THE NICKNAMEY NAMES:
It seems the Irish like nicknames....There was a tendency to lop off everything but the first syllable and add an "o" or "ie" sound to the end. For the more obscure ones, I added my best guess as to what it could be short for in parentheses.
Lambie (Lambert)
Chappy (Charles)
Miko (Michael)
Tady (Theodore, Thaddeus)
Jimo (James)
Maisie
Nano (Nancy)
Mellie (Carmel, Melissa)
Amby (Ambrose)
Barney
Dolly
Patto (Patrick)
Cissie (Cecilia)
Bessie- Wouldn't recommend, it reminds me too much of a cow.
Jacko
Hughie- Dewie, and Louie, anyone?
Dilly- Bar.
Minnie- Mouse.
Biddy (Bridget)- Old Biddy.
Dinny (Denis)
THE REALLY IRISH NAMES:
Here, friends, are the names I saw most:
Bridget / Brid (BREED) / Brida- By far the most popular girls' name, Bridget was an Irish saint; Brid is the original form.
Honora/ Hanora/ Honor/ Honour- Definitely a phenomenon unique to Ireland; I have never seen Honora used so frequently elsewhere. It's an obscure name, for sure, but has a lovely sound (Uh-NOR-uh). I might steal this for my favorites list.
Margaret- Frequently shortened to Peg, Peggy, and Maisie.
Mary- Frequently shortened to Molly and Dolly.
Theresa- Tessie
Catherine/Kathleen- Kate
Maura/Maureen
Nora
Delia
Patrick
Patricia
THE COOLEST:
These are the names left over after I took out the common names and the nickname-names; the unusual, sweet, and yes, the coolest names of all:
Bartholomew- Popped up quite a bit, another Irish phenomenon. While it is a well-known Biblical name (He was also known as Nathaniel), Bartholomew has suffered from disuse, probably owing to his unwieldy length. Nonetheless, I quite like Bartholomew. He could go by Bo, Mo, Tom, Rolo...so many possibilities!
Padraig- The original Irish form of Patrick, pronounced Paw-drig, was often abbreviated to Patty and Patto. I like its sound, but it may cause problems for Americans when they try to pronounce it.
Cornelius- Another old and rare name that was well used (for some reason) in Ireland, Cornelius might appeal to those seeking an undeniably classic, yet decidedly old and fusty name.
Mortimer- I have a soft spot for Mortimer. It's ridiculously dusty and moth-eaten, but you know what, its got a chic edge. I can just see a celebrity using it soon...He could go by Mo, or even Tim.
Seamus- SHAY-mus, one of the more well-known Irish names, is too little used in the U.S. It's easy to pronounce and cute.
Orla- More of a modern Irish choice, Orla means "golden" and for once, it's an Irish name that is spelled and pronounced the same. The "la" ending is very right now. It's distinctive without being too strange. A winner.
Helena- Shakespearean and pretty, Helena's only caveat for me is that it can be said so many different ways. Heh-LAY-na, Heh-lenn-uh, Heh-LEEN-uh...which one is it?
Desmond- Des is a cool nick name, Desmond in full is classy, but in the U.S., it has been used more frequently by African Americans, which makes it seem off limits.
Edmund- Chronicles of Narnia fans may recognize this. I find it to be more attractive than Edward, more distinctive, and an unfairly ignored classic.
Kieran- Another more modern male choice, Kieran is pronounced "Keer-in."
Seanàn/ Sinan/ Senan- Pronounced Shaw-NAHN, meaning "little wise one."
Zetta- A rando that I like by virtue of the "Z" at the beginning. Short and sweet.
Conolel- The first time I saw this, I thought it was a typo, but there was more than one Conolel. I'm pronouncing it "con-oh-lell" and think it has a nice ring to it. Maybe it's an older form of Conor.
Mercy- A virtue name that sounds modern, with its cute-"cy" ending, Mercy could have possibilities.
Winifred/Winnie- Saw this relatively frequently, as well. I've mentioned Winnie in past posts, because I think it's adorable. The only thing I can't decide on is the "fred" ending of Winifred. Is it cute, or not? And should I say "WiniFRED" or "WiniFRID?"
Cecil/Cyril: These sound quintessentially British to me.
Ambrose: One of my all time favorite names (My current combo is Ambrose Vance), I saw the nickname Amby used for this; my pick would have been Bo.
Sylvester: Another neglected classic, Sylvester is probably hampered in the U.S. by Sylvester the cartoon cat, of Tweety Bird fame.
Bernadette: The name of a saint, Bernadette has the cute nickname of Bernie going for it. It's vintage chic.
Tadhg: Another of my favorite Irish names, pronounced "TYG." It means "poet," and its too awesome for words. I want to use it in the middle spot someday.
Declan: More modern Irish name, pronounced like it looks. Comes complete with neat nickname "Deck" and was used in television series "Kyle XY." (No, I did not watch that show. My sibs did)
Mollien: I only saw this once. My guess is that it was an elaboration on popular Irish name Molly, and pronounced Molly-ENN. It's pretty. I like it.
Carmel: Uniquely Irish, however, it's too similar to the candy for my tastes. Haha, pun not intended.
John Joe: For some reason, I saw this a lot. I'm not sure why this combination was so beloved, because it sounds like a backwoods hillbilly name, a la Jim Bob or Billy Joe or Ella Mae, etc. I thought it was worth mentioning by virtue of its oddness. I also saw a John Jack. Now, Jack is a nickname for John. Naming your child John Jack makes no sense whatsoever. You might as well name him John John. Which saying aloud makes me laugh. Go ahead. Try it.
Matilda- Another of my favorite-est girls' names ever. It's a family name on my mom's side, and possible nickname candidate "Mattie" is a family name on my dad's side. Matilda reminds me of the book and movie, featuring a smart and sassy heroine by that name. I even had a cousin use this; she named her baby Matilda Rose. Even though Heath Ledger and Michelle whats-her-face had a Matilda, too, it remains fairly unusual outside of Britain, and I love it.
Flan- Flann was a 9th century King of Tara in Ireland. It means "red" in Irish Gaelic. I think I love it.
Philomena- Old saint's name, has definite possibilities.
Helenora- Reflects the Irish's love for the name Nora; a unique appellation I'd never seen before so I had to include it.
Manus- The Irish form of Magnus. It reminds me of a gruff, ancient Irish man with a heart of gold, sitting in his rocker by the sea spilling the secrets of "Roan Inish" while he smokes a pipe and squints at his listener.
Dermot- Anglicized form of Diarmuid.
Maude- Alfred Lord Tennyson, whom I have to mention because I like to pretend I'm related, wrote a poem about a Maud; was originally used as a nickname for Matilda.
Nuala- Pronounced Noo-la, it's a short form of Fionnuala (Fin-oo-la), meaning white shoulders.
Letitia- When it's pronounced "La-TISH-uh," this name sounds quaint and classy; reminds me of Letitia Prism from "The Importance of Being Earnest," one of my favorite plays. However, it seems a little un-classy these days, for some reason...mostly because I've never heard it pronounced the old-fashioned way.
Betienty- This appears to be another unique name, possibly an elaboration of "Betty." I'm saying it "Betty-enty." It's actually kind of cute.
Theabald- Spelling variant of Theobald, which is pretty bad-ass.
Ignatius- I'm sort of ashamed to admit that I like this name a lot. Has a cute nickname (Iggy) and is a Roman saint's name. Cate Blanchett has an Ignatius, and there was also an Ignatius in the clay-mation film "The Year Without a Santa Claus." He's the ginger who doesn't believe in Santa...
THE SURNAMES
Irish names just sound cool. That's all there is to it. Young star Rooney O'Mara, of the soon-to-be coming-to-theaters "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" film, is living proof. Also, actor Patrick Dempsey has kids named Sullivan Patrick and Darby Galen, and Jude Law has a Rafferty. I think it's only a matter of time before it becomes the next name trend. My picks:
Lorigan
Madigan
Morrissey
Nolan- Met a boy named Nolan
Shea- Knew a girl named Shea once
Halloran
Carmody
Keane
Naughton
Keeffe
Loughlin
Quinn
Reid- A cousin of mine just named their baby Reid
Ronan
Tiernan
Tierney
Vaughn
Brennan
Eagan
Lafferty
Regan
Gallagher
Clancy- I've actually known two Clancy's; one a boy and one a girl.
Lillis
Callahan
Murphy
Cleary
Corbett
Doonan
Keaby
Flynn- Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr have a Flynn
So...which are your favorites? Least favorites? Do you know anyone with any of these names?
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