[name]Hi[/name], My husband and I are stuck and cannot decide between [name]Lara[/name] and [name]Gabriella[/name]. Please help! Our last name is Gelhaus. Also, would love suggestions for middle names as well.
We are looking for more international or unusual names for the middle name as my husband is American and I am [name]Indian[/name].
Thanks!
Congratulations!
I think I like [name]Lara[/name] with Gelhaus over [name]Gabriella[/name], assuming that [name]Lara[/name] would be pronounced Lair-a. I do still like [name]Gabriella[/name].
For middle names that are slightly more exotic I like:
[name]Kalindi[/name]
[name]Kalina[/name]
[name]Behati[/name]
[name]Avital[/name]
[name]Paloma[/name]
[name]Isabeli[/name]
[name]Siri[/name]
[name]Suvi[/name]
[name]Freya[/name]
I hope you like some these! Congratulations! 
[name]Lara[/name] [name]Kalindi[/name] is beautiful!
I would vote for [name]Gabriella[/name] simply because names like [name]Lara[/name] where the pronunciation isn’t immediately clear can be frustrating. The kid ends up going, “No, it’s Lair-a, or Lah-ra or…” Your last name isn’t super straightforward either, e.g. [name]Smith[/name], so that would be my rationale. [name]Both[/name] are very pretty though. Good luck and congratulations!
With Gelhaus, I think that [name]Lara[/name] actually sounds better than [name]Gabriella[/name], because with [name]Gabriella[/name] Gelhaus, I only hear the repetitive -elle sounds (Gel and [name]El[/name]).
That said, I do think that a [name]Lara[/name] may encounter pronunciation issues, especially with you being a [name]Tara[/name], which is most likely pronounced tare-uh. (Then again, [name]Lara[/name] and [name]Tara[/name] may rhyme.) I know of Lair-uhs and Lahr-uhs, and think it may also be confused with [name]Laura[/name].
Have you thought about [name]Larissa[/name]?
Because of these issues (for me, pronunciation is really important), I’m going to vote for [name]Gabriella[/name].
Middle names ([name]Indian[/name]/at least mildly exotic):
[name]Gabriella[/name] [name]Fleur[/name]
[name]Gabriella[/name] [name]Jade[/name]
[name]Gabriella[/name] [name]Jasmine[/name]
[name]Gabriella[/name] [name]Monet[/name]
[name]Gabriella[/name] [name]Martine[/name]
[name]Gabriella[/name] [name]Raine[/name] (French spelling, and I think I saw it on an [name]Indian[/name] names site…)
[name]Gabriella[/name] [name]Rosalba[/name]
[name]Gabriella[/name] [name]Simone[/name]
[name]Gabriella[/name] [name]Sandrine[/name]
[name]Gabriella[/name] [name]Seraphine[/name] (not the best flow…)
[name]Gabriella[/name] Sachi
[name]Gabriella[/name] Tarika ([name]Indian[/name] diminutive of [name]Tara[/name])
[name]Gabriella[/name] Vasanta
Some more names you may like if you’re not set on [name]Lara[/name] or [name]Gabriella[/name]:
[name]Aurelia[/name] Gelhaus
[name]Ariana[/name] Gelhaus
[name]Bryony[/name] Gelhaus
[name]Clarissa[/name] Gelhaus
[name]Chiara[/name] Gelhaus
[name]Dahlia[/name] Gelhaus
[name]Juliana[/name] Gelhaus
[name]Liliana[/name] Gelhaus
[name]Larissa[/name] Gelhaus (if you’re not set on [name]Lara[/name])
[name]Luciana[/name] Gelhaus
[name]Miranda[/name] Gelhaus
[name]Mariana[/name] Gelhaus
[name]Simona[/name] Gelhaus
[name]Vivienne[/name] Gelhaus
[name]Viviana[/name] Gelhaus
[name]Zara[/name] Gelhaus
Best wishes to you!
[name]How[/name] about [name]Lara[/name] [name]Gabriella[/name]?
I love [name]Lara[/name], and think it goes brilliantly with your surname. Also, I know seven Gabriellas and only one [name]Lara[/name] … which probably doesn’t reflect the population as a whole, but it affects my judgement, so I find myself thinking [name]Gabriella[/name] is too popular.
I automatically pronounce [name]Lara[/name] lah-ruh, which I believe is the correct pronunciation, so I don’t think there would be very many issues … but that said, perhaps the American accent is more conducive to lay-ruh etc. variations (I’m British).
[name]Lara[/name] [name]Gabriella[/name] Gelhaus is nice.
There’s a wealth of lovely [name]Indian[/name] names on www.behindthename.com. Some of my favourites are :
[name]Lara[/name] Sunita
[name]Lara[/name] Swati
[name]Lara[/name] [name]Shanta[/name]
[name]Lara[/name] Ritika
[name]Lara[/name] Priti
[name]Lara[/name] Padmina
[name]Lara[/name] Padmavati
[name]Lara[/name] Nikhila
[name]Lara[/name] Lilavati (too many Ls, probably, but a very pretty name)
[name]Lara[/name] Kishori
[name]Lara[/name] Devika.
Good luck!
We know a [name]Lara[/name]. She pronounces it LAH-ra. Everyone calls her LAH-ra. No prob. [name]Lara[/name] sounds great with your last name imo.
I think [name]Lara[/name] sounds much better with your last name, but it might cause pronounciation problems–Lare-uh or Lah-ruh, and the like. I like it either way, though.
I think [name]Lara[/name] is very good. [name]Gabriella[/name] Gelhaus is a great name though! I know some people will say that is too much of a mouthful, but I love when people have those kind of names that just spill and spill off the tongue instead of calculated balance of syllables and consonants. I think I favor [name]Lara[/name] as a choice, however. I knew one [name]Lara[/name] in high school and she pronounced it LAH-ra. You know, that’s just how I pronounced it, but I forgot to poll her how many times she had to correct someone. Some people called me Kah-ren sometimes, I didn’t really care. [name]How[/name] big a deal is it some people say your name wrong and you correct them. [name]Lara[/name] seems more neutral for an international couple than [name]Gabriella[/name], which is very American via Spain/[name]Italy[/name] (Latinate)/biblical while Gelhaus is almost certainly [name]German[/name]. [name]Both[/name] sound familiar in American culture, but I would choose [name]Lara[/name], whether or not it really is, it seems more multiculturally appealing.
I would think of future children you may want - and what other names you like and would consider that go with either [name]Lara[/name] or [name]Gabriella[/name], since they don’t seem very well matched for siblings and may affect your choices in the future.
Thank you all so much for your time, help and good wishes. I really appreciate it. It seems that most of you like [name]Lara[/name] more than [name]Gabriella[/name], and that has cleared things up for me. Now all I have to do is convince my husband! : )
When I think of [name]Lara[/name], I would like it to be pronounced as Lah-ra, not lair-a or law-ra. I also really like the combination [name]Lara[/name] [name]Gabriella[/name]. A couple of questions:
1)What are your opinions on spelling [name]Lara[/name] as laara or larra instead to make sure the pronounciation is clear? My first name is Uttara and it has been mispronounced my whole life and had caused me much frustration.
2)when you think of [name]Lara[/name] do you think of an old woman or someone young and vibrant?
- Any ideas on possible nicknames for [name]Lara[/name]. I know [name]Gabriella[/name] could be [name]Gabby[/name] or [name]Ella[/name].
Thanks again!
Thanks [name]Jill[/name]! I have thought about [name]Larissa[/name] but my husband used his veto on that one. I agree that [name]Lara[/name] has a lot of issues, especially since I would like it to be pronounced as Lahra. I like [name]Gabriella[/name] equally as much but my family feels it will not represent a mixed background that the baby will have. Ugh!!!
What do you think of spelling lara differently? Like Laara or [name]Larra[/name]?
I do love the name [name]Gabriella[/name] [name]Raine[/name], and I also like [name]Liliana[/name] and [name]Aurelia[/name]. I am going to run it by my husband. Thanks so much!!
Thanks [name]Karen[/name]! I do like how [name]Gabriella[/name] Gelhaus rolls of the tongue and I am a fan of first and last names beginning with the same letter. With pronounciations I am sure that both [name]Lara[/name] and [name]Gabriella[/name] will be mispronounced depending on where we are living. In the west, [name]Lara[/name] may be pronounced lawra or laira but in the east gabriella would be gaib-rella or gaib-rilla. I have already had some people pronounce it that way. I agree that [name]Lara[/name] is more multiculturally appealing and may suit her mixed background more. Thanks!!
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While the idea of spelling names differently tends to make me twitch, I can see that pronunciation may well be a problem for you with [name]Lara[/name] … if you do spell it differently (although, this would just cause spelling issues in the place of pronunciation ones) I would spell it Lahra, as people could easily still pronounce Laara layyy-ra or [name]Larra[/name] lay-rrra or lar-ah (like [name]Larry[/name], but with an ‘ah’ ending). Lahra is also the closest to [name]Lara[/name] in the rankings of how pretty it looks written down, in my opinion.
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When I think of [name]Lara[/name], I think of : Disney [name]Princess[/name] hair - long and wavy; a chubby little girl in a ballet uniform; and an important young business woman, hurrying around the office in a pencil skirt and high heels. All in all, pretty good, I think.
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I think [name]Lara[/name] is one of those names whereby she doesn’t have to use a nickname at school, amongst friends etc., but if you want a pet name for use within the family, you could always use something very cute - [name]Lala[/name] or Rara, maybe.
Good luck!
[name]Hi[/name] there! I’d personally spell “[name]Lara[/name]” as “[name]Lara[/name].” I pronounce it like you do (Lahr-uh), but have heard others butcher it. I know of a [name]Kara[/name] who pronounces her name “kahr-uh,” and a [name]Cara[/name] who pronounces her name “Care-uh,” so these -ara names are tricky little things!
On the bright side I think that Laira will probably be the only other logical way to pronounce the name, and [name]Lara[/name] can always correct people’s pronunciations.
If you’re going to change the spelling, I’d personally go with Lahra, although I don’t think that this looks as pretty as [name]Lara[/name].
Some more names you may like:
[name]Dara[/name] (same issues, though)
[name]Daria[/name] (ditto)
[name]Flora[/name] (I may have mentioned this already…)
[name]Katya[/name]
[name]Nerissa[/name]
Best wishes to you!
I love [name]Lara[/name] spelled just like that. Once people hear the correct pronunciation from you, I think they will remember it.
I think [name]Lala[/name] could be a nn.
My daughter is named [name]Laura[/name], and we call her [name]Laura[/name]. But I call her Voovie and all its variants a lot. That is just for fun.
[name]Lara[/name] [name]Gabrielle[/name] is very pretty, and then you get to use both names!