So my husband has wanted [name_u]Shay[/name_u] for a long time before we were even pregnant. first time parents here. [name_u]Shay[/name_u] is gaelic and means g-ds grace/gift from g-d and [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] is jewish and means beautiful. i [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] both those meanings. im jewish and my husband is iriah so naturally my family likes [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] and his family likes [name_u]Shay[/name_u]. i thought a compromise would be to just name her [name_f]Shayna[/name_f] so we can call her [name_u]Shay[/name_u] for short. i think with my husbands last name it woukd sound super irish which is fine with but i wanted her name to be a combined representation of both families. so instead of spelling it [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] id do [name_f]Shayna[/name_f] so [name_u]Shay[/name_u] is a natural abbreviation. then the prob is every middle name for [name_f]Shayna[/name_f] my husband thinks sounds like a strippers name! I thought [name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_u]Brooke[/name_u], [name_u]Blake[/name_u], [name_u]Blaire[/name_u], [name_u]Gray[/name_u],… trying to think of one syllable middle names to go along well. doesnt have to be a particular letter for the middle name… just something that sounds good. All thoughts and suggestions are welcome!!
Hmm… I think anything with the nickname [name_u]Shay[/name_u] is compromise for your husband!! [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] nn [name_u]Shay[/name_u] is much better, I think. Maybe a Hebrew middle would represent your side of the family more (hey, she’s getting her daddy’s last name, after all!). Plus, Hebrew names have great history, and you can’t argue with that! [name_m]How[/name_m] about [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] or [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]? [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] [name_f]Kate[/name_f]? [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] [name_f]Beth[/name_f]? [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] [name_f]Fern[/name_f]? Are you deadset on one syllable middle names? Maybe you could even do your birth month flower or gemstone as her middle? Or one of the flowers at your wedding so it has significance to both of you?
I recommend using a middle with more than one syllable. I like the previous suggestion of using a Jewish middle.
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Noa[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] Rochel
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_u]Yael[/name_u]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Tamar[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Devora[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Zuzanna[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Liv[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Tova[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_u]Tavi[/name_u]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Aya[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Rivka[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Rahel[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_u]Toby[/name_u]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Baila[/name_f]
[name_f]Non[/name_f]-Jewish mn
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Ann[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_u]Adair[/name_u]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Acacia[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Audrey[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Audrina[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Mary[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Claire[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Margaret[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Diana[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Hope[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Maude[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_u]Bryn[/name_u]
[name_f]Maeve[/name_f] is really cute and irish! My title to my post got all messed up I was typing on my phone and hit enter by accident! So lots of typos lol. It doesn’t have to be a single syllable I just wasn’t sure a 2+ syllable middle name would sound right, but anything that has a pretty flow to it would be fine with me. 
Thanks [name_f]Anya[/name_f] those are some great suggestions too I’ll be running these all by the husband. If I win and get [name_f]Shayna[/name_f]/[name_f]Shaina[/name_f] I’ll go with an irish middle name. I wanted to come to a happy medium with him. and I know we’ll call her [name_u]Shay[/name_u] for short too.
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Clementine[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Noelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Penelope[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Emmaline[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Arabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Felicity[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Cecily[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Gabrielle[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Gretchen[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Natalie[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_u]Eden[/name_u]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_u]Seren[/name_u]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Eris[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Violet[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Elise[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Iris[/name_f]
One of my good friends is called [name_f]Shaina[/name_f]! I like that spelling better :).
[name_f]Shaina[/name_f] [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]
My sister is [name_f]Shayna[/name_f]. She went by [name_f]Shayna[/name_f] growing up, but now strictly goes by [name_u]Shay[/name_u]. Her name is [name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] and she loves her name.
Good luck!
Have you considered [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] [name_f]Maureen[/name_f]? I think the flow is wonderful and [name_f]Maureen[/name_f] is about as Irish as they come. The name flows best to me when you have opposite emphasis, ex: [name_u]SHAY[/name_u]-nah mor-EEN. [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] [name_f]Adele[/name_f], [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] [name_f]Evette[/name_f], and [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f] all have that flow.
Oh, and you might tell, I like the [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] spelling much better.
If you like [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] for its ties to your culture, then I think it would be a little more meaningful for you to keep the traditional Hebrew spelling. For what it’s worth, I think [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] with the nickname [name_u]Shay[/name_u] makes perfect sense. Sometimes, nicknames sound right, but aren’t necessarily spelled just like the full name; for example, I have a friend that goes by [name_f]Jill[/name_f], signs her name [name_f]Jill[/name_f], but her full name is actually spelled [name_f]Gillian[/name_f] - since “[name_u]Gill[/name_u]” is a male nickname sometimes as well (also a fish’s body part!) she prefers to use the J. I also have an acquaintance [name_f]Aleksandra[/name_f], whose family is Russian, but she goes by [name_u]Lexi[/name_u], because it made more sense to her, being born and raised in the US. Plus, what about all the Catherines nicknamed [name_f]Kate[/name_f] or Cynthias nicknamed [name_f]Cindy[/name_f]? [name_u]Shay[/name_u] is the most obviously phonetic spelling of the Irish “[name_u]Shea[/name_u]” and it can easily be derived from [name_f]Shaina[/name_f], so I would stick with that.
If you still want some Irish in the name, I would use an Irish middle name. [name_f]Maureen[/name_f] is a good suggestion. I also like [name_f]Colleen[/name_f], [name_f]Eileen[/name_f], [name_f]Bridget[/name_f], and [name_f]Taryn[/name_f], but I think my favorite is probably [name_f]Colleen[/name_f], especially for an Jewish-Irish-American girl - [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] [name_f]Colleen[/name_f], “beautiful girl.”
I love [name_u]Shay[/name_u], [name_f]Shaina[/name_f], and [name_f]Shaina[/name_f]. I knew someone named [name_u]Shannon[/name_u] that went by [name_f]Shani[/name_f] ([name_u]Shay[/name_u]-nee). You could spell [name_u]Shay[/name_u], [name_m]Shai[/name_m].
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Claire[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Kate[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Greer[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Eloise[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Renee[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Beth[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_u]Cassidy[/name_u]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_m]Dabney[/name_m]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Corinne[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_u]Fallon[/name_u]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Briar[/name_f]-[name_f]Rose[/name_f]
I know a [name_f]Shayna[/name_f] who goes by [name_f]Shayna[/name_f]. I don’t know if she’s Jewish, but I think it’s a really pretty name! Sometimes, when people are goofing around, she gets called [name_f]Shania[/name_f] (Sha-nye-ah) which she doesn’t mind.
I love the suggestion of [name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]! I think that’s such a beautiful combo and doesn’t sound at all stripper like.
Some more ideas:
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_u]Bryn/name_u
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Eirin[/name_f] (very Irish - pronounced [name_f]Erin[/name_f])
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f] (I think it’s Kwee-va - very Irish again)
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Elodie[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] - really like this! Saw someone else suggested it, so thought I’d re-suggest it!
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] - [name_f]Jane[/name_f] is always a good, strong middle.
If you are going to call her [name_u]Shay[/name_u] (or [name_u]Shea[/name_u], [name_u]Shae[/name_u]) I would just name her that! The only time I would give one name knowing I was going to use a nn would be if it were a family name, like wanting to use [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] after a grandmother but knowing you are going to call her [name_f]Eliza[/name_f]. That’s just my opinion though I love the name [name_u]Shay[/name_u]! It’s so spunky and short, and not overused. I like 3 syllable middle names for 1 syllable first names, like [name_u]Shay[/name_u] [name_u]Meredith[/name_u], [name_u]Shay[/name_u] [name_u]Mackenzie[/name_u], [name_u]Shay[/name_u] [name_f]Anniston[/name_f], [name_u]Shay[/name_u] [name_u]Emerson[/name_u], [name_u]Shay[/name_u] [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_u]Shay[/name_u] [name_u]Shay[/name_u] [name_u]Bellamy[/name_u], [name_u]Shay[/name_u] [name_u]Emory[/name_u].
I know a little girl named [name_f]Shealyn[/name_f]. Her mother’s maiden name was [name_u]Shea[/name_u].
Oh wow these are all such amazing suggestions. We have so much to think about. As much as I love my version [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] it is worth mentioning my husband want [name_u]Shae[/name_u] from before we were eveb pregnant for a boy or girl! luckily we’re having a girl bc i think it’s just more feminine and unisex names on girls are super cute but not sure how i feel about it on boys. that said i think i like [name_u]Shae[/name_u] more than he likes [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] so i might be the one to ultimately compromise just bc I want him to feel happy about thr decision and I do love both just lpve [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] a bit more… we have a few months to duke it out! but all these suggestions are way more than i could come up with… even with the baby name book i bought so thank you so much. And what’s up with guys thinking every name sounds like a stripper! i thought and longer first name would sound more distinguished like she was ever an author lol and then if she wanted she could just have a nickname for short thats really why i wanted to bame her [name_f]Shaina[/name_f] and thrn go [name_u]Shay[/name_u] or [name_u]Shae[/name_u] for short.
My sister’s name is [name_u]Shae[/name_u] [name_f]Cierra[/name_f], so that works as a middle name
I also agree that if you’re going to call her [name_u]Shae[/name_u]/[name_u]Shay[/name_u], just make that the actual name. Why bother with a longer name if it’s just going to be a formality?
If you do want the longer name for whatever reason though, I like [name_f]Shayna[/name_f] nn [name_u]Shay[/name_u] the best. The spellings are directly related, which I think is better and makes more sense.