A ‘tragedeigh’ name is one that has been deliberately misspelled or completely made up to appear more unique than it actually is. Some popular examples include ‘Hannaugh’ and ‘Luighseach’
Our names are a huge part of our identity, even our history, but sometimes parents can get carried away when it comes to giving their children a ‘quirky’ moniker.
Nothing demonstrates this more than a thread on the social media platform Reddit, titled ‘r/tragedeigh’, where people can share a “given name that has been deliberately misspelled or completely made up to appear more unique than it actually is”.
It’s all meant in good fun and not intended to offend, with people often posting instances they’ve spotted from influencers or celebrities, even revealing the odd personal occurrence where they’ve tried to persuade a friend or family member away from.
However, sometimes, a few ‘in the wild’ situations crop up where people with ‘tragedeigh’ names share their unfortunate monikers for the world to enjoy. Under a recent post on TikTok, a woman with the handle d.cm8, wrote: “How my mum felt giving me a basic name but changing the letters for it to look more unique. (Now no one knows how to write it and I will never get one of those cute key chains).”
After sharing that her own name is Eilyn, pronounced Ellen, people rushed to reveal their own ‘tragedeigh’ names. One person supplied: “Mine, olivia, alivia? no alyvia.” Another user posted: “Emily ? nopeeeeee ! emileigh.” And someone else shared: “My mom named my sister lucy but spelled it as luighseach.”
Another user added: “Mine literally has a dash like GIRL,” and a fifth person penned: “Shabbrina instead of sabrina..”
Some of the examples other people gave were eyeopening, with another series of people sharing they had been named, “Izzalobelle” instead of Isobel. “Miyah” rather than Mia, and one confused user adding: “I’m not Mary not Mery but MERIT why the T?”
The video was shared on the Reddit group and people were stunned by the sheer number or ‘tragedeighs’. One person responded: “Validation that the kids grow up and HATE IT.” While another user shared: To add to this, I taught an Alexis that was spelled Illexis. It made me “ill” to see it every day.” And a third person joked: “Mom’s be out there committing aytrosetes.”
Earlier this week we shared how one woman became embroiled in a family row after accusing her cousin of trying to give their child a ‘tragedeigh’ name. Sharing the unfortunate event on social media, she wrote: “My family is what I would call ‘quirky’ because they’re kinda problematic, and using the right term would definitely offend them.
“Recently, my cousin gave birth to a baby girl and she shared photos on her Facebook page. She then sent that Facebook post to our family group chat. Her daughter’s name is Lylyt Yvyh Yryhl, read as ‘Lilith Eva Uriel’. I was laughing my a** off when I read it and she said she wanted her child to be ‘cool and unique’.”
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In response to Lylyt Yvyh Yryhl, she couldn’t resist quoting a popular Reddit thread that mocks strange names in the chat. She continued: “I replied ‘r/tragedeigh’ and she did not understand it until a younger member of the family explained what my response was.
“She then told me my name is s******* and my parents aren’t creative that’s why I have a ‘basic a**’ name (my parents were in the conversation too, btw).” Finishing with a flourish, she added: “I’m not asking if I was an a*****, I know it’s a d*** move. Yes, she deserves it. Yes, two wrongs do not make a right. Yes, I am petty.”
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