Elaine for babygirl?

Girl Names
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Hello everyone, currently, old-fashioned names are back in trend. How do you feel about the name [name_f]Elaine[/name_f]? In English-speaking countries, the name seems to be outdated, but in non-English-speaking European countries, it is not. Would you consider giving your newborn daughter the name? We are considering it but feel unsure.

Besides that our other options would be [name_f]Elysia[/name_f], [name_f]Eliora[/name_f] or [name_f]Liora[/name_f].

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Which European countries are you talking about? [name_f]Elaine[/name_f] (pronounced the way it is in English) would exist in almost no countries in Europe.

That said, while [name_f]Elaine[/name_f] does feel a tiny bit dated, I wouldnā€™t be at all surprised to hear it on a baby, and the energetic nicknames [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] and [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] help make it feel youthful and fresh! Itā€™s not my style, but itā€™s a fine choice! I personally like [name_f]Liora[/name_f] the best, but all your options are lovely.

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I am from [name_u]Germany[/name_u] and I have actually heard the name quite often. It is still relatively rare, but it has gained some popularity, similar to the name [name_f]Eloise[/name_f], [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] etc.

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Iā€™m aware it exists in German-speaking countries and [name_u]France[/name_u]! [name_m]Just[/name_m] not the rest of Europe I donā€™t think :slight_smile:

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I love [name_f]Elaine[/name_f]! It is perfect for a German-English girl

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Gotcha! Since weā€™re american/german we might consider the name. Thanks for your quick reply :blush:

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[name_u]Love[/name_u] it!

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Oh, itā€™s lovely! I think this ā€œgrandma nameā€ by American standards is ready for a revival! Sheā€™s got a familiar [name_f]El[/name_f]- beginning as do the popular [name_f]Eloise[/name_f], [name_f]Elowen[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], etc. but a more unique rank! [name_f]Elaine[/name_f] is super sweet. :star:

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[name_f]Elaine[/name_f] does feel a little dated - but itā€™s possibly a generational/UK thing in which I always think of ā€˜Elaine the Painā€™ from the [name_u]Tracy[/name_u] Beaker universeā€¦

Still, itā€™s not bad, and it comes with nice nickname options - [name_f]Lainey[/name_f], [name_f]Elle[/name_f], [name_u]Laine[/name_u], [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], [name_f]Leni[/name_f], [name_f]Ela[/name_f] - so I wouldnā€™t write it off

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I think [name_f]Elaine[/name_f] is so sweet!!

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elaine is sweet !! it does feel very dated to me, very much of my mumā€™s generation, but i can completely get why it became popular in the first place, and can see it coming back. i think iā€™d personally prefer something like helaine or roselaine, but it does have a pretty sound i love the gorgeous nickname lainey <3

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[name_u]Love[/name_u] [name_f]Elaine[/name_f]. :heart:

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[name_f]Elaine[/name_f] is a great name and definitely ready for a revival.

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It does feel a little dated to me, but much more usable than many of the other names from that timeframe! For me, I feel like the versions of names ending in an a refresh them a little bit. So Elena/Elaina sounds more fresh and new than [name_f]Elaine[/name_f] (Clara vs [name_f]Claire[/name_f], [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] vs [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_f]Camilla[/name_f] vs [name_u]Camille[/name_u], etc.). That could be an alternative if you decide [name_f]Elaine[/name_f] might feel too dated for you. On the other hand, I feel the more common [name_f]Elena[/name_f] still freshens up [name_f]Elaine[/name_f] on its own, which may be why it feels much more usable than many names from that generation

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I love it! It fits both the vintage and the [name_f]El[/name_f]- trends and has several nickname options of different styles so its very versatile.

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I think it is a bit dated, but I donā€™t think thatā€™s a bad thing! [name_f]Elaine[/name_f] would be lovely to hear on a young child!

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There are way too many [name_f]Elena[/name_f] and [name_f]Elaina[/name_f]. Thatā€™s why I thought of the name [name_f]Elaine[/name_f].

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This is my name, and I absolutely love it!
Iā€™m a 90s kid, so it was dated when I was growing up. I was pretty neutral about having an ā€œold ladyā€ name growing up, but I found humor in it. I would even make jokes about my grandma name. Now Iā€™ve grown to really appreciate it. People have told me I ā€œre-defineā€ the name for them because they see it as an older name, so meeting a younger person with the name helps freshen it up. Whatever your daughterā€™s personality, it will define Elaine for whoever she meets!

Somethings I love about it:

  • Everyone knows how to pronounce it. Some say EE-lane and others UH-lane, but that difference doesnā€™t bother me.
  • Vast majority of people can spell it without help.
  • It has the benefit of being more classic and more rare than the alternatives (Alaina et al). Iā€™ve met other Elaines but none my age. Iā€™ve met way more Elena/Alayna/Elainas and all the spellings and the ā€œuhā€ ending make them less special imo. Every other girl name ends in ā€œuhā€, and I love that mine doesnā€™t. Iā€™m obviously biased, but I feel Elaine is far superior to alternatives; it is able to be more unique and more classic at the same time.
  • I do not go by any nicknames, but they are available. I have a lot that are used by close family only (Lainer, Lainey, Lane, E).

Honestly the only downside is that people sometimes asked if I was named for the Seinfeld character.

From personal experience, I highly endorse this name!

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Thank you for your detailed answer!! It was really enjoyable reading your comment.

I think people who know about the Seinfeld are already way too old to tell my daughter anyway. The newborns are the new generation and most of them wonā€™t even associate the name with ā€œold peopleā€ i hope.