Hi

I am expecting two baby girls and one of the names I really love is Aibhílín. However, I've read a lot of different variations on pronunciation from ayv-il-een, eve-il-een, evelyn. I don't know anyone personally with the name, and I wondered if anyone on here could help me with pronunciation? Our area would be ulster dialect but open to different options!

Many thanks!

https://forvo.com/word/aibh%C3%ADl%C3%ADn/
Brendan’s pronunciation. /ævıli:n/

BTW: I’d think, the correct spelling is Aibhilín (only the last i with accent)

Thanks so much for your help. I wondered about the first fada too but had taken the spelling from "Irish Names" by Donnchadh Ó Corráin & Fidelma Maguire. But on second look it looks like they use both spellings so perhaps the first was a typo:

“*EIBHLÍN (ei-l’īn’, ev-’ l’īn’) f. This name was brought to Ireland by the Normans in the forms Avelina and Emeline. It comes ultimately from Old German and is identical with the English names Evelina and Evelyn. It was the name of many aristocratic ladies in Norman Ireland—the wife of Walter de Burgo, Earl of Ulster (1271), and the daughter of the Red Earl of Ulster amongst others. It passed to Gaelic Ireland as Aibhílín and Eibhlín. Aibhilín was the name of a daughter of MacCarthy More in the sixteenth century. As Eibhlín the name achieved great popularity.”

Would any of those variations of spelling give something closer to "ayv-il-een" (like Domnal's pronunciation on forvo), or are you aware of any usage of the name in that way? That's how I had instinctively pronounced it and I guess I've sort of warmed to it now.

Aibhilín - as someone previously said only one letter has the accent. Otherwise it would be difficult to pronounce. I'm not familiar with that word. Eibhlín is the commonest version.
But I'm guessing Aibh and Eibh have the same sound, "eye". I'm going by the word "aibhneachaí" a word I do know meaning "rivers". But I'm not sure.

Thanks, all!

Hello,

I'm basing this on the book 'Celtic Names for Children' by Loreto Todd. She lists Aibhilín as a variant of Aibhlínn/Eibhlínn and says that the pronunciation is 'I've + leen'. It originates from the Norman name 'Aveline', and is different name from the name Éibhleann/Eibhlín, which she pronounces 'ayve + linn' or 'eve + linn'. Apparently the second name is a combination of a Gaelic word, the biblical Eve, the Norman Aveline and Elaine.
A little bit confusing, but I hope this helps.
My daughter's name is Aibhlínn by the way

With that said though, I have heard a few different pronunciations of the name Aibhlínn online and it can get a bit confusing. Mainly 'ave-leen', just like the Norman 'Aveline' but with an Irish spelling. I don't know if it is exactly grammatically correct, but it sounds very beautiful and we've been pronouncing it this way.

Well Aibhlínn is misspelt in any case. There is no double n. The bh is likely not be pronounced in many dialects. I think you may have been better advised to call your daughter Aveline, rather than using a name you don't know in a spelling that's not right with a pronunciation you can't find out. Did you think about giving her an Ancient Hittite middle name?

If this is definitely a transcription of a Norman name then Aibhilín makes more sense.

You know, I kind of agree with you. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation about the name on the internet and a lot of confusion in general, which I've come to realise.