My name is Niamh and I live in Northern Ireland.. Most people don't have a problem, but people that aren't brought up in the Irish culture would sometimes pronounce it as nee-uv.. But I think people in different parts of Ireland pronounce it slightly differently, Me and all the Niamh's I know, which are quite a lot as It is a very popular name, especially in a catholic school, pronounced as nee-v.
― Anonymous User 6/25/2014
3
The correct pronunciation in Irish Gaelic in Ulster is: NYEE-uwIn Munster, Leinster and Connacht it is: NYEE-uvThe pronunciation NEEV is an Anglicised mispronunciation used by English speakers.
― Anonymous User 5/8/2011
-1
For the Welsh person who is not sure how to pronounce Niamh. Mh in Irish is NOT like the mh in Welsh which is an unvoiced m as in ym Mhen-y-bont. No it is pronounced like the soft mutated form of m in Welsh which is written f in Welsh & pronounced v. Just as the Welsh word mawr "big" becomes fawr [pronounced /vowr/ after a feminine noun so the Irish word mór "big" is written mhór & pronounced /vo:r/ after a feminine noun. E.G. Welsh: y garreg fawr = Irish: an charraig mhór = the big rock So Niamh is pronounced Niaf in Welsh or Niav in English. Some native speakers of Irish pronounce the mh with a slight nasal tinge and this was perhaps the normal pronunciation in earlier times.
I can never remember how to pronounce this name properly! I'm Welsh, so I read it as Nia, than get completely stuck. :P I pronounce it so it rhymes with Liam. Totally wrong! So I am glad that I found out Nia is actually used as a nickname for Niamh, that means I've got a chance of not embarassing myself if I do ever meet one. :PI'd never use it, obviously. What's the point if I don't know how to pronounce it? :PIf I did use it, then i'd be just like the stupid people who cant pronounce Welsh names so they make it up, change the gender and still use it =/
I know a girl named Niamh and she said that it's pronounced nee-av not neev.
― Anonymous User 12/8/2006
1
Niamh is pronounced differently in different parts of Ireland. Although it is pronounced 'Neev' for the most part, in some areas, such as Cork, it is pronounced 'Nee-iv'.