I was just thinking to myself that I quite like the sound of the name “[name]Lee[/name]”, for use as a middle name. However, with that spelling I just associate it with all the common, trashy people I’ve known named [name]Lee[/name]! And then it occurred to me, I really like the spelling [name]Lea[/name].
I just moved just outside [name]London[/name] (UK), and there’s a pretty famous river nearby called the [name]River[/name] [name]Lea[/name], as well as a huge park called [name]Lea[/name] [name]Valley[/name] [name]Park[/name]. So I suppose that’s where I got the idea from, though the river/park name is sometimes spelled [name]Lee[/name], it’s a regional thing.
But, would it be a bad idea to use [name]Lea[/name] as a middle name on a boy? My second thought, when I typed the name out to get a good look at it, was that it reminded me of the singer/actress [name]Lea[/name] ([name]LEE[/name]-uh) [name]Michele[/name]. Would people be instantly inclined to think the name was pronounce [name]LEE[/name]-uh, like the girls name [name]Leah[/name]?
Thoughts on this would be much appreciated Berries
I said it like [name]Leah[/name], sorry, the only other [name]Lee[/name] spelling I can think of that gets the same pn, is [name]Leigh[/name], but even I can see people saying “[name]Lay[/name]” instead…
I thought [name]Leah[/name], too, sory. It took me a second to realize you might mean [name]Lee[/name] but the [name]Lea[/name] spelling looks much to feminine and like a alternate of [name]Leah[/name].
I work with a girl named [name]Sara[/name] [name]Lea[/name]. Pronounced [name]Lee[/name]. Her mother reasoned that nobody pronounced Sea as see-ya or Flea as Flee-ah. But much to her chagrin that reasoning didn’t stop from an entire lifetime of mispronunciation. I’d say no to [name]Lea[/name] as a spelling if you just want [name]Lee[/name].
I thought as much! I don’t like [name]Leigh[/name] at all, and as was mentioned I see it as “lay” anyway. So I guess [name]Lee[/name]/[name]Lea[/name] is a dead end for me, I just can’t shake the connotations of the [name]Lee[/name] spelling.
The spelling [name]Lea[/name] is also pronounced as [name]Lay[/name]-a in my area - all girl to me!
Though i really don’t mind the spelling [name]Lee[/name] for you - especially since you like 2 middle names. Looking at your signature, something like [name]Felix[/name] [name]Lee[/name] [name]Valentine[/name], or [name]Maxim[/name] [name]Isaac[/name] [name]Lee[/name] work really well, and don’t scream as “[name]Lee[/name] as filler middle name”
As a middle name I don’t think it matters. As a first name it would definitely be a problem. We use our middle names so rarely in day to day life and it would be a simple explanation when he is announcing his middle to an acquaintance “you know…like the [name]River[/name] [name]Lea[/name].”
I know a boy named [name]Evan[/name] [name]Michele[/name] (pronounced [name]Mick[/name]-ay-lay). It is an italian family name. Whenever someone asks him about it, he says just that. It has never been a problem for him, or at least to my knowledge. And he’s not feminine or anything strange associated with naming your boy a “feminine” name.
The old word for meadow, which has been passed into modern naming as a final phoneme, is lea. That’s where the [name]River[/name] [name]Lea[/name] gets its name from. However, it’s come down as ley (i.e [name]Ashley[/name], [name]Hadley[/name], [name]Ainsley[/name]…). You could, potentially, use Ley-- it looks more masculine, and avoids the rednecky associations of [name]Lee[/name].
When I first saw it, I also thought “[name]Leah[/name]”, but that’s because [name]Lea[/name] is the way [name]Leah[/name] is spelled in Germany and many other languages. Nevertheless I could see it work pronounced “[name]Lee[/name]”, and I agree with dayjoysky2815 - as long as it’s in the middle position, most people will never know anyway, and the river explanation is a quick one that will satisfy the curiosity of those who will find out.
My main worry there would be if I moved out of the UK, using the [name]River[/name] [name]Lea[/name] or [name]Lea[/name] [name]Valley[/name] as an explanation would no longer work… When I look at Ley, I can’t resist the urge to pronounce it “lay” unfortunately.
As a guy named [name]Chelsea[/name] after the place I can relate to the last post LOL. I do see this more as a [name]Leah[/name] kind of name but strangely enough I saw someone asking if this name was usable as a name for a boy a few weeks ago on another site.
to me [name]Lea[/name] is an all female name. I grew up a close friend called [name]Lea[/name] (prn [name]Leia[/name]). I think using it for a guy would be confusing, esp if you want it to read [name]Lee[/name] or [name]Leigh[/name].
