See the results of this poll: Ariana or Oriana?
Respondents: 55 (This poll is closed)
- Ariana : 37 (67%)
- Oriana: 18 (33%)
I prefer [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] for the reference to [name_f]Queen[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] I. It just makes it feel like a stronger and less girly name to me!
[name_f]Oriana[/name_f] is very pretty, but I picked [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] because it’s much less likely to be mispronounced. [name_m]How[/name_m] is [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] a reference to [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] I? I greatly admire her, so I’m very curious now.
[name_m]How[/name_m] would you pn. each? I pn. them differently.
I love [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] and its meaning. I say Or-ee-ah-na, but Or-ee-ann-a sounds fine too. I think with [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] you have more room for mispronunciations with Ahr vs [name_f]Air[/name_f] and ah-na vs ann-uh.
Maybe it’s weird but [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] makes me think of Oriental, so I voted for [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] (which is also in HP as a plus).
[name_f]Ariana[/name_f]. I love the nickname [name_u]Ari[/name_u]. I’m not a fan of [name_f]Oriana[/name_f]. Reminds me of Oreo cookies.
I love [name_f]Oriana[/name_f], but i don’t like [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] at all. [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] is so romantic, with great history, whereas [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] just feels insubstanial and trendy to me.
I prefer the style and look of [name_f]Oriana[/name_f], but I think [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] is probably more familiar and easier for most people. It just depends on what you are looking for in a name.
Also, I am curious about [name_f]Oriana[/name_f]'s relationship to [name_f]Queen[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]. I know of Gloriana and its reference to the queen from The Faerie [name_f]Queen[/name_f].
Apparently the madrigal texts compiled by [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] [name_u]Morley[/name_u] were made in honour of [name_f]Queen[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] I and they all ended with the lines: “Thus sang the shepherds and nymphs of [name_f]Diana[/name_f]: long live fair [name_f]Oriana[/name_f]”. [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] was the reference to [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]. I’m guessing Gloriana came from putting together Glorious [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] perhaps? Or [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] may have derived as a short form of Gloriana. Certainly a more usable form of Gloriana for the present!
I think [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] is more unusual and certainly more appealing. [name_f]Ariana[/name_f]/[name_f]Arianna[/name_f] sounds like a spoiled rich woman who is very demanding (eg. [name_f]Arianna[/name_f] [name_m]Huffington[/name_m]). [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] is lush and ethereal. It’s feminine but doesn’t seem as frilly as [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] which I like.
Thank you everyone!
For reference, I pronounce [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] as arry-[name_m]AH[/name_m]-na (I don’t know if that’s correct, that’s just what it sounds like in my Australian accent 
) and I pronounce [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] or-ee-[name_m]AH[/name_m]-na.
I am leaning towards [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] as more ‘substantial’, and I too love the reference to [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] I! [For those asking, [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] was the nickname for [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] I]
Very interesting stuff!
I like [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] better although both are good names.
I like [name_f]Oriana[/name_f]'s historical references, but in think you would be dooming your daughter to a lifetime of "no, not [name_f]Ariana[/name_f], O-r-i-a-n-a.
I love both [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] and [name_f]Ariana[/name_f]. I suggested [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] to husband but he said it reminded him of orina (the spanish word for urine). If you don’t speak spanish then I would go with [name_f]Oriana[/name_f]! 
I pronounce each differently o-RYAH-nah vs ar-ee-AHN-ə so I wouldn’t worry about people confusing the two. It’s bound to happen regardless of how popular a name is at some point. We have a friend whose name is [name_m]Jonah[/name_m] and he gets asked if it’s [name_m]John[/name_m] all the time. (Funnier even is that he say’s it happened at home more often and he grew up in the Bible-belt so you’d think [name_m]Jonah[/name_m] was at least on the average person’s radar).
I prefer [name_f]Oriana[/name_f] over [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] because…. I find it rather easy to love or like A- names. I find it more rare for O- names. When I find an O- name I’m really drawn to I find I prefer it over the A- version. (I feel the same way about [name_u]Oberon[/name_u] and [name_u]Auberon[/name_u], etc).
I vote for [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] 100%. Its beautiful.