Message: "How do you pronounce this name?"

[Facts] How do you pronounce this name?

by Rachelle (guest)

6/27/2006, 1:05 PM

I'm looking into the name Faolan, but have seen a few different ways of pronouncing it. I've hear fay-lawn, fay-lan, fee-lawn and fway-lawn. Which is the most correct?

#pronunciation

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- Lainey W (guest)

7/11/2006, 12:10 PM

It's fway-lawn. Usual the surname is Ó Faoláin, Ó meaning from and then Faoláin has an extra 'i' as it's the possessive form of Faolán. As an aside the girls surname is Ní Fhaoláin (nee ay-lawn) and Mrs is Bean Uí Fhaoláin (Ban ee ay-lawn).

On it's own, as a noun it means seagull. As a surname it is anglcised as the surnames Whelan/Phelan, which is probably where some of the pronounciations have come from. As far as I can remember I was told it's meaning is sly wolf, but I wouldn't take that as gospel. I don't normally know so much about names, but it's my maiden surname!!

- Miranda (Randee15) +1

6/27/2006, 4:50 PM

According to NameNerds.com (which is not entirely reliable, mind), it's pr. FWAY-lawn. Also, a comment on Faolán's entry says it's FEH-lahn, but the comments section attracts a lot of... inaccuracies, shall we say.

At any rate, the O is definitely not pronounced.

Miranda
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- duine (guest)

6/28/2006, 10:13 AM

I speak a bit of Irish...

"ao" is either pronounced "ay" or "ee" depending on the speaker or even the word. I would pronounce it "ee" in this case:
fwee-lawn

but 'fway-lawn' is just as acceptable.

- Jen (guest)

6/27/2006, 4:32 PM

I would guess it is Fay-o-lawn

- Honeyrose

6/27/2006, 4:30 PM

you can either pronounce it rah-shell or ray-shell

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