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ArchivesAibhín - please help me figure out the origin and meaning of this name
I fell in love with the name Aibhín.
What I know so far:
- it is Irish
- it appears in a poem named "A Kite for Aibhín" by Seamus Heaney, released 2010.
- it is supposed to be pronounced AY-veen
- there is a professor at a famous Irish university named Aibhín
What I read (but don't have a reliable source):
- it was popular in Ireland (or at least used quite a bit) before the 20th century.
I was wondering if it was related to Aoibheann but that is correctly pronounced EE-ven so it sounds quite different. Aoibhinn is EE-ven too and Aoibhín is EE-veen.
Now I am sort of wondering, if people who are knowledgable of the Irish language simply used this as a name to spell AY-veen out somehow? I know that AY-veen is a common mispronunciation of Aoibheann so possibly someone just liked the sound but wanted a correct way to spell it so picked Aibhín?
But that doesn't explain why it was apparently popular before the 20th century and the professor on the website seems to pre-date the Aoibheann popularity jump. She seems to be between 50-60 years old.
Does anyone have any idea?
Please rate my list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/6232
What I know so far:
- it is Irish
- it appears in a poem named "A Kite for Aibhín" by Seamus Heaney, released 2010.
- it is supposed to be pronounced AY-veen
- there is a professor at a famous Irish university named Aibhín
What I read (but don't have a reliable source):
- it was popular in Ireland (or at least used quite a bit) before the 20th century.
I was wondering if it was related to Aoibheann but that is correctly pronounced EE-ven so it sounds quite different. Aoibhinn is EE-ven too and Aoibhín is EE-veen.
Now I am sort of wondering, if people who are knowledgable of the Irish language simply used this as a name to spell AY-veen out somehow? I know that AY-veen is a common mispronunciation of Aoibheann so possibly someone just liked the sound but wanted a correct way to spell it so picked Aibhín?
But that doesn't explain why it was apparently popular before the 20th century and the professor on the website seems to pre-date the Aoibheann popularity jump. She seems to be between 50-60 years old.
Does anyone have any idea?
Please rate my list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/6232
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Replies
Just a small note - Aoibheann can be pronounced ay-veen in some Irish dialects. Source: Irish born & bred friend, who speaks Irish, has a daughter with this name.
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Thank you for your comment! Is Irish her first language (as in mother tongue or bilingual)? I am sorry, I hope this is not impolite. But my boyfriend is Irish (mother tongue is Irish) and he told me that many Irish people do not speak Irish or not fluently and only learn it in school.
I did a lot of research on the name and I fear that the only correct pronunciation is EE-ven. But it is often pronounced ay-veen in Ireland which doesn't follow Irish language rules. I would be happy to be corrected.
There is a gigantic thread on this name in an Irish name forum in which Irish speakers spend a lot of time talking about the etymology of the name and coming to the conclusion that ay-veen is incorrect and that it stems from a mispronunciation.
I wish it could correctly be pronounced ay-veen because I like the way it sounds but after doing lots of research I think it can't :(
I don't think it is an accent-thing (as with Aisling, for example) because Aoife is EE-fa in all accents, Aoibhe is EE-va in all accents etc.
But happy to be corrected. I have been trying to find out everything about this name.
I did a lot of research on the name and I fear that the only correct pronunciation is EE-ven. But it is often pronounced ay-veen in Ireland which doesn't follow Irish language rules. I would be happy to be corrected.
There is a gigantic thread on this name in an Irish name forum in which Irish speakers spend a lot of time talking about the etymology of the name and coming to the conclusion that ay-veen is incorrect and that it stems from a mispronunciation.
I wish it could correctly be pronounced ay-veen because I like the way it sounds but after doing lots of research I think it can't :(
I don't think it is an accent-thing (as with Aisling, for example) because Aoife is EE-fa in all accents, Aoibhe is EE-va in all accents etc.
But happy to be corrected. I have been trying to find out everything about this name.
1