DH and I have decided on the name Lina/Lena for our DD due in [name_u]November[/name_u]. But we’re not 100% settled on the spelling.
We want to use the pronunciation LEE-nuh so my instinct is that [name_f]Lina[/name_f] would get pronounced that way more consistently than [name_f]Lena[/name_f]. But I’d say we both slightly prefer the E over the I. And DH’s family tree has a [name_f]Lena[/name_f] (his great grandpa’s sister), which is cool, but idk how she pronounced it and asking at this point would probably give away our name choice lol.
Pronunciation is really important to my DH and I as our last name isn’t the easiest to say or spell. Before nameberry I would have never considered pronouncing [name_f]Lena[/name_f] as Len-nuh or Lay-nuh. but I see how people come to that pronunciation.
I did a poll on the quick thread and it came out almost even (like 52% [name_f]Lina[/name_f] and 48% [name_f]Lena[/name_f] or something) so I’m curious to hear what others think.
Thanks!
PS middle name is [name_f]Noelle[/name_f] if that makes a difference to anyone.
You’re more likely to get leh-nuh if you live somewhere with a lot of Spanish speakers, rather than, say, in the UK.
Either way, how much does your daughter’s name getting mispronounced bother you? It’s easy enough to explain so I don’t think she herself would mind that much, so it’s up to you. If it bothers you a little but not thaaaat much I’d go for Lena, since it looks better to you on paper. If the idea does actually bother you, then Lina!
I think it wouldn’t bother me at all if our last name wasn’t mispronounced and misspelled all the time. If it was something that would happen from time to time, I wouldn’t mind so much but I don’t want her always having to correct her first name when she’ll have to correct her last name all the time too lol.
We’re in the US, and while there are Spanish speakers in our area it’s definitely not as prominent as in other states.
If I wasn’t told how to pronounce it I would assume Ley-na. It is a name I really love though, and, whatever way you pronounce it, you should totally go for it!
I agree with you that [name_f]Lina[/name_f] is more intuitive concerning pronunciation – but considering that you like [name_f]Lena[/name_f] slightly better, I don’t think it’d be a big thing at all to correct. I could totally understand where the pronunciation is coming from if I was told that [name_f]Lena[/name_f] is pronounced lee-nuh. I pronounce it len-nuh, but looking at some old threads on Lena’s pronunciation I’ve actually found quite a lot of users say lee-nuh!
But if it’s very important to you that she won’t have to correct people constantly, and you value what the name sounds over what it looks like written down, I’d opt for [name_f]Lina[/name_f].
I do prefer [name_f]Lina[/name_f] for the sake of simplicity but if you prefer [name_f]Lena[/name_f], I’d go with that, especially as lee-nuh is a legitmate pronunciation
hmm…I’m kinda torn on this, because I think both spellings could offer some different pronunciation issues, [name_f]Lina[/name_f] could become [name_f]Lyna[/name_f] and [name_f]Lena[/name_f] could become [name_f]Layna[/name_f]. Personally I like the spelling of [name_f]Lena[/name_f] better, and I think you’d have better luck concerning mispronunciations using this spelling. I know someone with the name who spells it [name_f]Lena[/name_f].
I’d do [name_f]Lena[/name_f] if that’s your preferred spelling. I think she’s likely to get some pronunciation questions either way so pick the one that looks nicest to you.
I would say [name_f]Lina[/name_f] like line and [name_f]Lena[/name_f] like lean, so I definitely like the E better. But this may be a regional/accent thing. I live in the southern US.
I knew a [name_f]Lena[/name_f] and she pronounced it lee-nuh so that’s how I would say it automatically. I also prefer the way it looks over [name_f]Lina[/name_f], which I want to say as lye-nuh like the US states North/South [name_f]Carolina[/name_f].
I personally would think Lena would be pronounced like Lee-nuh more often. I could see people thinking Lina is like Lynn-uh. However I will say I think both would get Lee-nuh most of the time and the mispronunciation would be very rare. But if you both prefer how look of Lena then I would say go with that.
For the record, I know a little girl named Lena and I’ve never really heard anyone mispronounce her name, and it never would’ve been occurred to me that people would pronounce Lena any other way.
First of all, Lina/Lena is such a lovely name! I can understand your uncertainty about the spelling, though. I adore [name_f]Lina[/name_f], and the pronunciation clarity is a definite bonus. But it sounds like [name_f]Lena[/name_f] is your favorite–and honestly, while I think you’d spend more time clarifying pronunciation for [name_f]Lena[/name_f], I suspect you’ll have to clarify spelling equally whichever way you choose. That makes me inclined to lean towards [name_f]Lena[/name_f] for you, especially knowing that you love it more and that it’s a family name for you! As a bonus, I slightly prefer [name_f]Lena[/name_f] with your other daughter’s name (for really no logical reason, it just seems like such a perfect match!).
I have the same problem! [name_f]Lena[/name_f] is my favorite but I know that different people say “len-uh” and even “lane-uh”, which makes me question if I should go with it. [name_f]Lina[/name_f] is definitely the more straightforward choice, but I think I’ve come to the decision myself that [name_f]Lena[/name_f] is my favorite (and has more of a story behind it for you!), so I should just go with that one regardless of other people’s possible mispronunciations. It means more to me and that’s really the bottom line.
I think you should go with [name_f]Lena[/name_f] if that’s the name you love (and it’s a great choice, I personally adore both spellings). I know a [name_f]Lena[/name_f] (this spelling) who has rarely ever had to deal with pronunciation issues! I think with either spelling you may have some spelling/pronunciation explaining to do, but I think it’s worth it for such a gorgeous name!
As a bonus, I slightly prefer [name_f]Lena[/name_f] with your other daughter’s name (for really no logical reason, it just seems like such a perfect match!).