Americanized Anglasized Irish Names

Skerries

The Irish surname has gone through a good few changes down the centuries with the British changing our Irish names to something that they could pronounce but then when we emigrated to America during the famine it changed again in pronunciation if not in spelling.

So we have names like Moran being pronounced more-an or Doherty being pronounced Dokerty or Gallagher as Gallager

but I am still confused as to one name, the name Shaughnessy!
what is the socially acceptable current Irish way to pronounce it, is it shawnessy or shocknessy?

keith16

Clearly it's "Shocknessy"

My name is URL

The Wee Baby Seamus

uch

Katelinn instead of Cáitlín

vicwatson

So.........

antodeco

Ironically, I dont know a single irish person named Shaughnessy

feargale

Shawnessy in Montenotte. Shocknessy everywhere else.

feargale

Shawnessy in Montenotte. Shocknessy everywhere else.

Mr. Incognito

There is am irony to spelling anglicised phonetically in the title whilst giving out about the phonetic spelling of names.

Most of those "Irish " names are anglicised versions of the Irish names which were probably Celtic versions of native tribes.

Less of the superior juice

Davidius

'Shocknessy' is closer to the Irish Ó Seachnasaigh I would think.

Killer Wench

My name is Siobhan. I recently came across someone named Siovaughn. I wept.

Skerries

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

There is am irony to spelling anglicised phonetically in the title whilst giving out about the phonetic spelling of names.

therein lies the rub!

idunno78

Killer Wench wrote: »

My name is Siobhan. I recently came across someone named Siovaughn. I wept.

My mam was in the in the us a few years back and that is how they pronounced her name! Si-o-vaun!! She had to write it phonetically so they could say it right!!

mathepac

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

...
Most of those "Irish " names are anglicised versions of the Irish names which were probably Celtic versions of native tribes. ...

Possibly, but some are hard to trace. For example, Johnson in some areas has the same origin as McKeown or Mac Eoin literally "John's Son". Fascinating subject. I used to be a big fan of "Meet the Clans" on the steam wireless, fado, fado.

MonaPizza

Put a man on the Moon and they can't get O'Mahoney right...


O' Mah-HOE-Nee

Fcuks sake

JohnMearsheimer

I generally like Irish names. I lived in Canada for a while. I have an Irish first name. Whenever I went to Starbucks I'd just tell them my name was John for when they were writing it on the cup. Less hassle

I remember an American singer called Ciara but she seemed to pronounce it as Sierra. I've seen Ciaran spelled as Kieron as well.

Applause

It absolutely grinds my gears when I see people with their name spelt "Neeve"or "Keeva", is there any need like?

sligoface

It just makes it esier for people not raised in Ireland to pronounce which can save the person hassle, though I admit the phonetic spellings lack all of the beauty and elegance of the lovely but weird Irish spellings.

Irish names are beautiful, well some are, while some sound more like the name of a biblical demon or just a bit of drunken slurring at 3 am, but in any case they often fly in the face of what the typical phonetics are for the letters in the names. This bit of oddity is part of the beauty imo, but you can't fault Americans for being unable to pronounce them properly, and for some with those names to get fed up and spell them more phonetically to make life easier, especially since they are not common outside of this country. For example, Niamh, lovely name, but what other word in English has an m and h at the end like that, and how would anyone guess that combo makes a 'v' sound if they were not raised in Ireland?

I understand that Americans ruin everything and do everything wrong (well except for their films, music, TV, fashion, product designs, but that's hardly anything), but still, why blame English speakers for not being able to pronounce Gaelic words? They're not the same language!

My sister had to spell her name Shinead or even Shinade instead of Sinead when we lived in the States or she would be called Sin-ee-ahd or something similar. Americans come from all different backgrounds, places in Europe, etc. Neither an Italian in Italy or an Italian-American would have much luck pronouncing Irish names. Of course part of it is that some Americans will never leave the US and have no interest in other countries cultures. Though in fairness the Gaelic names are really nothing more than a trend here, with little substance, and the ones naming their kids Siabhra and Cian are just as likely to be spending their evenings keeping up with the Kardashians as any American.

thee glitz

My mother is a Cahill. I can't begin to describe how horrible it is to hear that Everton lad being called K-hill.

ruthloss

My friend changed the spelling of her name from 'Sadhbh' to Sive when she moved to America. (In fairness, it's a difficult one, unless your Irish) and now they call her 'Sive'., as in the thing you shake flour though!

xXxkorixXx

dr phil's surname is mc graw. an obvious contraction of mc grath

Siosleis

Ara isnt it well yeer names arent onion or cleaner. They never get them right.

pow wow

Killer Wench wrote: »

My name is Siobhan. I recently came across someone named Siovaughn. I wept.

I know a guy called Shevaun. Here, have a tissue.

Chattastrophe!

Skerries wrote: »

So we have names like Moran being pronounced more-an or Doherty being pronounced Dokerty or Gallagher as Gallager

Wait, how else would you pronounce Moran?

DEFTLEFTHAND

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

Wait, how else would you pronounce Moran?

More Wren and More Ran.

Meauldsegosha

I met an American couple a few years ago who told me they had a daughter named Ireland. They said to me "you must be happy and proud we named our daughter after your country". Why the hell would I be happy and proud??

When my cousin, Maurice, moved to America years ago they would spell his name Morris.

demanufactured

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

More Wren and More Ran.

Iv'e heard it pronounced More-anne

DEFTLEFTHAND

demanufactured wrote: »

Iv'e heard it pronounced More-anne

Ya I made a hash of that:pac:. More- anne was the pronounciation I was trying to convey.

Teyla Emmagan

Meauldsegosha wrote: »

I met an American couple a few years ago who told me they had a daughter named Ireland. They said to me "you must be happy and proud we named our daughter after your country". Why the hell would I be happy and proud??

Ireland is a lovely name for a country, and one that makes me happy and proud, but it's a damn ugly name for a kid.

Fluorescence

Pfffffft, my name is Aoife. IME, American's brains explode upon seeing it. If I say it to them or write it down as "Ee-fah" I just end up being called Eva.

It's not the same

endacl

ruthloss wrote: »

My friend changed the spelling of her name from 'Sadhbh' to Sive when she moved to America. (In fairness, it's a difficult one, unless your Irish) and now they call her 'Sive'., as in the thing you shake flour though!

If your Irish friend Sadhbh doesn't pronounce her irish name 'sow' (yes, as in lady pig) then she's wrong too.

Imagine that. Irish people can get irish names wrong too! It's not just those silly Americans!

Don't get me started on folks naming girls Naoise....

lau1247

ruthloss wrote: »

now they call her 'Sive'., as in the thing you shake flour though!

You mean a sift?

Chattastrophe!

lau1247 wrote: »

You mean a sift?

You mean a sieve?

endacl

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

You mean a sieve?

You mean a yokimibob?

lau1247

MonaPizza wrote: »

Put a man on the Moon and they can't get O'Mahoney right...


O' Mah-HOE-Nee

Fcuks sake

I have to say i have yet to come across any o'mahoney, i have come across many o'mahony

lau1247

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

You mean a sieve?

Both equally valid but in endacl's context, i think sift was the word.

*i'll get my coat*

Duck Soup

I grew in England and lived near a family named Keogh, pronounced Kee-Oh. Got a bit confused when I came to Ireland and everyone seemed to pronouncing the name Kyo. Likewise I got used to pronouncing the name Costello, Cos-TELL-oh, only to come over here to listen to people pronouncing it more like Cuh-still-oh. Oh the sufferings of being a plastic paddy...

lau1247

endacl wrote: »

You mean a yokimibob?

Google work fast, yokimibob is already pointing to this thread, kudos

Chattastrophe!

lau1247 wrote: »

Both equally valid but in endacl's context, i think sift was the word.

*i'll get my coat*

Sift is the verb. You sift flour using a sieve.

And I think Sive is more likely to be mispronounced as "sieve" than "sift".

Annasopra

MonaPizza wrote: »

Put a man on the Moon and they can't get O'Mahoney right...


O' Mah-HOE-Nee

Fcuks sake

I would have said O'Ma honey

Annasopra

Applause wrote: »

It absolutely grinds my gears when I see people with their name spelt "Neeve"or "Keeva", is there any need like?

When you go abroad yes

Choochtown

"Naughton" is another one. Pronounced "knock ton" in Ireland but "Nor ton" elsewhere.

2 other names which cause confusion abroad (and it's not hard to see why) are Tadhg and Donnchadh.

Annasopra

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

Wait, how else would you pronounce Moran?

More-un

Annasopra

lau1247 wrote: »

You mean a sift?

Sieive

Annasopra

Duck Soup wrote: »

I grew in England and lived near a family named Keogh, pronounced Kee-Oh. Got a bit confused when I came to Ireland and everyone seemed to pronouncing the name Kyo. Likewise I got used to pronouncing the name Costello, Cos-TELL-oh, only to come over here to listen to people pronouncing it more like Cuh-still-oh. Oh the sufferings of being a plastic paddy...

When my English Aunt visited Ireland it was funny hearing that she had passed through At-Henry and Mull-ing-er

brandon_flowers

I once met a man on a job called Porick Murray. I thought it might be some sort of Polish or Slavic name but no, it was his way of spelling Padraig/Padraic.

I never worked with him again.

Annasopra

This threads reminds me of these

www.dailyedge.ie/irish-name-problems-891769-May2013/


www.broadsheet.ie/2013/07/25/when-padraig-orders-in-starbucks/

lau1247

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

Sift is the verb. You sift flour using a sieve.

And I think Sive is more likely to be mispronounced as "sieve" than "sift".

After making a deeper internal investigation, you are right , my sincere apology

Duck Soup

And while I remember, honorable mention to Jan Leeming, one of the first female BBC newsreaders, talking on a news bulletin many years ago about somewhere in Ireland called Drog-heed-ah. I still can't find it on the map.

dxhound2005

thee glitz wrote: »

My mother is a Cahill. I can't begin to describe how horrible it is to hear that Everton lad being called K-hill.

Would you like to explain to the tatooed one with a penchant for celebrating jailbirds when he scores that he does not know how to say his own name correctly.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-524734/Fury-Everton-footballer-Tim-Cahills-pitch-gesture-solidarity-thug-brother-left-man-blinded.html

I find it amazing that some people think they know how to pronounce someone's name better than the actual owner of the name. Just accept that there are thousands of words with more than one pronunciation, including some first names and some family names.

ruthloss

lau1247 wrote: »

You mean a sift?

Ah feck off., you all knew what I meant.:o