What’s the general consensus on [name]Leona[/name]? I know a lot of people seem to prefer [name]Leonie[/name], but I am not as big a fan… the French pronunciation is totally different and the English feels clunky and/or whiny to me (too many ‘ee’ sounds I think). [name]Leontine[/name] is similar, and a little [name]OTT[/name] for my taste. However I absolutely love [name]Leona[/name].
I started loving the name a couple years ago when an ex and I were talking about girls’ names, and he switched gears a little too quickly and said ‘What about [name]Leo[/name]?’ and I thought he meant for a girl. He was horrified at the idea of [name]Leo[/name] on a girl, but I [name]LOVE[/name] it… but of course I want her to have a formal name to fall back on. Plus she could go by a different nickname if she ever wanted to. [name]Lea[/name] or [name]Lee[/name] or something else.
So what do you think, unused for a reason or ready for a comeback?
Also, how does it sound with my other top girls’ names ([name]Stella[/name] and [name]Florence[/name]) and boys’ names ([name]August[/name] and [name]Henry[/name])?
My daughter is [name]Leonie[/name] so I am partial to that. We call her [name]Leo[/name] & it suits her well. We pronounce [name]Lee[/name]-oh-nee in an American accent.
[name]Leona[/name] made me think of [name]Leona[/name] Helmsley. Not a great association but it is pretty dated at least. I think it just feels on the harder side.
I really like [name]Leona[/name] -> [name]Leonie[/name] was never a favorite and I too find [name]Leontine[/name] and Leonina [name]OTT[/name].
Cute nn’s could be [name]Leo[/name] or [name]Ona[/name] (which I generally find a little more unexpected though maybe not for a [name]Berry[/name])
I like [name]Leona[/name]. [name]Leonie[/name] has always seemed softer and sweeter to me, but I do find [name]Leona[/name] very striking. I prefer it as a MN, personally, though. I think [name]Leona[/name] nn [name]Leo[/name] is pretty cool. I like the idea of [name]Calliope[/name] nn [name]Lio[/name]/[name]Leo[/name], too, if [name]Calliope[/name] interests you at all. I think it goes great with all your names, but moreso your boys’ list. I think [name]August[/name], [name]Leona[/name], and [name]Henry[/name] are great together!
I like both [name]Leona[/name] and [name]Leonie[/name]. I think [name]Leona[/name] is ready to come back for the following reasons:
[name]Leo[/name] has risen quite a bit for boys
L names are on a big upswing ([name]Lily[/name], [name]Lila[/name], [name]Layla[/name] --> I realize these are more about double-ls, but I think there’s some carryover).
It rhymes with [name]Fiona[/name] which is on the rise.
I think the [name]Leona[/name] Helmsley association is fading. While whenever I hear the name [name]Leona[/name] I do kind of think “Helmsley”, without googling her now I honestly can’t remember much about who she was or what is bad about the association.
It has a grandmotherly feel but in a way that is bordering on vintage streak. Like [name]Hazel[/name], [name]Olive[/name], [name]Ruby[/name], and [name]Alice[/name], and also yes I’d say the names you like, [name]Florence[/name] and [name]Stella[/name]. I think [name]Leona[/name] fits pretty well with those. Maybe more with [name]Florence[/name], simply because [name]Stella[/name] has become so popular that it is creating a popularity difference between [name]Stella[/name] and [name]Leona[/name] (I think it still works though).
I love both, but I’ll prefer [name]Leona[/name] if I really need to choose. It’s softer, sweeter, and elegant while I find [name]Leonie[/name] is very cutesy.
and btw, [name]Leona[/name] always remind me to [name]Leona[/name] [name]Lewis[/name].
I honestly dislike both [name]Leona[/name] and [name]Leonie[/name], I find them to be very harsh, grating sounds and in general I find most of the [name]Lee[/name]- sounding names for either gender really unattractive.