Spelling "Brian"

WomanInWhite

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could tell me if the following spellings for the name "Brian" as a christian name are acceptable/correct -

Briain
Brían
Bríon

I was going to go with Briain but an Irish speaking relative said is was incorrect as it implies the tuiseal ginideach......

I know Brian is pronounced "BREE-IN" but I don't want the child to have to clarify the pronunciation for the rest of his life which is why I would like a spelling that reflects the way it is said.

Thanks for your help!

An gal gréine

I take it you want the "BREE-IN" pronunciation but not with the regular spelling which is Brian. The only solution I can think of is to go the Enya route. The singer's original name is Eithne, which is pronounced like "Enya" in Donegal, but her problem was when she left the county, it would be pronounced very differently so she started to spell it phonetically. Your fear is of the name being called "Bryan", it happened with "Niall" as well. The problem with these phonetics is that they include the letter y which is not in the traditional alphabet in Irish, although they are included in modern dictionaries.

Krusader

Braoin, maybe?

Micilin Muc

Crosáidí wrote: »

Braoin, maybe?

No. Braon means drop, as in a drop of water or alcohol or blood.

Why change a name that has stood the test of time? Brian is the only correct spelling, Bhriain is the ginideach and brían is incorrect.

spurious

If I met someone called Brian Ó Murchú and another called Brian Murphy, I would presume one was pronounced one way, one the other.

If I was American I would call them both 'that Canadian guy with the funny name'.

An gal gréine

spurious wrote: »

If I met someone called Brian Ó Murchú and another called Brian Murphy, I would presume one was pronounced one way, one the other.

If I was American I would call them both 'that Canadian guy with the funny name'.

It works in the sample you give, Spurious, but without the surname, it does'nt automatically. Same with Niall.

WomanInWhite

Thanks for your replies.

Any other thoughts on "Briain"?

The extra "i" is only in there in the surname because of the O', am I right?

I do realise that "Brian" is right, but I feel a lifetime of correcting pronunciation might become quite annoying. I have a friend called Niall, its almost exclusively said wrong.

An gal gréine

Yes, it's the Ó....I dont think you'd have as much trouble explaining Brian as people have with Cathal or Tadhg or Seán (or should I say Shaun/Shawn). There's no easy way out of it !

WomanInWhite

Ok, I'm now convinced. Brian it is!

It'll be a girl now after all this!

Thanks for your comments and help.