Caelin or Caelinn?
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Caelin or Caelinn?
| Wed, 05-16-2007 - 10:13am |
This is a little-known Irish name. My husband is from Dublin and we have our hearts set on a real Irish name, but sometimes they are a bit too unwieldy for the average American. Can you tell how this name is pronounced and/or if it's for a boy or a girl? I've adjusted the spelling, as the proper Irish way (Caoilainn) is just way too much for a kid growing up in the US!

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Having read through all the messages thus far, here are my comments. I'm assuming (based on your post and Aila's mom's post) that you are wanting this pronounced KEE-lyn. But because of the popularity of the Kaylin type names right now, I think this spelling of the name will be mispronounced 99.9% of the time as that ("Kay-linn").
If you are wanting the KEE-linn pronunciation for the name, you should just keep the "o" in there. That way people won't be as quick to assume it's "Kay-linn" -- they'll have to ask. Then you can give them the correct pronunciation the first time. I *like* the KEE-lin pronunciation, btw! That's very pretty and I like the spelling too (whether one n or two doesn't matter to me -- I'd probably choose the one n option if I had to).
Have fun!
Darla
Darla
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If I saw Caelin or Caelinn, I would assume it was a girl and pronounce it as either kay-lynn or kie-lyn (so the first syllable rhymes with Guy). I wouldn't pronounce it kee-lin.
Honestly, though I like the name spelled as Caoilainn a whole lot more. I would LOVE to use a Gaelic name for my kids (Niamh and Caoimhe are my favorites), but since I'm only 1/8 Irish, and that generations ago, I don't think I can. So, if I were you, I would spell it Caoilainn, keeping in mind that there are a lot of kids out there these days with names from their Irish, Jewish, Russian, Brazilian parents. Your daughter's not going to be alone and just like many of us have learned how to pronounce Siobhan and Sinead, we'll learn to pronounce Caoilainn too. It's so much more unique and special to give your daughter that name than to give her the "dumbed down American version," which everyone is going to assume is just a meaningless "K name" (as I know some of the pp have mentioned).
I do understand your concerns though, and if you want to anglicize the name, my preference would be to shorten it slightly to Caoilin (cutting down the confusion on the end of the name), or just to go all the way and spell it Keelin, if that's how you want people to pronounce the name. That's honestly the only way I've seen it spelled that people will not mispronounce.
I know some people grow up disliking their "odd" names and wishing they'd been a Jennifer or a Madison instead of an Elvira or a Guinevere. But a lot of Jennifers and Kates grow up wishing that they hadn't been one of the Jennys and Katies. I'm hoping that when I have kids, they'll cherish their special names and be proud to be an individual, even if it means having to spell their name for people at times.
I think the original names you mean are:
Caoilfhionn (pronounced Kail-in)
Caoilinn (pronounced Kail-in)
Caelainn (pronounced Kay-ling)
These are girls names, meaning "slender and fair". The names are often Anglicised to Keelin (pronounced Key-lin).
Thanks for your input, but I think that site actually says it's pronounced KAY-lin:
Caoilainn "kay + linn" Keelin ("kee + linn")or Kalin ("kay + linn") caol "slender" and fionn "white, fair, pure." Several saints were Caoilainn and one was described as "a pious lady who quickly won the esteem and affection of her sister nuns by her exactness to every duty, as also by her sweet temper, gentle, confiding disposition and unaffected piety."
It's actually where I first heard of the name.
Thanks to everyone's input! I was indeed thinking it would be a girl, prounounced KAY-lin.
More info. about the name is available at http://www.babynamesofireland.com/pages/girl-names-a-c.html. You can even hear Frank McCourt prounounce it.
You're right! ;) I didn't even bother looking for it under the female names because most of the Celtic books I have list it in the masculine section -- with the KEE-lin sound generally considered proper for Caoi- ... Caoimhin (KEE-veen), Caoimhe (KEE-va) or Caoilte (KEEL-che), for instance
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