[Opinions] Re: why do people seem to like Celtic names so much?
by Laurie (guest)
1/23/2008, 5:04 PM
When I was a kid we used to say "I'm Irish/I'm Italian" until my parents corrected us to say "I'm American". :) But when discussing genealogy I'll say "I'm Italian on my mother's side, Irish on my father's". It's just shorter to say that than "I'm of Italian ancestry on my mother's side..."
That said I do love the sound of Irish names, but wouldn't choose Niamh (one of my favorites) because no one in the US would be able to spell or pronounce it. I do love the name Maeve though and that is spelled the way it's pronounced.
But for some reason I really can't get into the revival of "Italian" names, like Gianna and Francesca. I knew my great grandmother who was from Italy and she gave all of her children English names (or anglicized Italian ones). So I guess in my mind it would seem almost "backward" to revert to Italian spellings. I understand why my Italian great grandmother gave her children English names - and I want to follow in those footsteps.
Hence I named my daughter Caroline which has no connection to my Irish/Italian heritage - I just liked it.