Hubby and I have done two traditional Irish names in honor of his mother (I feel bad taking her son so far away). We need another girl's name (thank god!), but I'm struggling to pick a name. My father thinks we should do Italian this time around ( my dad is 100% Sicilian). My first two kids look like their dad, blond headed with super light features. Hubby is hoping to go 3 in 3, but I'm hoping this one comes out with dark hair ;-) In any case, the meaning of the name is important to me. My daughter is named after a mythical Queen that killed Ireland's greatest hero, it means intoxicating one. My son's name means Red King. I kind of feel like my third kid needs a powerful name too.
Hubby wants Sive (pronounced like five). It means sweetness, goodness. I hated it the first time I heard it, but as of late, I keep thinking of my baby as Sive. With that said, I loathed my son's name and I had a similar experience with him. I know this name is harsh and not beautiful, but there is something about it that really appeals to me. I keep thinking of this third baby as my little blessing, my precious gift...she is sweetness and goodness, or at least, that is what she represents to me,
Moyra --beloved (a derivative of Mary, my MIL's name)
Kerin -dark haired one.
And of course I've always loved Caterina (blessed, pure) for an Italian name.! I also like Trista, but it means sad!
Just to note: my kids will be homeschooled, so I'm not worried about problems at school. Second, we have to explain my son's name already, so I'm not worried about having to explain how to pronounce a name. And my daughter's name is unusual enough that most people need us to say it at least twice. Traditional Irish names are very foreign to the American ear.
Second, I don't want people to give me names. Tell me what out of my list you like please.
Sive is pronounced like Five but with an S. I didn't mention my other kid's names for their privacy, but what the hell. Maeve Elizabeth and Ruari (pronounced like brewery but with an R) Thomas. I love the name Niamh, but my SIL is a Niamh --and we don't like her much!
As an aside, I like Trista because when I was much, much younger, I was obsessed with Tristan and Isolde. I must have read that legend a hundred time, but it's not one of my favorites.
THANKS EVERYONE! I'm thinking we will do a combination of Sive Caterina (sweet pureness! or sweet blessed girl!). But who knows! I'm only entering the third trimester now, so I still have a few months, but I want a name. I am sick of calling this baby "baby." I feel her kicking me, and I need a name for her!
I actually like Caterina Sive. That shows both her Italian and her Irish heritage. I also like Kerin.
Good luck :)
I've always liked Sadb. I'm not a fan of Caterina or Kerin. Moyra/Moira is ok but I like Meara better.
I can see how Sive grows on you. Once you say it with the proper pronunciation in your head, it's really cool. I would not worry about other people. They mess up normal names so it's not much different. :)
I don't like Kerin as it reminds me of a boy name (Kieran) or the very normal American name Karen spelled wrong. LOL
Moyra is pretty but I like Sive more.
I love your kids' names!
I can't think of a name that's equally Irish and Italian, though, which is funny because there's the Catholic connection. But Celtic and Latinate are fairly distant cousins in the Indo-European family tree. In other words, Moira and Maria share a common root, but they sound so different in a way.
One Irish name I love that just so happens to sound Italian-friendly is Nola. (The more traditional spelling is Nuala, I think.)
And then there's Chiara (Italian) and Ciara (Irish). Completely different meanings (light and dark), but just one letter and one vowel sound apart.
I also love Niamh ("neeve"), but not much Italian going on there.
And Sive is beautiful! Really, you can't go wrong.
Good luck, and sorry to go all linguistics nerd on you.
ETA. Sorry! I skimmed over your So What Happened. Of your names, my favorite is Sive, followed by Caterina. Sive Caterina or Caterina Sive would be stunning. And, Trista does NOT mean "sad"! It's from the Welsh Drystan, but the pronunciation has been influenced (early on, b/c of the Tristram & Isolde legend) by the French "triste." A false cognate going way, way back. I personally don't love the name (though I like Tristram for a boy), but etymologically, it might be sort of a perfect fit for you.
I just grew up with an often misspelled and mispronounced name so I have personal experience with it and wouldn't do it to my child. There are some absolutely beautiful Italian names! With that said my favorite on your list is caterina, then moyra. Can't it be spelled Moira too? But it will be hard to spell or pronounce. Sive will always be pronounced siv I'm afraid, kerin will be spelled Karen, and I kinda like trista but I know meanings are important to you.
Both my children's middle names are their Grandmother's names. I think grandparent's names are good luck. So Moyra seems like a good luck name to me.
I love Caterina also.
I went with traditional names with traditional spellings. Caitlin and Lauren. My reason - my name is Michele, with one "l" and it is CONSTANTLY misspelled. In an effort to have my named spelled correctly I spell it out whenever I need to give my name. If I remember. Things are different now and there are more alternatively spelled names - so times change. But, I think it's important to have a name that is understandable on a resume and other correspondence with strangers - in the USA. I would go with Caterina, Moyra, Trista or Kerin. All are nice sounding names and slightly exotic but easy to pronounce. Good-luck.
I like Caterina Sive. your dad clearly wants his side of the family acknowledged as well. You should do this for him.
I love Moyra. I think I'd spell it Moira though. I kind of like Sive, but I'm not in love with it. What about Althea which means beloved or Alana which means precious. Probably not italian but they sound strong and beautiful. I also love the name Paloma.
Have 1 ro 2 in your back pocket for when you "meet her". :)
I like Moyra & Kerin.
How about Maeve?
Kayleigh
Fionoa
Sinead
Ceallach
Aine
Siobahn
Congratulations!
Caitlin
I like Moyra Catarina :)
Think ahead, way ahead, to school. "Sive" pronounced like "five" is going to be a constant round of "Oh, it's not pronounced 'seeve,' it's like 'five'" for many years to come. And there will be those who think it's "sieve" like the kitchen equipment item -- sorry, I can't find a gentler way to say that!
If you are really determined to have it, just be very aware that for years to come, first you, then your child, will be correcting everyone frequently. You also will be explaining the name is a traditional one because someone's inevitably going to ask, "Where did you get that? Did you make it up?" You aren't responsible for what others do or say, so if you love it, use it, but be prepared.
Kerin will be misspelled constantly as Karen but that and the other possible names are all great and have less opportunity for correction and comment. Maybe use Sive as a middle name for one of those names?
I don't like Sive at all. Pronounced Five?? Your other choices are lovey though.
Luciana
Natale
Rosabella
Sofia
Are good Italian names.
Additional:
Ok.
Caterina is my favorite.
Kerin and Trista are pretty.
Sive just doesn't flow for me - sounds too close to sigh (which just seems sad to me).
Love Moyra and Caterina. Kerin reminds me of a beer (I think it's spelled Kirin). I don't like Trista.
Good luck!!
Sive pronounced like Five.
Does that mean the S is pronounced as an F or just an example of the sound? Sive?
If you really love it, go for it.
I also like Kerin.
What about Fiona? Very Irish.
Sive would be very different and that's okay.
I personally know kids named Seven, Fantasy, Rebel, Smokey, Tule, Cedar, Prince.
Sive doesn't seem that strange in comparison.
I always thought of my kids' names and how they would sound being announced at their high school graduations. I also did the test of how it would sound calling their names to come in for dinner or if they were in trouble.
Will other people be able to pronounce it? How will it look when they get their driver's license?
So much to think about.
I'm sure you'll find the perfect name.
Best wishes to you!
It's interesting to look up meanings of names, but the name doesn't really define the child; the child defines the name.
Moyra Caterina sounds nice to my ears - it has a nice flow. Sive would go well as a middle name with Caterina as a first name. Trista may mean "sad," but if your daughter is a happy girl, no one is going to care that she has a sad name. My first name, in the Hebrew, means "bitter," but I certainly try not to be!
What are your other childrens names? You mentioned the meaning, but not the name. Which of the names you listed work with the other two names? I wouldn't go with an Italian name with two Irish names. I like continuity. The third child may feel like the odd one out.
I love the sound of Caterina. Caterina Sive sounds nice to the ear.
Naming her for your MIL would be a special touch. I'm not sure which name goes best with Moyra. Since Moyra is a derivative of Mary, I'll also suggest that you could use Mary as a middle name. I've always thought it was a beautiful name.
Kerin and Caterina are awesome names!
My daughter is named Catarina. We always get positive comments on her name, but everyone also calls her Catrina at first.
if you do an Italian name-I like the name "Cinzia"
I do, however, love the name Moyra.
I like Caterina of the names you mentioned...well I do like Kerin, but only if it's for a boy.
