I can’t decide! I love them both for different reasons.
[name]Ella[/name]~ I love for its simple, classic feel and pretty sound. I think it matches my son [name]Silas[/name]’ name perfectly. My concern with this name is that it’s too short, but definitely not a deal-breaker.
[name]Eliana[/name]~ I love its long, flowing sound, its beautiful Hebrew meaning, “My God has answered” since having a daughter is my prayer, and that I can still call her [name]Ella[/name] for short. My concern with this name is that people will call her [name]Ellie[/name] or [name]Ana[/name] instead of [name]Ella[/name] for short.
I think [name]Ella[/name] is beautiful and simple and unpretentious.
I think [name]Eliana[/name] has a beautiful meaning and a nice sound. I admit I prefer [name]Eliora[/name] - “G-d is my light” to [name]Eliana[/name], but [name]Eliora[/name] is less well known which can be good or bad depending on how you feel about it.
I do think either might get called [name]Ellie[/name] sometimes, but Ellas get called [name]Ellie[/name] too so that wouldn’t be a dealbreaker for [name]Eliana[/name] for me if I loved it. I don’t see -ana happening as much.
I much prefer just [name]Ella[/name]–I really worry about [name]Eliana[/name] nn [name]Ellie[/name], too. I love [name]Ella[/name], but I’m not an [name]Ellie[/name] fan at all. I think [name]Ella[/name] [name]Grace[/name] is very sweet with big brother [name]Silas[/name].
I definitely prefer [name]Eliana[/name] with your last name. It’s not a hard and fast rule, but I generally think that first name - last name combos with different numbers of syllables sounds better. (Your middle names are beautiful and fit both names so nicely, but your DD will usually be known by first name-last name in all likelihood.) When you say it out loud, [name]Eliana[/name] (4) [name]Nelson[/name] (2) just flows so much more nicely than [name]Ella[/name] (2) [name]Nelson[/name] (2). Also, since both [name]Ella[/name]/[name]Eliana[/name] and [name]Nelson[/name] start with that “el” sound, the extra syllables help break it up more.
Personally, I think [name]Ellie[/name] is an adorable nn! But, I could easily see an [name]Eliana[/name] going by [name]Ella[/name] or just [name]Elle[/name] very easily. Similarly, I could see an [name]Ella[/name] getting called [name]Ellie[/name] as a little pet-name/nn very easily, so I don’t know if nn should be such an important factor with such similar names.
I agree with this, however I also think that [name]Ella[/name] sounds better with [name]Silas[/name] than [name]Eliana[/name], so it’s kind of just up to which you would prefer more: a fn/mn/ln that flows better, or a sibset that flows better.
I love the name [name]Eliana[/name] and I think it pairs best with [name]Rose[/name]. Like you, I think [name]Ella[/name] sounds too short. I think it’s likely that people might call her by a different nickname, but you can do a lot to set the precedent there.
My daughter’s name is [name]Margaret[/name] and we wanted to call her [name]Greta[/name]. I was a bit worried that people would call her [name]Maggie[/name] or whatnot. We sent out birth announcements with “[name]Greta[/name]” in script and the full name underneath.
I was surprised by how well it worked! Not a single person has called her [name]Margaret[/name]. Not even her pediatrician. DEFINITELY nobody has called her [name]Maggie[/name] or [name]Marge[/name] or any of the other nicknames for [name]Margaret[/name]. Of course, she’s not in school yet, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Of course, it will be harder to try to prevent people from calling her [name]Ellie[/name] because it’s a natural diminutive for [name]Ella[/name] – but you’ll have that problem if you go with [name]Ella[/name] too!
I think the sibling argument is silly. Your daughter and your son are individuals who will not be a pair for their entire lives. Also assuming your daughter marries, she will most likely have a different last name eventually… one you can’t control. So you really need to focus on finding a name that you love. If [name]Ella[/name] is what you love, then go for it! If [name]Eliana[/name] is your favorite, then pick that one. When the parents pick a nick name other people pretty much fall in line so you really will be fine for a while. Your daughter may change her nick name herself in the future though. She may prefer [name]Elli[/name] to [name]Ella[/name] and tell people to call her that. She may like just [name]El[/name], or she may be extremely bouncy and tell people to call her [name]Lala[/name]. lol
I like [name]Eliana[/name] but she may be called [name]Elle[/name] or [name]Ellie[/name] for short so if that is a huge issue for you [name]Ella[/name] is nice as well.
I love both names, but am a bit biased because [name]Elianna[/name] is on my list.
I agree with the poster who mentioned that [name]Ella[/name] [name]Nelson[/name] doesn’t sound as nice together as [name]Eliana[/name] [name]Nelson[/name]
