See the results of this poll: Which do you prefer?
Respondents: 62 (This poll is closed)
- Leonie : 29 (47%)
- Leona: 33 (53%)
[name_f]Leona[/name_f]! I absolutely adore [name_f]Leona[/name_f]. I used to like [name_f]Leonie[/name_f], but maybe it’s because of the [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] I know, but I just like streamlined [name_f]Leona[/name_f] more. I like that it reminds me of Germany (not that I don’t pine after [name_f]France[/name_f], either, lol), and the images it brings to mind (symbolism for the [name_m]Lion[/name_m] of [name_m]Judah[/name_m], who is [name_m]Jesus[/name_m], or even the imagery of Aslan, the God-figure in [name_f]Narnia[/name_f], as well as–and don’t ask me where this distinct image came from, lol–a little girl with blond pigtails in a rain jacket and rain boots jumping in puddles in a more rural cobblestone/dirt street in Germany, glee covering her face, as the sun peaks around dark, dark storm clouds that only cover half the sky–the other half is filled with sunlight, and it’s raining a little, like when it rains directly under the sun, and there’re no stormclouds overhead, although they are in the sky, and rain seems to be falling from clear skies. I don’t know why I have that image, but I do, and it just seems so peaceful and happy and serene and innocent and hopeful. I love it, and I can imagine a little girl of mine jumping in puddles of rainwater as the storm fades away.). I just think [name_f]Leona[/name_f]'s fantastic, and if I could fit her on my list somewhere, I totally would. I just haven’t found the right place for [name_f]Leona[/name_f] yet, but it’s always on my mind–like a couple other names ([name_f]Cosima[/name_f], [name_f]Felicity[/name_f], [name_f]Sofia[/name_f], [name_f]Emilia[/name_f], [name_f]Audrey[/name_f], [name_f]Eloise[/name_f], [name_f]Juliet[/name_f], etc.)–that I would just fit onto my list if I could ever find the perfect spot for them. 
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f]'s always seemed sort of sickeningly sweet to me, and maybe sort of cutesy, too (I hate that people say that about [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f], though, but I think this is also like the [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] I know. She’s a full grown woman and a mom, and yet she’s never seemed to have a stable job, or to show responsibility or parent her children well; [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] just leaves a bad taste in my mouth, unfortunately).
Good luck!
It depends how you pronounce [name_f]Leonie[/name_f]. Here we emphasise the [name_m]LE[/name_m] part but I know that many people say le-O-nee in English, which I strongly dislike. Honestly, I’m not loving either, though. [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] has been done 23223543534 times here (in Germany) and [name_f]Leona[/name_f] simply doesn’t appeal to me.
Oh [name_u]Ashley[/name_u], you tell the BEST little fantasy name imagery stories!! 
You’ve infinitely increased my love for [name_f]Leona[/name_f] now. Thank you.
@[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], I was surprised to learn that [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] is such a popular name in Germany. (NB says it’s #10 there!) If it were that popular here in the US, I’d never consider it, so I definitely understand that. I do like the way that it’s pronounced in [name_m]German[/name_m]! And [name_m]French[/name_m]. The english pronunciation has grown on me.
I think [name_f]Leona[/name_f] is a little more exotic and fits more a exotic girl. [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] is a cute little blonde girl in my eys… So, its hard too pick between the two. I read somewhere the name [name_f]Leola[/name_f]? Maybe that would be a nice option?
I really like [name_f]Leona[/name_f]! [name_f]Leona[/name_f] was actually one of the first ever names that my FI suggested to me when we brought up baby names. We had been discussing the possibility of [name_m]Leo[/name_m] on a boy and he said why not a girl. I explained my distaste for obvious masculine names on girls and he said, “Well, why not [name_f]Leona[/name_f]?” Come to find out it’s actually a character in a game he plays, so that’s where he got it, but for a while, he was kind of hooked on it.
To me, [name_f]Leona[/name_f] has always come off very whimsical and ethereal. It’s not a common name here at all. I would even go so far as to say that it’s practically unheard of where I’m from. [name_m]Even[/name_m] common names like [name_f]Fiona[/name_f] are pretty rare. It’s a name I consider from time to time. It’s a little less “classic” than what I gravitate towards, but it’s got a nice ring to it and I like the way it sounds with my last name.
As for [name_f]Leonie[/name_f], I don’t like this because I’m Italian, so it sounds like a popular Italian surname, at least the way I want to pronounce it.
I personally prefer [name_f]Leonie[/name_f]- I love the Frenchified charm and streamlined sensibility. I am also a sucker for the ‘ee’ ending on names- it just emphasises the rest of those nice round vowel sounds in the name.
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f], by a long shot. [name_f]Leona[/name_f] kind of sounds like a randy old lady to me.
But besides that weird personal image, if there’s a viable alternative to a name ending in A, I’m all for it. The top 6 girls names in 2013 ended with A: [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], [name_f]Emma[/name_f], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Isabella[/name_f], [name_f]Ava[/name_f], [name_f]Mia[/name_f]. Then in the rest of the top 20, there are 3 more. Only 3 in the top 20 end with an -ee sound ([name_f]Emily[/name_f], [name_u]Avery[/name_u], [name_u]Aubrey[/name_u]). Right now there seems to be as much of a trend in the last letter as the first in baby-naming, so while [name_f]Leona[/name_f] might be uncommon in the US, it kind of fills a popularity niche, if that makes sense.
[name_f]Leonor[/name_f] would probably be my second pick after [name_f]Leonie[/name_f].
BTW - I pronounce [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] like the Germans. Very pretty name.
I voted [name_f]Leona[/name_f], although I like both. I actually just added [name_f]Leona[/name_f] to my list. I love the way it flows and sounds. It seems to work in most languages too. I really like the pronunciation lay-oh-nee for [name_f]Leonie[/name_f], but I know that wouldn’t work in the USA so that’s why I prefer [name_f]Leona[/name_f] (which I say [name_u]Lee[/name_u]-oh-nuh. Not sure why I pronounce them differently but…). And I kind of think that the pronunciation Lee-oh-nee sounds whiny. But both Leona & Leonie are awesome choices.
I personally prefer [name_f]Leona[/name_f], just because of the way it sounds. [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] could be a nickname for it it, if you wanted it to be. It’d be like getting the best of both worlds.
What do you mean by exotic?
I like both but chose [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] and I have a definitely affinity towards [name_m]French[/name_m] names. Those who are from Europe and have commented are probably sick of the name as it’s very popular there. However, in [name_u]North[/name_u] [name_u]America[/name_u] neither [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] or [name_f]Leona[/name_f] are used very often and i think they’ve both very beautiful.
I like [name_f]Leona[/name_f]
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] is charming, bright, [name_m]French[/name_m].
[name_f]Leona[/name_f] sounds like an old lady with bunions and a bouffant hairdo (to me, obviously).
prefer [name_f]Leona[/name_f]
[name_f]Leona[/name_f], with [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] being the nn seems the obvious choice.
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f]. It seems more sleek and sophisticated.
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] to me sounds infinitely more beautiful and charming than [name_f]Leona[/name_f]. [name_f]Leona[/name_f] sounds villainous.
They are both pretty but I’ve never come across a [name_f]Leona[/name_f]. [name_m]Even[/name_m] [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] isn’t used much in Australia so I doubt that your child would ever complain of being one of many Sophies or Charlottes in class. I’d go with [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] because I’m familiar with it & it has a novel factor about it