My daughter is an Oonagh in the U.S. She is currently in her teens. We’ve had several occasions where one of us had to correct other people’s pronunciation but I expected that when I gave her the name. It is not common here. I considered the Una or Oona spelling but the “gh” was the spelling I was most familiar with from stories. It is also the spelling I think looks most beautiful in print. People who doubted my choice quickly grew to appreciate it. I absolutely love it!
Ok so I LOVE the name Oona. But the way this one is spelled is just downright ugly. Just stay with Oona and your daughter will like it way better when she gets old enough to understand!
It appears as though none of the variants are very popular in Ireland itself (as in the island, not just the country): Una, Oona, Oonagh... so since I'm not Irish, I can't say for certain which is the favored "native" spelling. However, Oonagh is the only variant that doesn't seem to chart *anywhere*, and I can see why: it has too many dang letters. Una (with the accent) is the "original" that would likely be favored by traditionalists, and Oona has a quirky charm that is growing on me. But the ending -gh here is just unnecessary, imo.
I considered the Una or Oona spelling but the “gh” was the spelling I was most familiar with from stories. It is also the spelling I think looks most beautiful in print.
People who doubted my choice quickly grew to appreciate it.
I absolutely love it!