# Siobhan? Shevaughn? Chevonne? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 18, 2013, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237 "2013-03-18T08:41:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/1 "2013-03-18T08:41:59Z")
It’s time to play “name the TabbyKitten”! 😃 I really, really like the name Siobhan (so it’s a girl, you knew that), but unfortunately nobody here (Singapore) is familiar with the original spelling, and there are some unfortunate “[false friends](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_friend)” meaning “roast meat” or similar in Cantonese. Not wanting to subject my poor daughter to that, my wife and I are thinking of alternatives. What’s your favourite alternate spelling of Siobhan? We’re thinking of going with Chevonne for now. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/2 "2013-03-18T10:49:46Z")
My favourite “alternate” spelling is please just don’t. It’s hard enough for those of us saddled with that fucking name without people poisoning the well and giving other assholes an opportunity to go “Oh _that’s_ a funny spelling, my cousin’s sister’s brother’s daughter spells it Sheeevaawwwnnn” ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/3 "2013-03-18T10:55:49Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > Not wanting to subject my poor daughter to that, my wife and I are thinking of alternatives. What’s your favourite alternate spelling of Siobhan? Betty works fine for me. Or Anne. Hey, with weird Irish spellings, either could be translated from Siobhan! 😛 Whatever you do, don’t try to be so clever as to give your child a curse that they will forever hate you for in the future. Listen to **Sierra**. She’s wise. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/4 "2013-03-18T10:57:45Z")
Respellings just look trashy. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/5 "2013-03-18T10:58:54Z")
Thirded. No alternative spellings. If the Irish spelling is too much to handle, go for Yvonne. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Beelzebubba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Beelzebubba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beelzebubba)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/6 "2013-03-18T11:03:56Z")
Spell it the proper Irish way or not at all, I say! Tess (or Tessa) and Chloe are great kitty names…Emily and Allie are also great names for a little girl kitty… ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/7 "2013-03-18T11:11:20Z")
Really? Not a single one? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/8 "2013-03-18T11:11:25Z")
> [@Beelzebubba](#): > > Spell it the proper Irish way or not at all, I say! > > Tess (or Tessa) and Chloe are great kitty names…Emily and Allie are also great names for a little girl kitty… Ummm, I think he’s talking about a HUMAN child, not a feline. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/9 "2013-03-18T11:13:22Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > Really? Not a single one? ☹ Nope. Now go look back in the Baby Names Almanac for something more appropriate! You’ve been told!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/10 "2013-03-18T11:16:10Z")
Get a second cat named “Shove Off”. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/11 "2013-03-18T11:17:05Z")
Yeah, I assumed it was actually for a cat as well. For a human? Pick another name if you can’t go with the original, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/12 "2013-03-18T12:13:47Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > Really? Not a single one? ☹ No. Some names have acceptable alternates (Shaun’s OK), but Siobhan doesn’t. Maybe have it as a middle name in its original spelling. ---
**Author:** ![Beelzebubba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Beelzebubba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beelzebubba)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/13 "2013-03-18T12:20:22Z")
Fight the cause of this whole naming debacle- Name the kid “Roast Meat” and be done with it! ---
**Author:** ![owlfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@owlfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlfan)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/14 "2013-03-18T12:23:55Z")
I have known Asian kids that were named Kanoe and Fuch, pronounced Canoe( like the thing you paddle down the river) and Foo. They survived with their original spellings so I say go with the traditional Irish version. I agree that alternative spellings look trashy. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/15 "2013-03-18T12:27:53Z")
Friends of mine named their daughters Shayne (meaning Siobhan) and Caeilyn (Caitlin). Odd from my perspective but these girls have held their heads up and thrived. Kind reminds me of a Boy Named Sue. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/16 "2013-03-18T12:36:36Z")
If I had a kitten I’d name it something domestic and ordinary, like Dave or Roger. If you want Irish, I suggest Shona. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/17 "2013-03-18T12:37:00Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > Friends of mine named their daughters Shayne (meaning Siobhan) and Caeilyn (Caitlin). Odd from my perspective but these girls have held their heads up and thrived. > > Kind reminds me of a Boy Named Sue. 😃 Shayne=Siobhan? How? Caeilyn=Caitlyn kinda makes sense if you turn the t to a glottal stop. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/18 "2013-03-18T12:41:22Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > If you want Irish, I suggest Shona. Shona is Scottish. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/19 "2013-03-18T12:43:25Z")
Yeah Sam, I agree but I’m not the parents. No harm done and I think the objective was to provide the girls with memorable names. And yes Pooka, Shona is a fine Scottish name well known and conferred in my part of New Zealand. Och aye the noo. My mother was a Stuart and my brother and my son are named Andrew. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237/20 "2013-03-18T12:44:33Z")
> [@PookahMacPhellimey](#): > > Shona is Scottish. Damn it. Well, I decree it can be both. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siobhan-shevaughn-chevonne/653237.md?page=2)