I have been struggling to find a name that I like for my second daughter. My first is [name_f]Lorelai[/name_f] ([name_f]Lila[/name_f] for short.) I loved those names for years, so even when I was met with criticism, it never bothered me cuz I was so sure that was the name I wanted for my daughter. My husband and I love alliteration and our last name starts with L, so everything just worked. This time around I have not been as sure. I am more than halfway through and still searching.
I am drawn to the nickname [name_f]Libby[/name_f], but having grown up with a short name that sounds more like a nickname, I did not want that for my daughters. I like longer beautiful names that look pretty on diplomas and are good for shouting 
I want to stick with the L theme if possible and none of the typical long versions of [name_f]Libby[/name_f] gel with me, e.g. [name_f]Olivia[/name_f]/[name_f]Livia[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]/[name_f]Lizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Isabel[/name_f], [name_f]Liberty[/name_f], [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f], etc.
I like unique names, and the other day, I was sitting in my OB’s office looking at the baby board of birth announcements from his past deliveries, and a name jumped out at me: Leviah. The nurse told me how it was pronounced Lah- V+long a- ah (Like [name_f]Neveah[/name_f] with an L/ like [name_f]Linnea[/name_f] with a V). So far most people I have told (my mom, my aunt, my husband), did not have a positive reaction to the name. My husband prefers Liviana, which is probably more user friendly and easier to pronounce, but it seems overly flowery to me. Leviah has similar sounds but sounds better to my hear, especially when paired with our last name. Plus, Leviah has a better meaning “Lionnes of the [name_m]Lord[/name_m]” vs. Liviana which means " “envious”. Ultimately, my husband doesn’t care that much one way or the other, and we both like [name_f]Libby[/name_f] and [name_f]Liv[/name_f] which will be what we call her 90% of the time. Am I crazy for wanting to use a name that most people will struggle to spell and pronounce? Or should I go with the name that doesn’t sound as nice but is easier to spell and pronounce, since we will use the nickname most of the time anyway?
I have a name with 30+ spellings and at least 2 pronunciations, and though I don’t care for my name, it was never for those reasons. If someone I would have to interact with repeatedly spelled or pronounced my name wrong, I would just politely correct them and move on with my day. If it was someone, like a customer service rep, that I would have a one time interaction with, I would just move past the mix up because I would likely never talk to them again.
