Our baby girl’s name is [name]Elena[/name] and everyone is all over the map with pronunciation.
(1) [name]El[/name]-AY-na
(2) [name]El[/name]-EN-a
(3) [name]EL[/name]-en-a
[name]How[/name] do you think it should be pronounced and which is your favorite pronunciation?
I’d say el-AY-na.
I’d say “eh-[name]LAY[/name]-na”
i say “[name]EL[/name]-en-a”
I have a friend (she’s Italian) who pronounces her name [name]ELL[/name]-en-a (sort of like [name]Ellen[/name] with an A) but EVERYONE calls her e-[name]LAY[/name]-na at first. I’m pretty sure the Spanish pronunciation is e-[name]LAY[/name]-na and the Italian is [name]ELL[/name]-en-a.
[name]LOVE[/name] your daughter’s name - with any pronunciation! ;-). [name]Elena[/name] is one of our top two choices for a future daughter, and we would be using the eh-[name]LAY[/name]-na pronunciation. But I also like [name]EL[/name]-en-a. One thing about this name that worries me is all the confusion over pronunciation. 
I’m currious to see the responses you get to this post!
I have a few friends with this name and it has always been different, but always spelled the same [name]ELENA[/name]
1- [name]Ell[/name]-eh-na (eh pronounced like the Canadian eh!)- she was serbian and we all just copied how she said it
2- [name]Ellen[/name]-ah- she was Jewish
3- Hel-len-ah- she was greek… but we always just shortened it to [name]Eleni[/name]- [name]El[/name]-len-nee
I say el-AY-nuh.
I say el-EN-uh but it’s because the only [name]Elena[/name] I’ve ever known pronounced it that way.
I am an [name]Elena[/name], I pronounce my name [name]EL[/name]-en-a, but my Greek relatives usually pronounce it ay-lay-na, but that is basically just [name]EL[/name]-en-a with a Greek accent. I have so much trouble with being called Eh-[name]Lay[/name]-na though so I guess thats the most common.
~[name]Elena[/name]
I would say eh-[name]LAY[/name]-na too. It’s definitely the Spanish pronunciation, I’m not sure what it is in other languages.
The “E” sound in the various languages of its origin would dictate how it is pronounced. In Spanish, “Eh-LEY-na”. The tiny phonetic difference between that and the Greek “Ey-LEY-na” is negligible.
Some Americans call it “ee-[name]LAY[/name]-nah” but again, that’s just a difference in accent, to what is basically the same name.
to put the accent on the first syllable, and make it sound like “[name]ELLEN[/name]-a” would be very much a departure from how it is most often pronounced, and would possibly invite a lifetime of “no, it’s [name]ELLEN[/name]-a!” similar to a woman I know whose name, [name]Michaela[/name], is pronounced “[name]Michael[/name], uh” instead of the more usual “mi-KAYL-a”.
[name]Elena[/name] is a gorgeous name. It would still be our top pick but the pronounciation concerns me. I say Eh-lay-nuh and where I live that would likely be the most common pronounciation. I think that Eh-leh-nah is the correct pronounciation though in English and also in most European countries. In spanish I generally hear Eh-lay-nuh, which I think it far prettier.
I know two [name]Elena[/name]'s, one is 15 and the other is 4, they both pronounce it eh-[name]LAY[/name]-nuh. This is the pronunciation I’ve encountered the most, so this is the one I usually assume off the bat.
Me too, and this is what I always assume first but it wouldn’t be unusual to me if it was pronounced el-AY-nuh so I think just choose the pronounciation you like most and get used to correcting some people either way!! 
my sister’s name is [name]Elena[/name] and she always had to tell people it’s “Eeeeeeeeee-layna”. she mostly was bothered by the “uh-layna” pronounciation. she was actually born with the spelling [name]Elaina[/name], but too many people called her [name]Elaine[/name], so my mom switched it to the Russian spelling. not sure that helped in the pronunciation department though…
beautiful name! just correct people when they say it wrong, they’ll catch on…