Elaine for babygirl?

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 In English-speaking countries, the name seems to be outdated, but in non-English-speaking European countries, it is not.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 wouldn’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! It’s not my style, but it’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.

I’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 don’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 we’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, it’s lovely! I think this ā€œgrandma nameā€ by American standards is ready for a revival! She’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 it’s possibly a generational/UK thing in which I always think of ā€˜Elaine the Pain’ from the [name_u]Tracy[/name_u] Beaker universe…

Still, it’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 wouldn’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 mum’s generation, but i can completely get why it became popular in the first place, and can see it coming back. i think i’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 don’t think that’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]. That’s why I thought of the name [name_f]Elaine[/name_f].

This is my name, and I absolutely love it!
I’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 I’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 daughter’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 doesn’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). I’ve met other Elaines but none my age. I’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 doesn’t. I’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 won’t even associate the name with ā€œold peopleā€ i hope.