Girl's name
Sinéad
“shi-NAYD”
IPA: /ʃəˈnʲeːd̪ˠ/
the Irish form of Jane / Jeanette
Why it is said that way
S before an i is sh and the fada makes a long ay: shi-NAYD. It is the Irish for Jane or Janet.
- s before e or i → sh
- á é í ó ú (the fada) → a long vowel — and never optional
The story behind the name
Irish took the Norman-French Jehanne and made it Sinéad — the feminine of Seán. Sinéad de Valera, wife of the president, was a noted writer of children's stories in Irish; Sinéad O'Connor made the name known in every record shop on earth.
Meanings follow Ó Corráin & Maguire's Irish Names and Woulfe; pronunciations give the commonest Irish-English form. Know this name better — a dialect pronunciation, a family tradition? Tell us. · All Irish names A–Z