I’m stuck on a middle name. The first name is [name_m]Lem[/name_m], just [name_m]Lem[/name_m].
[name_m]Lem[/name_m] [name_m]Elijah[/name_m] and [name_m]Lem[/name_m] [name_f]Alizah[/name_f] are my two contenders. In general I like [name_m]Elijah[/name_m] much more, but I like the way [name_f]Alizah[/name_f] looks and sounds with [name_m]Lem[/name_m]. ([name_m]Even[/name_m] though they are very similar) Last name is a single syllable similar to [name_f]Prune[/name_f]. What middle should I use for [name_m]Lem[/name_m] and why?
[name_f]Alizah[/name_f] seems like a variant on [name_f]Eliza[/name_f], which makes the name more feminine. Nothing wrong with that, but I personally prefer [name_m]Elijah[/name_m].
I prefer [name_m]Elijah[/name_m]. It’s more familiar, and easy to spell [name_f]Alizah[/name_f] looks like a new “trendy” spelling, and it does sound more like [name_f]Eliza[/name_f]. Nameberry also thinks [name_f]Alizah[/name_f] is a girls name. While the trendy spellings and gender confusion of the name aren’t really that big of a deal for a middle name, my main issue is that it just looks made up.
I read [name_f]Alizah[/name_f] first as ah-[name_u]LEE[/name_u]-zuh, second as a homonym of [name_f]Eliza[/name_f]. I can’t tell if you’d be pronouncing it like [name_m]Elijah[/name_m] or in another way? Regardless, [name_m]Lem[/name_m] [name_m]Elijah[/name_m] appeals much more strongly to me and causes me no confusion.
I agree with the other posters that [name_f]Alizah[/name_f] tends toward seeming rather made-up and feminine. Since the name [name_m]Lem[/name_m] isn’t very common, I prefer the more well-known and strong [name_m]Elijah[/name_m] to balance it out. [name_m]Lem[/name_m] [name_m]Elijah[/name_m] seems quite handsome!
[name_m]Lem[/name_m] [name_m]Elijah[/name_m] looks best to me. I like it a lot.
[name_f]Alizah[/name_f] feels like a variant spelling of Hebrew [name_f]Aliza[/name_f] to me, and would be a little confusing as to pronunciation, as, due to [name_f]Aliza[/name_f], I would want to say uh-[name_u]LEE[/name_u]-zuh. It may also be misgendered due to looking like a modern variant spelling of [name_f]Aliza[/name_f] or [name_f]Eliza[/name_f], should that be of concern to you. As a further alternative, perhaps you might like [name_u]Elisha[/name_u], [name_u]Elias[/name_u] or [name_u]Eliya[/name_u]?
On another note, I found that [name_f]Elizah[/name_f] was actually in the top 1000 boys names (#928) in 1899 in the US, which I thought interesting. So, perhaps if the Z you like the look and sound of, [name_m]Lem[/name_m] [name_f]Elizah[/name_f]?