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HelpRe: Fake Irish?
in reply to a message by ADT
I would say that "fake Irish" would be the names that Americans and Australians think are Irish but did not originate in Ireland, such as Colleen and Megan.
Of course, during the last 30 years the Irish themselves have been affected by the same desire to find uncommon names for their kids that has spread across the entire "developed" world. So there evidently now are a few girls born in Ireland named Colleen, though I don't think any of them would be over about 25 years old.
The love of "Irish" names isn't something very new -- in the USA I think this is actually the oldest "ethnic name" fashion. The average American Colleen is now someplace between 40 and 60 years old, after all.
Of course, during the last 30 years the Irish themselves have been affected by the same desire to find uncommon names for their kids that has spread across the entire "developed" world. So there evidently now are a few girls born in Ireland named Colleen, though I don't think any of them would be over about 25 years old.
The love of "Irish" names isn't something very new -- in the USA I think this is actually the oldest "ethnic name" fashion. The average American Colleen is now someplace between 40 and 60 years old, after all.
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Yes, but Cailin was not used as a name in Ireland until very recently. It was just the Irish Gaelic word for "girl." It was considered about as appropriate to name your daughter Colleen or Cailin in Ireland as it would be considered appropriate to name your daughter Girl in the USA.
I have a friend who is now about 50 who is named Colleen. Her paternal grandmother was born in Ireland, and was extremely angry at her son for giving his daughter that name. My friend told me that it was years before her grandmother stopped asking her father "When are you going to give the colleen a real name?"
I have a friend who is now about 50 who is named Colleen. Her paternal grandmother was born in Ireland, and was extremely angry at her son for giving his daughter that name. My friend told me that it was years before her grandmother stopped asking her father "When are you going to give the colleen a real name?"
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