Ok! So I have a daughter [name_f]Anna[/name_f] (not ah-nah). And was thinking of [name_f]Elise[/name_f] as baby sisters name. But I find there is a lot of ambiguity in the pronunciation of [name_f]Elise[/name_f].
[name_f]El[/name_f]-lease
Uh-lease
And Ee-lease
The first two are kind of subtle but different.
But I can’t even settle on one. I slip into “[name_f]Anna[/name_f] and Ee-lease” when I’m saying them together. But the rest of the time I say Uh-lease.
Anyway. It’s seeming complicated if even as mom I can’t get it nailed down. Maybe I will magically soon, but it’s not helping that big sis can’t pronounce it regardless and I think just feels we must be talking about her friend [name_f]Alice[/name_f]. Can I get some similar feeling names? I actually do like the long EE sound at the beginning of a name like [name_f]Yvette[/name_f]. But I also like the soft eese sound in [name_f]Elise[/name_f].
I’ve always heard “uh-LEEZ.”
I love the names [name_f]Ann[/name_f]@ and [name_f]Elise[/name_f] together. I think it is the fact that they both begin with vowels sounds that make them complement each other so well. That being said, here is a list of some other names beginning with vowels that I like with [name_f]Anna[/name_f]…
[name_f]Isla[/name_f]
[name_f]Audrey[/name_f]
[name_f]Elaine[/name_f]
[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Alyssa[/name_f]
[name_u]Ariel[/name_u]
[name_f]Adeline[/name_f]
[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]
[name_f]Alicia[/name_f]
[name_f]Esme[/name_f]
[name_f]Aurora[/name_f]
[name_f]Emma[/name_f]
[name_f]Emily[/name_f]
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f]
[name_f]Amelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Aurelia[/name_f]
[name_u]Allison[/name_u]
[name_f]Olivia[/name_f]
[name_f]Adelaide[/name_f]
[name_f]Eliza[/name_f]
[name_u]Aubrey[/name_u]
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]
[name_u]Eloise[/name_u]
[name_f]Olga[/name_f]
[name_f]Astrid[/name_f]
I say “eh-[name_f]LEESE[/name_f]”, which I’m guessing is like your first way. It’s a great name.
I can sympathise with your predicament, because I’m finding that lots of people pronounce my baby daughter’s name ([name_f]Anouk[/name_f], which we pronounce with an open “a” and long “oo”: “ah-NOOK”) differently — most often “ah-NUCK” or “uh-NOOK”. It’s a subtle difference but I don’t find the other pronunciations nearly as attractive, so it does bug me a little. But I still love her name and, on the plus side, family and big sibs can all say it beautifully. Assuming your older daughter is still quite little, I’m sure she’d get the pronunciation quite quickly, especially once she has an adorable little sister with the name!
Similar options, either in sound or style:
[name_f]Carys[/name_f] (“CAH-riss”, Welsh meaning “beloved”)
[name_f]Cerise[/name_f]
[name_u]Eloise[/name_u]
[name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_f]Cecile[/name_f]
[name_f]Camille[/name_f]
[name_f]Celine[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucille[/name_f]
[name_f]Margot[/name_f]
[name_f]Sylvie[/name_f]
[name_f]Maren[/name_f]
[name_f]Maris[/name_f]
[name_f]Opal[/name_f]
[name_f]Esme[/name_f]
[name_f]Florence[/name_f]
[name_f]Fleur[/name_f]
[name_f]Pearl[/name_f]
[name_f]Mabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Vivienne[/name_f]
[name_f]Violet[/name_f]
[name_f]Grace[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]
[name_f]Helene[/name_f]
[name_f]Celeste[/name_f]
[name_u]Simone[/name_u]
[name_f]Colette[/name_f]
[name_f]Marie[/name_f]
[name_f]Edith[/name_f]
[name_f]Celia[/name_f]
[name_f]Louisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Eve[/name_f]
[name_f]Eva[/name_f]
[name_f]Genevieve[/name_f]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f]
[name_f]Ellen[/name_f]
Julia–I love this one with Anna!
Gloria
Teresa (could be pronounced Teh- RAY-zah)
Leona