BehindTheName lists [name]Ana[/name]ïs’ pronunciation as a-na-EES, nameberry as an-EYE-is or an-AY-is. I read it as an-EYE-ees initially, but a-na-EES makes the most sense now that I’ve seen it (I have limited experience with French and live in the southwest US).
Could [name]Ana[/name]ïs be nicknamed Aia, pronounced EYE-uh rhyming with [name]Maya[/name]?
Thoughts on [name]Ana[/name]ïs vs. [name]Anais[/name]?
I realize it’s on the less-accessible side, but this is not an issue for my area.
I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Ana[/name]ïs! I think that it’s so underappreciated. I definitely think that Aia could work as a sometimes nickname.
I’m honestly not entirely sure where I stand on [name]Ana[/name]ïs vs [name]Anais[/name], so I’ll be curious to see what future responders say. I’m not entirely sure, but I think it may not be possible to put symbols like ï on birth certificates in the U.S, but I do worry that spelling it [name]Anais[/name] may lead people to pronounce it something similar to “anus”, and I also think that I slightly prefer [name]Ana[/name]ïs just on an aesthetic level.
I think it’s too much of a stretch. The eye-uh sound isn’t in [name]Anais[/name], so it would be confusing. [name]Ana[/name] would make sense as a nickname though.
This is about where I fall on the spelling issue. I think [name]Anais[/name] would read as an-ICE to many, which is harmless, but not as pretty 
I get an EYE sound by the laws of smoosh, which is where I pull Aia/[name]Aya[/name] from. I definitely see what you mean, though.
The [name]Aya[/name] nickname (whether spelled [name]Aya[/name], Aia or Ia) is the goal, [name]Ana[/name]ïs would be the vehicle, so [name]Ana[/name] is not relevant to us.
Thanks for the reply!!
[name]Ana[/name]ïs is gorgeous, but I don’t like Aia as a nickname.
If Aia/[name]Aya[/name] is the goal, try [name]Amaia[/name] or [name]Ayelet[/name] or [name]Soraya[/name]. I also love Aia on her own, but she needs siblings with short unusual names as well, so it might not be the road for you.
[name]Ayelet[/name] would be my favourite after just Aia. 
^^ [name]Ayelet[/name] was a top contender until I found out the traditional pronunciation is eye-YELL-et or eye-YELL-it! [name]Aya[/name] doesn’t seem to fit quite as well given that.
[name]Amaia[/name] is so, so lovely, but doesn’t work at all with our last name. [name]Soraya[/name] would be lovely if I could get past similar-sounding Psoriasis.
We also considered (and loved) [name]Ianthe[/name] nn Ia, but turns out that one’s pronounced ee-AHN-thee.
[name]Aya[/name] or Aia might win in the end, but as someone with a “what’s that a nickname for?” type of full name who’s always wanted an answer for that question, I’m gonna keep trying for a fuller name!
Thank you for the feedback and suggestions
Since your main goal is to be able to use [name]Aya[/name] as a nickname, what about [name]Ayala[/name], [name]Amaya[/name] or [name]Ayana[/name]? You could also always go with [name]Aya[/name] as a full name. I believe it’s a Hebrew name that means “bird”.
I think [name]Aya[/name] could work as a nickname but there are names that it could work better for. [name]Aya[/name] could stand as a name on its own too, I thinks it’s popular in Japan.
Hmmm… I find myself really wanting to bring you the perfect solution, but I’m running out of ideas.
Looking some more I find Nanaia/Nanaya, [name]Naiara[/name], [name]Alaia[/name] (Basque name meaning ‘happy’), Gaiana/Gaiane, [name]Ayala[/name] (the ‘origin’ of [name]Ayelet[/name]) and [name]Ainhoa[/name]/Ainoa. There were a lot of Basque names containing the ‘ay’ sound, maybe you should look into that
[name]Ayana[/name] and [name]Amaya[/name] are non-starters with our last name (ends in a -muh sound), unfortunately – they sound singsongy which I dislike.
[name]Aya[/name] is fine on its own (I’ve seen both “design” in Japanese and “vulture” in Hebrew), but I would truly love it as a nickname rather than a full given name. I was endlessly frustrated by the “what’s that short for?” question growing up.
Dearest, you are so sweet for wanting to help!! I’ll look into Basque names, thank you so much for that tip.
We have also considered [name]Nayeli[/name] (native american, I’m blanking on which group specifically) and [name]Niobe[/name] (Greek or [name]Roman[/name] depending who you ask). [name]Io[/name] is another nickname we like, as I’m an astronomy buff, so [name]Niobe[/name] would work there as well.
I know an [name]Anais[/name] called [name]Anna[/name]-ees. And that’s how I’ve said [name]Anais[/name] [name]Nin[/name].
So eye-uh wouldn’t really work with my pronunciation of the name.
Maybe you would like [name]Isla[/name], [name]Ina[/name], [name]Ida[/name]?
Of course you could just introduce her with that pronunciation and that nickname.
I remember the Uh-nye-iss pronunciation was in a [name]Jewel[/name] song and at the time I thought she was butchering the pronunciation.
[name]Love[/name], love, love [name]Anais[/name] (and yes, I would definitely use the accent mark! I just can’t do it on my laptop. urgh.). I think [name]Aya[/name]/Aia is very cool as a nn for it! It makes it seem much more usable. I would probably be inclined to use [name]Annie[/name], personally, but I think [name]Aya[/name] is just as usable.
Taz, [name]Ina[/name] and [name]Ida[/name] feel in a totally different category to me… old lady rather than ethereal, flowy [name]Aya[/name]. [name]Isla[/name] is lovely but too popular for my taste.
The pronunciation issue sounds like a fine line to my ear, but I’m sure it depends on the individual and their dialect.
Thanks for your thoughts, ash!!
I’m really liking Ainoa, it has a very Hawaiian sound to it (which works with our name/heritage) though it’s Basque. It may be the same as [name]Amaia[/name]/[name]Amaya[/name] as far as conflicting with our last name, though. There are a lot of similar sounds. I’m going to keep saying them together though, maybe it could work!
I favor names that end in any sound but -a or -uh, since that’s what our last name ends on. But your suggestions of [name]Ainhoa[/name]/Ainoa, [name]Alaia[/name] and [name]Naiara[/name] are all up my alley otherwise.
I’m browsing Basque names now, and love love Itzal, [name]Nuria[/name], Ortzi meaning [name]Sky[/name] (love!!), … Basque names are a treasure trove! Thanks for that, Dearest
Hold the phone - just saw Aisone on some random list of Basque names. If it’s pronounced eye-SOH-nee (I can’t find a reliable source), that could be a dream option… I favor -ee endings, three syllables AND “oh” sounds. To my eye/ear Aia could work from Aisone. What do you think?