How would I spell the name "Jean" in Gaelic? Thanks. :)

Normally, "Jean" - names don't get translated between languages.

The nearest equivalent name, which you could use as a kind of nickname, would be Síne.

If 'Jean'= John = Séan, maybe Shóna.This is a popular girls name in Scotland.But I don't know if it is related to Jean/John.As Breandán says you can't really translate names like normal words.

Margaret is Peg in England eg.Gobnat is Abina here in Cork.But I will need a brain transplant to figure out why.Aonghus? Breandán ,anyone.............

Joan is often rendered as Siún but I agree with Breandán on the translation of names. My name is not a traditional Irish one and I vigorously resist attempts to shoehorn it into Irish.

A variant of Breandán's suggestion above would be Sheena, as with the singer Sheena Easton.

See: http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Sheena

(Message edited by bodhrán on December 18, 2009)

That would be a re-anglicization of the pronunciation of Síne, a Bhodhráin.

Just go with "Dín" and strike a blow for originality! :)

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Gobnat is Abina here in Cork.But I will need a brain transplant to figure out why.Aonghus?

When people were anglicising names, and when there was no obvious parallel names in English, some very strange things happened!. Sometimes via Latin.

Gobnait is diminitive of mouth. But there is a famous Cork saint, so possibly some more noble english name was chosen.

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That would be a re-anglicization of the pronunciation of Síne

A few years ago, there were some very nasty remarks made here by some who detest name variations - it got to the point of outright mockery of anyone who had the name Shawn, for example.

So, I can't help thinking how Patrick is an anglicization of the name Pádraig, which itself is a Gaelicization of the Latin name Patricus. And nobody seems to have a problem with that, or do they?

Vive la difference!

A Bhreandáin, a chara, my remark above isn't directed at you, but I sense the "anti-name-variation" spirit may soon rear its ugly head and I'm just bracing myself for its onslaught!

David, aka MacLéinn

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My name is not a traditional Irish one and I vigorously resist attempts to shoehorn it into Irish.

What seems to have happened most in the past is rendering the name according to the Irish spelling system and not the English. This also reflected pronunciation variations. There are a lot of non-Irish names that are rendered in the Irish spelling. A person's name is a person's name. My name is Seán, in English or Irish. But if I was named John, I may well want to go by Seán in Irish. There are certan standards for doing this with each language, for instance, I would never anglicize a Spanish name, but I would always anglicize a Russian name.


Jean is a little hard. Is Jean your full name? I would go with Sinéad or Siobhán.

hm I don't think Sinéad should ever be translated into English but possibly the other way around. I doubt Sinéad is Jean in English, Jenny is what people usually say.
Dín and Síne sound better for it.

Sinéad = Janet, Jeannette (John/little/feminine)

Jeannette is a diminutive of Jeanne. Jean is a form of this, as well as Jane and Joan. It depends on what she wants to achieve -- an exact one for one rendering, or a phonological rendernig of Jean into Irish, or even a popular version of her name in Irish. There are many choices.

(Message edited by seánw on December 19, 2009)

To me Sinéad is a diminutive-sounding Irish word and Jean is a more formal name, Jenny et al. being diminutives of Jean. I don't know where the name Sinéad originated however but it does sound like a petted down name of a more formal sounding name and yes you can make as many diminutives as you like, for example 'Sinigh' ("Shinny") as a possible diminutive of Sinéad. This is why I personally like Domhnall's suggestion of Dín for Jean!!

There is a perception out there that Sinéad is a common and popular Irish name but actually it really isn't half as common as say Siobhán or Máire... srl. Sinéad is a modern enough name unlike the name Jean I would say.

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So, I can't help thinking how Patrick is an anglicization of the name Pádraig, which itself is a Gaelicization of the Latin name Patricus. And nobody seems to have a problem with that, or do they?

Vive la difference!

A Bhreandáin, a chara, my remark above isn't directed at you, but I sense the "anti-name-variation" spirit may soon rear its ugly head and I'm just bracing myself for its onslaught!

Yes, I realise that David, and I have encountered that clique somewhere else quite recently. ;-) I let them waffle on and blow off steam.

The only important distinction that must be made is between a real translation and a nickname. You cannot translate a name and use it in a legal context without registering it officially, usually by deed poll. Outside that narrow definition of your legal name you can use whatever you like as a nickname as long as their is no intention to deceive.

Famous names are special in any language and I doubt we would recognize the true Greek or Egyptian versions of many famous entitities from their respective eras. St Patrick fits in that category.

My nickname on this and other forums is not my real name, but I use it as a nickname in most Irish contexts, just as the man I was named after went by both Brendan and Breandán.

I personally don't see much point in re-anglicizing Irish names, but I respect the right of those who do. I knew someone at school who got sick of the mispronunciation of his name Seán and started calling himself "Seen". That is one solution.

I am sure Moya Brennan made an astute business decision changing hers from Máire (was that an official change?)

It will be interesting to see how my own girls cope as they get older. They are registered as Aisling and Caoimhe with the Irish spelling but will be growing up in a fairly ignorant environment as far as the Irish language is concerned - but my wife and I love Ireland too much to anglicise their names.

I guess it will be something like "A Man Named Sue" for them, they'll just have to learn to toughen up and weather the storm...

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Seán and started calling himself "Seen". That is one solution.

Interesting that you say that. I got called Seen all the time. I had no explanation for people until about six years ago when I understood the spelling convention. Many dumb jokes when I was young like "I have seen you at the scene of the crime." I didn't care much because that was my name, and I was too busy being insecure about other things(!). I didn't want any other name ever though. I even thought Shawn and Shaun looked dumb. (No offense intended toward anyone here.) I think people can go off the cliff either way with this one. It would seem best to pick one, and stick with it. Does one need verbal schizophrenia?

Hmm... Seán Bhuital ...

In addition, people are already having trouble with my boy's name kee-rin (in American English). We even anglicized the spelling for his sake -- Kieran. (He could choose to alter that when he's of age.) Think, people, is this hard to pronounce. But I get Karen already, and he's 6 weeks old, and clearly a boy! But, we need things like this to keep everyday life interesting. At least I didn't name him Razzledazzle.

Cheapas gurbh é "Siobhán" an Ghaeilge ar Jean ach is cosúil nach ea.

Irish names have made their way onto the comedy stage here in Ireland where one character introduced his brother as "Doras" and the girlfriend as "Fuinneog". The audience fell about the place laughing. They understood the shallowness of choosing Irish names if you don't know what they mean.

At one time families chose names from the lines of relatives who preceded them. New names had to be associated with an ancestor. Then "city folk" went all "American" and began choosing names from television and songs: Jolene, Brad, etc

Nationalists with very little Irish began to name their children "Saoirse" and "Sonas" etc. One family I know has a "Bláthmhac" -- a nice name, actually. "Sorcha" gets awful treatment as "Soarsha." Luckily "Seoirse" isn't heard for boys.

Genuine Dubliners will reduce your name to one syllable and occasionally add an ó to it. James becomes Jem etc and Séamus may become Séamó. It is actually a sign of acceptance for me to be called "Tadhgó". Ronnie Drew would sound posh among the people I'm thinking of.

I wonder where that ~~ó ending comes from in Dublin nicknames?

There's an interesting page in the Dublin telephone directory where the Teachtaí Dála of Dáil Éireann give their names and contact phone numbers. Most give an Irish version of their names. Some give the English version in both columns others give the Irish version in both columns. Some decline to give an Irish version and leave that column blank. That's OK however because one of the best and most persistent speakers of Irish in the Dáil is Trevor Sargent and he doesn't offer a translation although my book says he could call himself "Treabhar Sáirsint" or perhaps not.

I think it is good fun to discuss Máiréad Mhic an Tuíodóra, Seoirse na Sceiche and Beannacht Ó Beama as Gaeilge without anyone knowing. Is it true the Irish army uses an Ghaeilge instead of encription when sending sensitive information?

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Is it true the Irish army uses an Ghaeilge instead of encription when sending sensitive information?

Bheadh amhras orm. Chuala mé áfach go mbíodh Arm Iosrael ag baint feidhm as tráth.

Patrick Woulfe has the following entry for Sinéad:
Jane, Janet, Jenny - diminutive of French Jeanne, from Joanna (see Siobhan) Sine and Sineaid are Derry variants.

The entry on Siobhán says the name was introduced by the Anglo Normans.

Síne is pronounced Sheena which is the English spelling to the name

(Message edited by admin on December 20, 2009)

Ó Corráin and Maguire give the same information for Siobhán, along with some early uses of the name.

They are all ultimately female derivatives of John...

Which is from Hebrew for "Called by God"

at a Gaeilge immersion weekend, we had a friend Jess who became "Deis"...I thought that was innovative

...much moreso than the girl I went to high school with...Shavon...

...to be fair, in elementary school I was in the same class as a Siobhan (but not Siobhán) whose name was incessantly butchered by classmate and teacher alike; Shavon never had that problem.

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Which is from Hebrew for "Called by God".

Aonghus,
More accurately John is "the Lord (Yah) is gracious".

Hebrew/Aramaic Yohanna = yo (Yah/Yahweh) + hanna ("gracious" from the root HNN). The hanna root is also found in names like Anna/Hannah, and, believe it or not, Hannibal. Another name like John, just with the two parts switched, is Hananiah, the prophet. Off hand, I don't know which name means "called by God/Yahweh".

I stand corrected. My main point was that it was a Hebrew name originally.

Perhaps I'm a little touchy because my mother told me the wrong meaning of it for all my youth.