Came across this name recently and think it is really lovely, elegant, and exotic in looks and in sound! It is pronounced uhl-eye-uh. The only trouble is, it sort of sounds like “a liar”…What do you berries think of it? Did “a liar” immediately come to mind? Does [name]Alaia[/name]'s nearness to “a liar” ruin the name for you? Thanks for your opinions! 
Sadly, “a liar” is all I hear. It’s not so obvious in American because of the very pronounced Rs, but in Australian or British accents, I think it’s super obvious.
I tried saying it with a Yah ending… a lai YAH, but honestly you’d probably drive yourself mad trying to remember to pronounce it one way so the rest of the world can pick it up.
However, the name looks gorgeous.
i like it okay, but I greatly prefer [name]Maia[/name] or [name]Gaia[/name]. I think it’s just something about the UH sound at the beginning that I don’t like. the “a liar” thing only would be a problem for me if you lived in a place like the UK with an accent that would make it obvious, or a place in the US like New [name]Jersey[/name] or [name]Brooklyn[/name] or somewhere like that that tend to cut off things like Rs, in which case it would sound like “a liar”
Doesn’t to me though.
Again, its nice, but I prefer [name]Maia[/name] or [name]Gaia[/name].
I think it is one of those names that looks pretty on paper, but doesn’t work as well out loud. I do like [name]Aaliyah[/name] ([name]Aliyah[/name], [name]Aliya[/name], [name]Aleah[/name], [name]Alea[/name], etc, etc, etc). I think it’s gorgeous. I have a student right now who spells it [name]Allea[/name], which I don’t like, but the name is just so pretty!
When I first read it I thought “ah-[name]LAY[/name]-uh”, so there might also be problems with having to explain to people how it’s pronounced - and then people saying “a liar?”
I like it a lot! It just sounds so lilting and pretty when said aloud, to me. I love most of the -aia/-aya names ([name]Amaya[/name], [name]Maya[/name], [name]Kaia[/name], [name]Aya[/name], etc.), so it doesn’t surprise me that I love this, too. I agree with @dantea that since I’m in [name]America[/name] I don’t really hear “a liar” at all. I do think if you live somewhere where an accent might be a problem, then it might be better not to use it. I wouldn’t want people thinking I was calling my daughter “a liar” or that I’d smooshed “a liar” all together to come up with some trendy name that’s spelled phonetically (I’m thinking of [name]Taylor[/name] to [name]Tayla[/name], etc., in the UK), either.
Definitely didn’t hear ‘a liar’ until you pointed it out. It’s possible it would come up at some point, but I didn’t hear it at all.
Basque names are fascinating, and [name]Alaia[/name] is one of the most beautiful. I hadn’t thought of “a liar” until you pointed it out. It might be a small issue at some point, but [name]Alaia[/name] is such a beautiful name with such a great meaning it may be worth the trouble!
I think [name]Alaia[/name] is pretty but there is a Tunisian-born fashion [name]Azzedine[/name] [name]Alaia[/name] so I thought of the brand name before “a liar”. [name]One[/name] of the acting [name]Baldwin[/name] brothers, [name]Stephen[/name], has a daughter with this name.
Thank you so much for your replies, everyone! I really appreciate your insights and thoughts on the name [name]Alaia[/name]. It’s probably a name I will always really like but be too hesitant to use for a future daughter…due to the “a liar” thing. 
All I heard was ‘a liar’ and was also at first unsure of how to say it. It’s a really pretty name, but it would probably always have to be spelled out for people.
[name]Aaliyah[/name] or [name]Alaia[/name] are both great. Find out what you like more, the pronounciation or the the way it is read. You can pronounce it [name]Ah[/name]-lee-ah. My daughter is called Sophira but we tell people its pronounced it [name]Saphira[/name]. Some people pronounce it So-fear-rah but we don’t mind anymore - most people call her [name]Sophie[/name] anyway.