Caoimhin

robinph · 15-05-2008 11:17AM

kevmy wrote: »

Caoimhín and Caoimhighín and Caoimhghín are all the same name (Kevin in Irish). They are all pronounced the same way (Kwee-Veen) but spelt differently.

Caoimhe is the female version of the above name. As far as I've seen it's the only spelling used. It's pronounced Kwee-Va.

Quite simple really

I thought that was some kind of optical illusion going on there for a minute as I couldn't see the difference between the second two versions of the name you gave initially, I did spot that the first one didn't have a "g" in it though.

I'm not trying to be stupid, honest, but seeing the names written down just confuses me. On meeting a Kwee-veen I'd have no trouble saying their name but once I saw it actually written down I'd get all confuddled and would have difficulty saying their name as Kwee-veen again without concentrating.

Now somthing obvious and simple like Featherstonehaugh I can handle.

_blank_ · 15-05-2008 11:20AM

robinph wrote: »

Now somthing obvious and simple like Featherstonehaugh I can handle.

Throatwarbler Mangrove, yeah?

cgc5483 · 15-05-2008 11:22AM

Wow when i saw the thread title i thought people were talking about me again

.

But seriously, I'm insulted by the person who suggested it sounded like a girls name. Pronounced properly it sounds very masculine, honestly, but then again you need a bit of understanding of Irish to be able to pronounce it properly. I work with alot of foreigners so you can imagine the looks I get when i say my name, even more so when I spell it. Most people try to start spelling with a Q or Kw and yes i get a lot of mail address to Ms Caoimhin!

Not so sure about Caoimhe being a female version. As far as I'm aware it is derived from the Irish word Caomh meaning beautiful.

robinph · 15-05-2008 11:41AM

DesF wrote: »

Throatwarbler Mangrove, yeah?

Spot on.

cgc5483 wrote: »

... and yes i get a lot of mail address to Ms Caoimhin!

I've had mail in work addresed to a Ms Roisin which confused me for a bit until I realised it was for me.

Malice · 15-05-2008 11:48AM

I worked with an English guy a few years ago who pronounced Siobhan phonetically as "Siob-han". It never failed to crack me up until someone explained the correct pronounciation to him.

Zzippy · 15-05-2008 11:59AM

super_furry wrote: »

As if Kevin wasn't already a boring enough name, someone had to go and make it Irish.

Ooh, you must have a really interesting name yourself then :rolleyes:

DesF wrote: »

Can you prove that Kevin is a bastardisation of the Irish?

It could just as easily have been borrowed into Gaelic from English at some stage, or from another Germanic/Latin language at an earlier stage.

Not all English words with close-sounding Irish equivalents are robbed from irish you know.

I thought it was well known that Caoimhin is an Irish/Gaelic name, that was later translated into English.

http://www.behindthename.com/name/kevin

KEVIN

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, Irish, French

Pronounced: KEV-in [key]
Anglicized form of the Irish name Caoimhín, derived from the older Irish Coemgen, composed of the Old Irish elements coem "kind, gentle, handsome" and gein "birth". Saint Caoimhín established a monastery in Glendalough, Ireland in the 6th century and is the patron saint of Dublin.

p.s. why is it "borrowed" into Irish but "bastardised" into English?

Marz66 · 15-05-2008 11:59AM

I think Caoimhe is such a popular name and well known as a girl's name that some people are assuming that Caoimhín is also a girl's name. That's what happened a Caoimhín I work with! If you are familiar with the Irish language you'll know the difference though! I wouldn't advise calling a girl Caoimhín either!

Marz66 · 15-05-2008 12:01PM

Zzippy wrote: »

p.s. why is it "borrowed" into Irish but "bastardised" into English?

800 years of oppression!!!;)

wyk · 15-05-2008 12:03PM

DesF wrote: »

Can you prove that Kevin is a bastardisation of the Irish?

It could just as easily have been borrowed into Gaelic from English at some stage, or from another Germanic/Latin language at an earlier stage.

Not all English words with close-sounding Irish equivalents are robbed from irish you know.

Many of the names we have are not English at all, but English adoptions of the Hebrew and Greek that came before in the bible. IE: Yochanan/יוחנן/Yianni - Hebrew and greek for John/Ian. , or English versions of Greek like Jason, Alex, Andy, Hannah, George, Kate, Peter, Ted, Tom, Steve, Sara, etc. etc. etc. - Names haven't changed much in thousands of years...

However, it is generally accepted that KEVIN is of Celtic origin:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin

http://www.behindthename.com/name/kevin

http://www.searchforancestors.com/surnames/origin/k/kevin.php

http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Kevin-name-meaning.ashx

WYK

15-05-2008 12:07PM

malice_ wrote: »

Maybe it's just a west of Ireland thing but I've never met any natives who've had trouble with Caoimhín. Now names like Odharnait, Aobhinn and Conchubhair I would expect trouble with . Or, more likely, something like Przemyslaw...

Isn't Aobhinn pronounced Ay-Finn

Zzippy · 15-05-2008 12:17PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Isn't Aobhinn pronounced Ay-Finn

I thought it was more like Ay-veen?

15-05-2008 12:20PM

Zzippy wrote: »

I thought it was more like Ay-veen?

Not entirely sure. I had a friend who pronounced it Ay-Finn. But it could also be Ay-Veen I suppose.

kevmy · 15-05-2008 01:17PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Not entirely sure. I had a friend who pronounced it Ay-Finn. But it could also be Ay-Veen I suppose.

I'd definitely go with Ay-Veen.

Have to say I never seen anyone who had any difficulty with Caoimhín or indeed Aobhinn before this thread - well no one Irish anyway

Malice · 15-05-2008 02:16PM

Isn't Aobhinn pronounced Ay-Finn

Nope, the girl in question pronounces it Ay-veen as others have said. I would hope that she knows how to pronounce her own name

.

15-05-2008 02:25PM

Just checked and the guy I'm referring to name is spelt Aodhfin.

On a side-note -- Ooo youtubue buttons.

conchubhar1 · 15-05-2008 03:28PM

malice_ wrote: »

Maybe it's just a west of Ireland thing but I've never met any natives who've had trouble with Caoimhín. Now names like Odharnait, Aobhinn and Conchubhair I would expect trouble with . Or, more likely, something like Przemyslaw...

my name is actually conor, but yes in irish there are at least 50 different ways to pronounce and spell it

conchubhar1 · 15-05-2008 03:33PM

Zzippy wrote: »

p.s. why is it "borrowed" into Irish but "bastardised" into English?

good question
maybe cos in irish names had a meaning - specific spelling - fadá's etc etc
when its translated into english (yes,just english cos of its oversimplified blandness) it looses so much
but-yes irish borrowed words/names as does every (90%) language
but english did this extensively from every language under the sun
majority of engish words arent english- no matter what you define english as.

before someone points it out - yes i have nothing to say on topic - as the question is answered

lostexpectation · 16-05-2008 03:21PM

malice_ wrote: »

Maybe it's just a west of Ireland thing but I've never met any natives who've had trouble with Caoimhín. Now names like Odharnait, Aobhinn and Conchubhair I would expect trouble with . Or, more likely, something like Przemyslaw...

kon cu bar?

i'll have to my niece kevin junior the second from now on.

Malice · 19-05-2008 11:42AM

lostexpectation wrote: »

kon cu bar?

No, it's a bit difficult to spell phonetically and again this might be a west of Ireland thing again but it's something like cro-who-are. The 'cro' part is sounded like the 'bro' in brother, the 'who' and 'are' parts are sounded like the English words except they run into each other, a bit like the word 'whore'.

19-05-2008 06:22PM

I'm surprised so many Irish people don't know that Caoimhin = Kevin or how to pronounce it, I'd have thought it was fairly general knowledge in Ireland? Don't you learn Irish for years? (Not trying to be smart BTW, just genuinely curious) Caoimhe is extremely common so it wouldn't seem like Caoimhin would present much of a problem pronunciation wise for someone who grew up here.

NotMe · 19-05-2008 06:48PM

Caomhín is ainm dom. Most people I've talked to about it (not a lot tbh) didn't know the Irish for Kevin and when I tell them they think it's hilarious. "really? haha... kwee-veen? hahahaha" is a typical response. And then they think it's a good idea to start calling me Kweev instead of Kev

Caoimhin

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