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My middle name is Mhairi spelled that way too. Me and my parents pronounce it Ma - Ha - Ree.
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My name is Mhairi and yes in Scottish Gaelic it's pronounced Va-ree but the way I pronounce it is Mah-ri not Mori or Mary or even Mihairy! English people are always pronouncing it Mori but I can tell ya it's Mah-ri!
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Some of the kids that used to tease me would call me Mary, the outsider, the one with the weird name.
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Mhairi should only be pronounced as Varry when one is speaking directly to the person, eg "Varry, can you stop going on about your name, please?" If you're talking about the person, it's pronounced marry, eg "Marry hates it when people say her name wrongly."
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I've been aware of this name and its pronunciation for over forty years, thanks to the Scottish singer/songwriter duo Gallagher and Lyle. A track on their 1974 LP "The Last Cowboy" is titled Mhairu - different spelling, it's true, but pronounced the same. It's a delightful little number, well worth tracking down on the web.
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Vocative is the form of the name used when talking or writing to someone. English used to have one. "O ye of little faith" and "O Romeo Romeo" for example.
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At 20 years old, Mhairi Black is the youngest elected Member of Parliament in Britain since the 17th century. (2015).
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My name is Mairi (as in will you Marry me!) but if used in spoken Gaelic it would be a' Mhairi pronounced a' Va-thee. Ciamar a tha thu a' Mhairi? How are you Mairi? My mother tongue is Gaelic and I didn't speak English until I went to school on an island in the Western Isles. Other names are affected this way such as Morag becomes a' Mhorag and Domhnaill (Donald) becomes a' Domhnaill.
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Does ANYONE out there know what it means that Mhairi is "the vocative form of Màiri? Vocative?
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When the site says that Mhairi is the vocative form of Máiri, it means that Máiri was the original Scots name, and that Mhairi is the variation in certain grammatical instances. I have no knowledge of Scottish Gaelic, but I have studied Irish Gaelic, and it is the same way. For example, in certain instances, feminine Irish words have an H added after the first letter. (This is called lenition.) None of this means that Mhairi is not a legitimate name; it's just how it came to be one. :)
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One of Faolan's sisters in the Wolves of the Beyond series (a spin-off of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole books) by Kathryn Lasky is called Mhairie. Not spelled exactly the same, but I assume she was inspired by this name.
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Hi, I am called Mhairi and I love my name because my name is very original and totally unique, I hope I meet another person named Mhairi because it will be very facinating as I have never met another Mhairi before.
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It's definitely pronounced with a 'v' at the start. In Scottish Gaelic, where the name derives from, 'Mh' is the equivalent of 'v'.
I think the name is awesome pronounced properly. Like many here, my sister is called Mhairi. Hers is pronounced properly. What a lot of people are talking about here is just idiotic anglicising.
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I think the name is awesome pronounced properly. Like many here, my sister is called Mhairi. Hers is pronounced properly. What a lot of people are talking about here is just idiotic anglicising.
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My name is Mhairi (Va-ree), never Mahree! I'm Scottish but never met anyone else with the name Mhairi until I was 11 - so I did get teased a bit at school. I've been called quite a few different things, mainly Mahree (grrrr!), Marie and even Mairead! I used to work for someone who's mother had English as a second language so I actually went by Barry for a while, though I had to laugh as my sister had to put up with Carrot! I've also noticed that people with a really thick Scottish accent pronounce my name Va-ray (which I rather quite like), but because I work for people from nearer London I use my nickname of Mollie as it saves lots of hassle and I don't have to listen to the same old phrase of "Oooh, what an unusual name - whatever does it mean?"
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The 'mh' in Gaelic is pronounced as 'v' so the name should be properly pronounced with a 'v'. My best friend is called Mhairi and everyone I know pronounces it VA-ray. Maybe it's just my accent!
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My name is Mhairi (always has been :-) ). I have always liked it. It's unusual and as previouly mentioned, sparks interest and conversation (like having a dog! :-) ). My dad pronounced it Var-ee and insisted it's Gallic. Not Gaelic?! A grand name. So, there you have it. Blessings.
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"Gallic" is the Scots Gaelic pronunciation of "Gaelic".
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Mhairi is the vocative case and Gaelic speaking Scots would not put it on a girl's birth certificate. Her name would be Màiri, with Mhairi used in certain sentences to be gramatically correct. Nonetheless, non-Gaelic-speaking Scots have adopted Mhairi as a 'different', more modern version of Mary and it's now widely used.
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My name is Mhairi and I like the name, because it's quite rare and a real native Scottish name, and there are no celebrities called Mhairi! Fingers crossed. I think it has character and I always get a good reception from the curiosity of tourists or anyone unfamiliar with Scottish culture. I enjoy explaining the origins. When that folk song "Mhairi's wedding" is on the radio or in a public setting, it always makes me self conscious! Straight forward and genuine.
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Can also be said as mah-ree which is the Gaelic spelling of Mari.
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My name is Mhairi. It's said Mah-Ri, not mai-ri, mah-airi, or any other way. It's Mah-ri.
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As far as I am aware the spelling Mhairi is said as Va-ree.
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My sister is named Mhairi, and it is true that the correct Scots pronunciation is Va-Ree, but both my sister and a school friend use Ma-Ree so this is purely dependant on personal choice.
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