[name]Hi[/name] all- we are due with out 4th baby sometime in the next two weeks or so. We don’t know the sex but do have our names. Our girl pick is [name]Clementine[/name]. We know we want the middle name to be [name]Lee[/name]. This is a family name that is important for us to use, not so much our favorite name. My issue is with spelling. I am naturally drawn to spelling the name “lea” like “sea” but everyone I mention that to tells me it’s confusing and will be pronounced “[name]Leah[/name].” There is something about the “[name]Lee[/name]” spelling that just rubs me the wrong way. I also like the look of “[name]Clementine[/name] [name]Lea[/name]” better than “[name]Clementine[/name] [name]Lee[/name].”- too many “E’s.”
[name]Love[/name] the name [name]Clementine[/name]!!! (It’s one I’m considering as well)! Honestly, [name]Lea[/name] does seem like it would be pronounced “lee-ah”. Have you considered [name]Leigh[/name]?
I think [name]Clementine[/name] [name]Lea[/name] is lovely! My little sister’s NN for a while was [name]Lea[/name], said like [name]LEE[/name]-ah, but I’ve also heard it pronounced like [name]LAY[/name]-ah (with a French accent over the “E”), or just [name]LEE[/name], and if I saw just [name]Lea[/name] and it wasn’t [name]Lea[/name] [name]Michelle[/name], lol, I would probably ask, “Oh, is that like [name]Lee[/name]?” or something. Some names just have so many different pronunciations that it’s just easier to ask. [name]Clementine[/name] [name]Leigh[/name] could be another option but I honestly like [name]Clementine[/name] [name]Lea[/name] the best–it looks sweeter and more feminine… and less trendy than the dreaded -leigh ending!
Because it’s just a middle name I would say go with the spelling you like best. Most people who will know her middle name will know that it’s pronounced ‘[name]Lee[/name]’
I would pronounce “[name]Lea[/name]” as lay-ah or lee-ah and “[name]Leigh[/name]” as lee. If her middle name is honoring someone specific then I would spell it the way the person you are honoring spelled it.