These are the 20 hardest to pronounce Irish names that are most searched online
Online Irish classes provider, Preply, have revealed the most commonly mispronounced Irish names.
According to Preply ‘Aoife’ is the most commonly mispronounced Irish girl name, with people searching for the correct pronunciation 62,700 times each month.
‘Sean’ is the most commonly mispronounced Irish boy name, with 51,800 searches per month.
The 10 most commonly mispronounced Irish girl names
- Aoife – 62,700 searches – ee-fuh
- Saoirse – 51,800 searches – Seer-shuh or sur-shuh (varies by dialect)
- Siobhán – 39,200 searches – shi-vawn
- Niamh – 34,300 searches – Nee-uv or neev
- Caoimhe – 18,790 searches – kwee-vuh or kee-vuh
- Maeve – 12,400 searches – mayv
- Aisling – 9,710 searches – ash-ling or ash-leen
- Ciara – 7,400 searches – keer-uh
- Áine – 7,000 searches – awn-yuh
- Sinéad – 6,680 searches – shin-aid
According to the site, Aoife (ee-fuh) is the most mispronounced Irish girl's name, with an average of 62,700 monthly searches from people trying to figure out how to say it. Derived from the Old Irish word for "beauty" or "radiance”, this name has been a staple of Irish heritage for centuries. However, the unexpected pronunciation of "Aoife" regularly confuses English speakers, who often guess something closer to "Ay-oh-fee" or "Oy-fuh" instead.
And Saoirse (Seer-shuh or Sur-shuh), meaning "freedom”, has become widely recognised in recent years, largely thanks to actress Saoirse Ronan.
Despite her public explanations of the pronunciation, many still struggle with it, and the fact that it has multiple correct ways of saying it only adds to the confusion.
With 51,800 monthly searches, Saoirse remains one of the trickiest Irish names for non-natives to master.
Siobhán (Shi-vawn) is a name that highlights one of the biggest pronunciation hurdles for many non-Irish speakers: the "bh" letter combination, which often makes a "v" sound.
This name, meaning "God is gracious", is the Irish equivalent of Joan or Jane but looks very little like its phonetic pronunciation.
As a result, 39,200 people per month turn to online pronunciation guides to get it right.
And the 10 most commonly mispronounced Irish male names are:
- Sean – 19,300 searches – shawn
- Eoin – 11,400 searches – oh-in
- Cillian – 10,460 searches – kill-ee-an
- Cian – 9,200 searches – kee-un
- Tadhg – 7,560 searches – tie-g
- Oisin – 6,140 searches – ush-een or o-sheen (depends on dialect)
- Liam – 5,040 searches – lee-um
- Seamus – 4,400 searches – shay-mus
- Silas – 3,730 searches – sye-lus
- Niall – 3,510 searches – Nye-ull or nee-ul (varies by region)
According to Preply.com: ‘Sean (Shawn) may seem straightforward, but with 19,300 monthly pronunciation searches, many people still mistake it for "Seen".
‘As one of the most common Irish names, Sean is the Gaelic version of John, with the same meaning of “God is gracious” as Siobhán.
‘However, its silent "a" often leads to incorrect guesses.
‘Eoin (Oh-in) is another name that frequently confuses non-Irish speakers, with 11,400 searches per month, as many assume it should be pronounced phonetically as "Ee-oyn" or "Eh-oyn".
‘The confusion is understandable, given the lack of similarity between its spelling and pronunciation.
‘Cillian (Kill-ee-an) ranks third among the most mispronounced Irish boy names, with 10,460 searches per month. Known globally thanks to actor Cillian Murphy, this name still trips people up due to the hard "C" at the beginning.
‘Those unfamiliar with Irish phonetics may mistakenly assume it should start with an "S" sound instead of a "K" sound.