# Irish: Kavanagh



## RabidFox

I don't know if this is allowed here, but I really just need a true-to-Irish pronunciation of this surname. I have tried googling for it, but have found nothing. The best I could figure is Kaw-vaw-naw or Kaw-vaw-nah. Thanks.


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## Alxmrphi

RabidFox said:


> I don't know if this is allowed here, but I really just need a true-to-Irish pronunciation of this surname. I have tried googling for it, but have found nothing. The best I could figure is Kaw-vaw-naw or Kaw-vaw-nah. Thanks.



Of course it is allowed!
As for the question, I can't help you (even if my surname is Murphy!)


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## sarcie

I would pronounce this "*ka*-va-na", fading slightly at the end (schwa?), "*ka*-va-n' "

Depends on where you go in Ireland though - I suspect they have a different pronunciation up North (something closer to the "kaw" sound you mentioned)


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## Tommo

sarcie said:


> I would pronounce this "*ka*-va-na", fading slightly at the end (schwa?), "*ka*-va-n' "
> 
> Depends on where you go in Ireland though - I suspect they have a different pronunciation up North (something closer to the "kaw" sound you mentioned)


 
Hi Rabid, Alex and sarcie.

I agree with you sarcie _up to a point._

"*ka*-va-na", fading continually from beginning to end. "*ka*-vih-n' ", with no stress on any of the vowel sounds and the northern pronunciation as you describe it.


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## Spectre scolaire

Tommo said:
			
		

> I suspect they have a different pronunciation up North (something closer to the "kaw" sound you mentioned)


I am surprised that nobody has mentioned the Irish spelling of this name: Caomhánach. Etymologically it refers to "somebody with a pleasing appearance” - probably the reason why this surname happens to be a rather common one in Ireland.

There are several spellings of it - Cavanagh and Kavanagh seem to be the most frequently used.

As for the exact pronunciation, I wouldn’t go into the nitty gritty of Irish phonetics (which is unpleasantly intricate). And I always had the impression, during my years in Ireland, that _names_ somehow escape those general rules you think you know. (Which is not quite an unknown phenomenon in English either, to be quite honest...)
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## Pedro y La Torre

I'd say:

Kav-nah.


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