need to say what his name is once.

Our little girl has an Irish name, one that is not uncommon and is quite traditional, but we end up repeating it over and over and over, even when talking to Irish people.....(I've just accepted that if I'm telling a Polish or Latvian person her name that their eyes will just glaze and go "wtf did he just say?")..

I must say, its a bit of a pain in the hole, and would make me think again about Irish names.

His point is entirely valid, it affects him more than anyone else that people cant pronounce his name. Saying that other people are just lazy doesnt change that fact.

ScumLord

He could just do a simplified version of his name for online searching but I always thought that universities attracted people with weird names from all over the world. We don't think it's strange to hear of a Bulgarian or Russian scientist with a weird unpronounceable name, in fact it's almost expected and I'd be slightly disappointed to meet a scientist called Tom.

All he has to do is drop the fadas and unnecessary letters and basically create a pseudonym for himself.

hooradiation

That's not a surname it's the noise you make when you're having a fit.

LordSutch

johnolocher wrote: »

http://worldirish.com/story/33002-opinion-whats-in-a-name-i-want-to-change-mine-from-irish-to-english

Following the recent mega thread about people changing names from English language versions to Irish language equivalents, I wanted to share this opinion piece from an Irish person with an Irish language name who wants to officially change it to the English version because he encounters issues living abroad and publishing works.

Do you think he should? or should he stick with the name he was given?

That name in the Link is a total nightmare!

If his name translates into English then I think he should go for it and use it as his work name, in the same way as some married women
use their maiden name for work, whilst also keeping their official married name. (keep both names for different occassions)?

o1s1n

My parents really didn't have the foresight to know I'd be working for an international company when they named me.

'Hi Ow-is-in!'

'It's pronounced Ush-een'

'Okay Osh-in'

'No, Ush-een'

Okay Oi-shin'

'...'

'Ocean?'

'...'

'Ow-sheen?'

'Just call me Dave'

Fratton Fred

ScumLord wrote: »

He could just do a simplified version of his name for online searching but I always thought that universities attracted people with weird names from all over the world. We don't think it's strange to hear of a Bulgarian or Russian scientist with a weird unpronounceable name, in fact it's almost expected and I'd be slightly disappointed to meet a scientist called Tom.

All he has to do is drop the fadas and unnecessary letters and basically create a pseudonym for himself.

An Arab wworking in England wouldn't use Arabic to spell their name and to most of us Brits all those fadas make it look like a totally alien alphabet.

It would be a shame for him to change his name, but when in Rome and all that.

kylith

o1s1n wrote: »

My parents really didn't have the foresight to know I'd be working for an international company when they named me.

Nicknames are the way to go. When I became fed up of people mispronouncing my name I just changed it to the first syllable and left it at that.

I love Irish names, and want to give my kids Irish names, but I'll be screening them for shorten-ability before they're decided on.

My brother named one of his kids with an Irish spelling of an Irish name, then decided to pronounce it incorrectly. Poor kid will have a hard time with everyone trying to pronounce it.

anncoates

He can change his name but he's stuck with that head for life.

An Coilean

As some one with their name in Irish I really don't get what the big deal is, people mispronouncing you name is a minor anoyance at worst.

It's his name and if he want's to change it to an English version that's his business, but really it seems unnecessary to me.

Personally I find it handy as people who don't bother to get your name right are usually people not worth bothering with.

He looks like he would be on boards...

If he wants to change his name off with him - if he is in Oxford presumably it hasn't held him back all that much.

Siuin

To be fair, his name is the least of his worries

beazee

From personal experience I understand what a pain in the ass it is to have an email like this: [email]sean.oheigeartaigh@...ox.ac.uk[/email]
Bet most of the emails is a copy-paste spam.
Not a single non-Irish person could remember correct order of ei..ea..ai..gh

johnolocher

An Coilean wrote: »

As some one with their name in Irish I really don't get what the big deal is, people mispronouncing you name is a minor anoyance at worst.

It's his name and if he want's to change it to an English version that's his business, but really it seems unnecessary to me.

Personally I find it handy as people who don't bother to get your name right are usually people not worth bothering with.

Not to mention cold callers will probably skip over you

I agree with others, he's made it that far in his life with his name I think he might be OK. Besides the people he writes for are Oxford types, if they can do all that quantum physics stuff I am sure they can master his name.

Still though, the fúúking head on him.