We are going to be surprised about the sex of our baby at birth. We are having a hard time deciding on a potential girls’ name.
The latest name to cross our path that we like is: [name_f]Leni[/name_f].
Potentially, her full name would be: [name_f]Leni[/name_f] [name_f]Julianna[/name_f] [name_m]Abel[/name_m]
Our other contenders are: [name_u]June[/name_u] [name_f]Annalise[/name_f] and [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f] [name_f]Julianna[/name_f]
Please let me know your thoughts about [name_f]Leni[/name_f] (pronounced Leh-ni). Was that your first instinct about how to pronounce it? Thank you for your insight!
I think [name_f]Leni[/name_f] is adorable! I prefer it as a nickname and am considering it for [name_f]Lenora[/name_f]. I was wondering if you were going to pronounce it as Leh-nee or [name_m]Lay[/name_m]-nee, but guessed Leh-nee.
I think [name_f]Leni[/name_f] is cute and I would instinctively pronounce it liKe LEH-nee.
However, I strongly associate this name with the director [name_f]Leni[/name_f] Riefenstahl who directed several Nazi propaganda films. She was a talented director but it’s still not the greatest association. I’m surprised that nameberry’s page on the name [name_f]Leni[/name_f] doesn’t mention her. If you google ‘[name_f]Leni[/name_f],’ she is the first result.
I think it’s cute, but I much prefer [name_f]Lena[/name_f]. [name_f]Leni[/name_f] feels more like a nickname to me. You could do something like [name_f]Lenore[/name_f]/[name_f]Lenora[/name_f] where you’d have the option of [name_f]Leni[/name_f] or [name_f]Nora[/name_f]. I would pronounce it leh-ni.
I think that it is lovely and don’t feel pressured into choosing a ‘full’ name for her. I think that [name_f]Leni[/name_f] [name_u]June[/name_u] would be an adorable name! [name_f]Annalise[/name_f] and [name_f]Julianna[/name_f] are nice names but just don’t have the flow of [name_f]Leni[/name_f] [name_u]June[/name_u]. [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f] [name_u]June[/name_u] would be cute too but you seem sold on [name_f]Leni[/name_f].
I love it. I wouldn’t worry about choosing a fuller name, ‘‘just [name_f]Leni[/name_f]’’ sounds fine to me. I really adore cutesy, obscure names, I find them so intriguing and mysterious. I know a baby [name_f]Joni[/name_f] which I’m also in love with, it fits her perfectly.
Not a fan…makes me think of [name_m]Lenny[/name_m] & Squiggy from [name_f]LaVerne[/name_f] & [name_f]Shirley[/name_f]. [name_f]Julianna[/name_f] is lovely, though.
I would not have an emphasis on the h. I think [name_m]Lenny[/name_m] like the boys nickname for [name_m]Leonard[/name_m]. I don’t say Leh-nard I say [name_m]Len[/name_m]-ard.
Think you should def find a longer name for your daughter to grow into if she wants and use [name_f]Leni[/name_f] as a nickname.
I have a friend who’s nn is Leni but I think it’s generally known due to Heidi Klum’s daughter Helene who exclusively goes by Leni ATM (at least that’s what Heidi always calls her). I like the sound but it’s a tiny bit too cute as a full name for me, I’d prefer something like Lena or Helena nn Leni.
I’m always confused by -ay or -eh. I say the name with a long “European” e which some people write out as -ay but that’s so not the sound said e makes.
[name_f]My[/name_f] name is [name_f]Eleni[/name_f], and I’ve always disliked my name so I’m not a fan of [name_f]Leni[/name_f] (which some people try to call me, ugg). I definitely prefer a full name for [name_f]Leni[/name_f] (like [name_f]Eleni[/name_f], but I’d never suggest my name because it is too hard to pronounce). If I saw [name_f]Leni[/name_f] on paper, I’d pronounce it Leh-nee. I think if you found a nice full name for it, like maybe [name_f]Elena[/name_f] or [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], it would be awesome. But since it is so close to [name_m]Lenny[/name_m], I find it kind of masculine sounding on its own.
The middle names are hard and fast since we need to include “anna” for family reasons. I’m not at all concerned with it sounding too much like a nickname. Not sure why that seems to bother so many people.
I mostly want to know about pronunciation and if people find it generally appealing for both a child and adult.
When I say it’s too much of a nickname for my liking it usually implies that I don’t find it very fitting for an adult. Nicknames are wonderful for children and adults but I think especially adults would like to have a full name to fall back on at times.
I love [name_f]Leni[/name_f], with the leh-nee pronunciation, which is how I instinctively pronounce it (I have a cousin named [name_f]Eleni[/name_f], who pronounces it eh-leh-nee, not eh-lay-nee, like nameberry says. She is from a Greek family, and that is a family name, and I much prefer that pronunciation to eh-lay-nee.). [name_f]Leni[/name_f] [name_f]Julianna[/name_f] is a gorgeous name, as is [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f] [name_f]Julianna[/name_f].
I love [name_f]Leni[/name_f]. I instinctively pronounce it leh-nee, as I have a cousin named [name_f]Eleni[/name_f], who pronounces her name eh-leh-nee, not eh-lay-nee like Nameberry lists, and it makes sense to pronounce it the phonetic way. She is from a Greek family and it is an old family name, so I think this is the proper way to pronounce it, but both could be valid.
[name_f]Leni[/name_f] [name_f]Julianna[/name_f] is stunning, as is [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f] [name_f]Julianna[/name_f]. Whatever you pick will be wonderful. I wouldn’t worry about it being ‘cutesy’: I don’t really understand the whole fuss about it, don’t feel pressured to pick a longer name. [name_f]Amy[/name_f] and [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] aren’t considered cutesy or nicknamey, so I don’t see why [name_f]Leni[/name_f] would be.
I love love love [name_f]Leni[/name_f]! I have it on my list as a nn for [name_f]Eleni[/name_f]. I do rather like it on its own, but I feel like it’s too gender-neutral as just [name_f]Leni[/name_f], and, cool as [name_f]Leni[/name_f] is on its own, I like the option of having a more feminine full name (I have a unisex name, and hate that it’s unisex–I wish I had a fully feminine name). I think [name_f]Leni[/name_f] [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] (prefer this spelling) is excellent, though! So spunky and fun. I think [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] [name_f]Juliana[/name_f], [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Juliana[/name_f], [name_f]Lenore[/name_f]/[name_f]Lenora[/name_f] [name_f]Juliana[/name_f], or [name_f]Elena[/name_f] [name_f]Juliana[/name_f], etc., would all be lovely, and you could still use [name_f]Leni[/name_f] as a nn. Same thing with [name_f]Gwendolen[/name_f] or [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f], etc…
While I don’t love [name_f]Leni[/name_f], I don’t think there’s any problem with it, there are sooo many nickname names around today. I do find it a bit too gender-neutral though because of the boys name [name_m]Lenny[/name_m]. [name_f]My[/name_f] favourite of the suggested full-names is [name_f]Elena[/name_f]. I can definitely picture it on a child and a teenager… Not so sure about an adult though. But people normally grow into their names so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
I absolutely [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f] and [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f] [name_f]Julianna[/name_f] is so gorgeous and stunning!
For alternative middle names you could try [name_f]Arianna[/name_f], [name_f]Brianna[/name_f], [name_f]Rhianna[/name_f] or Rosannna
Good luck:D