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Help[Opinions] Iarla
Irish relatives recently had a baby boy: Iarla. Pronounced "eeRLa", with probably stress on one of the syllables but most of the emphasis is on the 'r' and 'l' sounds. It's quite hard to get it to sound natural with an English accent. Parents are Dominic and Eabha, and they already have a daughter, Grainne. It means 'earl' and is probably a translation of Earl.
I think it's interesting but very fantasy-ish, a little too feminine, and probably won't work outside of Ireland.
WDYT?
I think it's interesting but very fantasy-ish, a little too feminine, and probably won't work outside of Ireland.
WDYT?
This message was edited 11/14/2013, 12:21 PM
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Huh. I always liked / loved the name Iarlaith / Jarlaith. Now I wonder if I am mispronouncing it. I've been saying "YAHR-leth" / "JAHR-leth." Should it be "EER-leth" based on Iarla? I know accent markings can make a difference. So I'm still hoping for "YAHR-." If anyone can tell me how Iarlaith is supposed to be pronounced I'd be very greatful.
Now then. Back to your original question: Iarla. As long as it's in Ireland, why not? It's kind of cute, because usually the name Earl makes me think of U.S. rednecks -- in a fond way. So the Irish equivalent is making me smile. Grainne makes me thin of Grainne / Grace O'Malley, the so-called Pirate Queen. (Quite a story if you look it up. When will someone make a movie of her life?) Anyway, a pirate queen plus an Irish redneck earl? Too cute.
But yeah, only in Ireland.
Now then. Back to your original question: Iarla. As long as it's in Ireland, why not? It's kind of cute, because usually the name Earl makes me think of U.S. rednecks -- in a fond way. So the Irish equivalent is making me smile. Grainne makes me thin of Grainne / Grace O'Malley, the so-called Pirate Queen. (Quite a story if you look it up. When will someone make a movie of her life?) Anyway, a pirate queen plus an Irish redneck earl? Too cute.
But yeah, only in Ireland.
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I agree, not a fan. I would prefer it on a girl, that I dont think I would mind at all.
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Hm. I would have guessed it was feminine. I wouldn't really mind it on a girl, but I'm not such a fan of it on a boy.
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Ooh, interesting. I like it. Just had a google and there seem to be a few of them around, so he won't be the only one. And there are plenty of other Irish male names ending in an ah sound, so don't think it'll seem feminine, either.
(Celtic names never sound 'fantasy-ish' to me, probably because I am one.)
(Celtic names never sound 'fantasy-ish' to me, probably because I am one.)
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Haha, I don't -dislike- it, it's totally fun to say and write (well, fun to write), but I don't think I could ever in a million years use it myself, even if I didn't have a new relative with the name. I appreciate it in a GP way, but it does have its flaws.
Yeah, regardling the -a ending, I think it'll work in Ireland, but elsewhere, not so much. It's a bit like, I love Dara (not so much spelled Daragh etc.) on a boy and have a couple of relatives with that name who have never had any problems in Ireland... but even though there are a couple of famous (m) Daras in the UK, a lot of people still think it's very feminine and I personally have come across more female Daras and zero non-family male Daras (in person, that is). Dara, Iarla, etc. fall foul of sounding-feminine-to-anyone-not-acquainted-with-Irish-names syndrome.
What I meant about 'fantasy' is, I guess, about accent, and ease of pronunciation, and culture. My dad can make Iarla sound so pretty and natural, but with my accent, it comes out all high-fantasy and Lord of the Rings sounding. It has that natural stress on the rl sound that you just can't get right if you've grown up speaking Queen's English your whole life, so it does sound a bit Tolkien rather than natural when I try and say it. :3 It sucks, I just can't focus on the central bit of the name. Dad's like "eeRLa", I'm like "EEErla"... blargh. :3 That, as well with the fact that it does sound girlish in the context of English names, and any Iarla is going to be doomed to spelling his name and explaining that it's masculine, is why I just don't see it working here.
I must say, we had it written down and got round to writing it in our Birthday Dates Book (yes, it deserves the caps. My mother does birthday cards with the regularity of a military exercise), and my dad jokingly said 'Let's find the bit of paper with the magical name on it', and Iarla really does sound kind of elfish and prettified, so perhaps that's what I mean by 'fantasy'-style names.
Yeah, regardling the -a ending, I think it'll work in Ireland, but elsewhere, not so much. It's a bit like, I love Dara (not so much spelled Daragh etc.) on a boy and have a couple of relatives with that name who have never had any problems in Ireland... but even though there are a couple of famous (m) Daras in the UK, a lot of people still think it's very feminine and I personally have come across more female Daras and zero non-family male Daras (in person, that is). Dara, Iarla, etc. fall foul of sounding-feminine-to-anyone-not-acquainted-with-Irish-names syndrome.
What I meant about 'fantasy' is, I guess, about accent, and ease of pronunciation, and culture. My dad can make Iarla sound so pretty and natural, but with my accent, it comes out all high-fantasy and Lord of the Rings sounding. It has that natural stress on the rl sound that you just can't get right if you've grown up speaking Queen's English your whole life, so it does sound a bit Tolkien rather than natural when I try and say it. :3 It sucks, I just can't focus on the central bit of the name. Dad's like "eeRLa", I'm like "EEErla"... blargh. :3 That, as well with the fact that it does sound girlish in the context of English names, and any Iarla is going to be doomed to spelling his name and explaining that it's masculine, is why I just don't see it working here.
I must say, we had it written down and got round to writing it in our Birthday Dates Book (yes, it deserves the caps. My mother does birthday cards with the regularity of a military exercise), and my dad jokingly said 'Let's find the bit of paper with the magical name on it', and Iarla really does sound kind of elfish and prettified, so perhaps that's what I mean by 'fantasy'-style names.
This message was edited 11/14/2013, 3:04 PM
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