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HelpCeilidh - opinions and need some Irish name experts :P
As most of you know I love Kaley and Kayley, but now Ceilidh has caught my attention. I love how it has a meaning of its own instead of just being "Kay+Lee" or "jackdaw clearing" (Caley, surname, Oxford dictionary).
What do you think? Is this spelling usable? Kayley, Kaley or Ceilidh?
Some questions:
Is Ceilidh pronounced KAY-lee exactly?
Are Ceili and Ceilidh said the same?
Are the correctly spelled Céilidh and Céili?
Also I like Caoimhe and Aislin, do you think they're usable?
What do you think? Is this spelling usable? Kayley, Kaley or Ceilidh?
Some questions:
Is Ceilidh pronounced KAY-lee exactly?
Are Ceili and Ceilidh said the same?
Are the correctly spelled Céilidh and Céili?
Also I like Caoimhe and Aislin, do you think they're usable?
Archived Thread - replies disabled
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Replies
I think Ceilidh is Scots Gaelic?
In Irish we say Céili - Kay-lee. It seems odd to use it as a name though. Like calling someone "disco". It does have a nice meaning though. Céilis are usually pretty crazy, physical, sweaty affairs though and I can't escape that image.
I don't know where you live so I can't say if they are usable. I think Aislin is more user friendly for non-Irish speakers than Caoimhe.
They are a bit boring to me since they are pretty popular here.
In Irish we say Céili - Kay-lee. It seems odd to use it as a name though. Like calling someone "disco". It does have a nice meaning though. Céilis are usually pretty crazy, physical, sweaty affairs though and I can't escape that image.
I don't know where you live so I can't say if they are usable. I think Aislin is more user friendly for non-Irish speakers than Caoimhe.
They are a bit boring to me since they are pretty popular here.
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I associate Ceilidh with barn / Irish-y dancing, as I attended a function where we did this!
I pronounce it as KAY-lee but I may be wrong, I'm not Irish.
Caoimhe and Aislin are lovely, but in an English speaking country (I'm not sure where you're from) I think Caoimhe may cause a child some issues with misspelling and mispronounciation.
I pronounce it as KAY-lee but I may be wrong, I'm not Irish.
Caoimhe and Aislin are lovely, but in an English speaking country (I'm not sure where you're from) I think Caoimhe may cause a child some issues with misspelling and mispronounciation.
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Ceilidh is the Scottish Gaelic spelling, Céilí is the Irish spelling. Ceilidh is pronounced a little differently. I'm not an expert on Scottish Gaelic, but I've heard it said more sort of like /kay-lay/.
Because I'm an uptight purist, I wouldn't use this as a name for the following reasons:
1. it's not a name, it's a vocabulary word. In Ireland it's definitely not a name. It's even used as a word in the USA, to refer to Irish dance & music competitions in certain circles.
2. A kid in the USA named Céilí would probably get called Seeley 99% of the time when her name is read off a list. The time she would spend explaining the name would be long and involved-- it's more than just "Katherine with a K"-- "cei" doesn't even make a "Kay" sound in English, so she would have to spell it every time. I'm "Norah with an H" which not everyone can handle for some reason and believe me, it gets old explaining it every single time I have to spell my name over the phone! (Norah. With an H. No, N -O -R -A -H. [people have spelled it Nhora, Nohra & Norha each more than once!] When they read it off the list, I am always Noah.)
3. The Irish language isn't pronounced like English. Though many of the sounds are similar, Céilí and Kaylee are approximate equivalents, not homophones. Céilí sounds more like /KEH e'l ee/ but I really can't spell it out well.
Caoimhe is a nice name, but I'd use an anglicized form, like Keavy or Keeva. Ditto for Aislinn. It looks pretty, but I'd probably spell it Ashlinn.
Because I'm an uptight purist, I wouldn't use this as a name for the following reasons:
1. it's not a name, it's a vocabulary word. In Ireland it's definitely not a name. It's even used as a word in the USA, to refer to Irish dance & music competitions in certain circles.
2. A kid in the USA named Céilí would probably get called Seeley 99% of the time when her name is read off a list. The time she would spend explaining the name would be long and involved-- it's more than just "Katherine with a K"-- "cei" doesn't even make a "Kay" sound in English, so she would have to spell it every time. I'm "Norah with an H" which not everyone can handle for some reason and believe me, it gets old explaining it every single time I have to spell my name over the phone! (Norah. With an H. No, N -O -R -A -H. [people have spelled it Nhora, Nohra & Norha each more than once!] When they read it off the list, I am always Noah.)
3. The Irish language isn't pronounced like English. Though many of the sounds are similar, Céilí and Kaylee are approximate equivalents, not homophones. Céilí sounds more like /KEH e'l ee/ but I really can't spell it out well.
Caoimhe is a nice name, but I'd use an anglicized form, like Keavy or Keeva. Ditto for Aislinn. It looks pretty, but I'd probably spell it Ashlinn.
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You made all your points better than I did. I always get frustrated trying to explain clearly the slight differences (but appreciable to an Irish speaker) between Irish and English words that sound alike so I usually don't try :/ I usually tie myself in knots and delete what I wrote.
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When I look on facebook people named Ceilidh and Ceili tend to be living in Scotland, Ireland, England, Canada or the US.
As I mentioned earlier many people who see my partners younger sister Ceilidh / Ceili are uncertain how to pronounce her name unless they hear her say it first. My name is Marisa and since there are two common ways of pronouncing it I'm often telling people how to say my name. And I don't find it annoying, most of the time I enjoy correcting them. Sometimes it is slightly annoying. But the only time you have people miss-pronounce it is the first day of class. After that you almost never are in a situation where you spell your name before you say it. The Ceilidh / Ceili I know loves her name and doesn't mind correcting people since it isn't a common thing that she needs to do. Mostly just on the first day of class when she has a new teacher.
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As I mentioned earlier many people who see my partners younger sister Ceilidh / Ceili are uncertain how to pronounce her name unless they hear her say it first. My name is Marisa and since there are two common ways of pronouncing it I'm often telling people how to say my name. And I don't find it annoying, most of the time I enjoy correcting them. Sometimes it is slightly annoying. But the only time you have people miss-pronounce it is the first day of class. After that you almost never are in a situation where you spell your name before you say it. The Ceilidh / Ceili I know loves her name and doesn't mind correcting people since it isn't a common thing that she needs to do. Mostly just on the first day of class when she has a new teacher.
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Anything is better than Kayley.
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I agree
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I always hesitate to say anything is unusable. Ceilidh would certainly have difficulties, but if one thinks it's worth it, then just be prepared. I really like the word ceilidh to be used as a name. It seems very merry.
I only know Ceilidh is pronounced KAY-lee from the internet because I've never heard the word said. Although I know they have ceilidhs in the US, you'd just have to be in the right place/circle of people to have encountered it. Which also means in some situations you could more easily get away with using it here too.
I can't be 100% sure on ceili or the fadas, but according to Wikipedia, Céilidh or Ceilidh are acceptable; Cèilidh is the Scottish spelling; Céilí is the Irish spelling. For more etymology: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceilidh
I think Caoimhe and Aislin would fare a bit better in the US. They both will need tons of spelling and pronunciation corrections, though. Caoimhe I think more people will have seen and know how to pronounce, but to others it also looks more intimidating. Aislin doesn't look so foreign at least. I also have seen Aislin and Aisling here and there in BAs and on peoples' lists, so it might be getting more popular.
I only know Ceilidh is pronounced KAY-lee from the internet because I've never heard the word said. Although I know they have ceilidhs in the US, you'd just have to be in the right place/circle of people to have encountered it. Which also means in some situations you could more easily get away with using it here too.
I can't be 100% sure on ceili or the fadas, but according to Wikipedia, Céilidh or Ceilidh are acceptable; Cèilidh is the Scottish spelling; Céilí is the Irish spelling. For more etymology: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceilidh
I think Caoimhe and Aislin would fare a bit better in the US. They both will need tons of spelling and pronunciation corrections, though. Caoimhe I think more people will have seen and know how to pronounce, but to others it also looks more intimidating. Aislin doesn't look so foreign at least. I also have seen Aislin and Aisling here and there in BAs and on peoples' lists, so it might be getting more popular.
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I prefer Aislin or caoimhe, ceilidh to me is a party or gathering and since I lived in Scotland until recently it seems an odd thing to call a child (though I love word names, usually).
In Scotland it is prn Kay-lee. I think outside of Scotland and Ireland, no one will be able to spell it or pronounce it. The -idh ending seems to confuse people with Eilidh and Ruaraidh too.
I'm not sure about the accents or Ceili.
In Scotland it is prn Kay-lee. I think outside of Scotland and Ireland, no one will be able to spell it or pronounce it. The -idh ending seems to confuse people with Eilidh and Ruaraidh too.
I'm not sure about the accents or Ceili.
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