[name_m]Hi[/name_m]! 1st time mom here. I’ve spent agonizing months trying to select a baby name for my daughter and finally found one I really like - [name_f]Milena[/name_f]. However, I’ve gotten mixed reviews - some people in my life really love the name, others say it is too “weird” (I live in the US - it’s not a common name here). I like the meaning and the nn options ([name_f]Lena[/name_f]/[name_f]Lina[/name_f], [name_f]Mila[/name_f], [name_f]Mia[/name_f]) a lot, but I am worried it’s too exotic and may be frequently misspelled and/or not pronounced the way I’d like (Mih-lay-na - I have no desire to alter the spelling in order to clarify that pronunciation, as I like the name best spelled [name_f]Milena[/name_f]). Husbands mom suggested [name_f]Melanie[/name_f] instead, which I also like a lot (though perhaps not QUITE as much as I like [name_f]Milena[/name_f]) and which is a more familiar name. At first, I was insistent on [name_f]Milena[/name_f] but I’ve been rethinking [name_f]Melanie[/name_f] lately, and trying to see if I could get used to it and I’m honestly torn between the names, now. I guess my question is this - if you were to name your daughter either [name_f]Milena[/name_f] or [name_f]Melanie[/name_f], which would you choose, and why? If you had to be named [name_f]Milena[/name_f] or [name_f]Melanie[/name_f], which would you prefer your name to be & why? any input is appreciated! thank you 
[name_f]Melanie[/name_f] is my vote. I have always liked the name [name_f]Melanie[/name_f] and the nicknames [name_u]Mel[/name_u], [name_f]Anie[/name_f], or [name_f]Melly[/name_f] are sweet [name_f]IMO[/name_f].
I think [name_f]Milena[/name_f] is pretty too, but
with the spelling I would probably mispronounce it. However, I think it would be easy to correct people. My soon to be here little girl is named [name_f]Isla[/name_f] and at first I am sure we will have to correct people from saying Is-la as her name is said eye-la. So if you really love [name_f]Milena[/name_f] go for it!
I prefer [name_f]Melanie[/name_f] in your case. [name_f]Milena[/name_f] is a beautiful name, but it can lead to pronounciation/spelling problems.
Here in Chile, I prefer [name_f]Milena[/name_f], or [name_f]Melania[/name_f], the Spanish variant of [name_f]Melanie[/name_f].
I also live in the US and think I would use [name_f]Milena[/name_f]. Honestly, it’s a beautiful name that is easy enough and carries some wonderful nicknames. It is wearable and unique without being yoonik. I’d be happy to be named [name_f]Milena[/name_f]!
I think [name_f]Elena[/name_f] is actually closer than [name_f]Melanie[/name_f] is. While [name_f]Melanie[/name_f] is also pretty, the appeal to [name_f]Milena[/name_f] is its feminine yet old world sound. [name_f]Elena[/name_f] sounds very similar if that helps, though I still prefer [name_f]Milena[/name_f] of them all.
I like [name_f]Milena[/name_f] better, and I don’t think the potential “risks” of using the more “exotic” name are really all that bad in this case. It’s not THAT unusual or complex or difficult to pronounce correctly. There are no other negatives aside from the possibility that some people might mispronounce it at first. And while the sound of these two names is similar, the feel is very different.
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] or just [name_f]Mila[/name_f] are probably my favorite similar names.
Stop asking people you know for opinions, it’s a lot easier to ignore strangers on the internet!
I love [name_f]Milena[/name_f]! I’ve never been a big fan of [name_f]Melanie[/name_f]…but I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] nn [name_u]Mel[/name_u]. If you are really looking for an alternative…I’d suggest [name_f]Alaina[/name_f]…same name minus the M.
I’m not sure, but this is Slavic name and it’s pronounced Mee-layna - at least in Croatia.
Here’s the thing about names: people will misspell and mispronounce them no matter what. My friend [name_u]Sydney[/name_u] (as in Australia) just had her name written [name_f]Sidnie[/name_f] on a Starbucks cup. My sister [name_f]Gabrielle[/name_f] has a VERY classic name, and yet SO. MANY. PEOPLE. pronounce it [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m], the masculine version - even a week ago at my wedding, the officiant referred to my sister as [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m] in front of everyone! Not only this, but with spelling variations, practically everyone will misspell names as it is - [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] vs. [name_f]Sarah[/name_f], [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] vs. [name_f]Sofia[/name_f], [name_u]Aiden[/name_u] vs. [name_u]Aidan[/name_u]. No matter how simple and timeless it may seem to you, people will mess it up and you might regret not having taken the “risk.”
In terms of what I’d name my child, it would definitely be [name_f]Milena[/name_f]. There are more nickname options so she can find one that suits her if she doesn’t connect to her full name, and it is much more grown-up and suitable for all ages and enchantingly beautiful and mysterious, whereas [name_f]Melanie[/name_f], while cute, I can pretty much mainly picture on a child.
I would also much rather be named [name_f]Milena[/name_f], it has a sexy and captivating air and is fun to say, is unusual but doesn’t feel strange. I don’t know who is telling you that it’s “weird,” but the name is literally pronounced like [name_f]Elena[/name_f] with an “M” in front of it. I think the people who are telling you that the name is weird, are weird themselves, because the name is gorgeous and there isn’t anything wrong with it. Keep in mind, this could be coming from people that like Kasadee for a girl or something.
The only other name I could think of offhand is [name_f]Marina[/name_f]. [name_f]Mirena[/name_f] (don’t remember spelling) which is pronounced Mir-AY-nah, is very lovely but a form of contraceptive, sooo. Darn pharmaceutical companies taking away girl names!
Oh, and for what it’s worth - my name is [name_f]Talia[/name_f]. A lot of people pronounce it tuh-[name_u]LEE[/name_u]-uh or TAWL-yah but it’s [name_u]TAL[/name_u] (as in talent)-yuh. My name is very often mispronounced, and I wouldn’t change it for anything! I am so happy to have a distinct name, and it is so worth having to correct people every now and then. Not to mention, often it opens up a dialogue “oh, sorry! Wow, [name_f]Talia[/name_f], that’s so pretty, what ethnicity is that?” or “oh, like Batman’s girlfriend? That’s so cool!”
Anywho. It’s something I’m pretty passionate about - if my sister gets called [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m] on a regular basis, I know [name_f]Melanie[/name_f] is going to be spelled [name_f]Melonie[/name_f] and pronounced mi-LAHN-ee more often than you’d think, and while it is a cute name, I’d hate for someone to skip out on a name they really love for certain reasons, only to have those things happen anyway.
I adore both, but I think I prefer [name_f]Milena[/name_f]. [name_f]Melanie[/name_f] is sweet, but I love everything about [name_f]Milena[/name_f], really. [name_f]Milena[/name_f] is unusual but not THAT unusual, I say go for it.
Oh, one more thing to add to my kind of rant, haha - you mentioned [name_f]Milena[/name_f] not being common in the U.S. [name_f]Milena[/name_f] isn’t “common,” but it IS in the U.S. Top 1000 commonly used baby names, so it is definitely more familiar than you might think. Not only this, as a person who also lives in the U.S. I think pronunciation would be fairly straightforward - people would either say “muh-[name_u]LEE[/name_u]-nuh” or “muh-[name_m]LAY[/name_m]-nuh,” which isn’t a gross mispronounciation, but a simple one to correct. I’m overly tired so I probably seem like I care waaaay too much about this. 
My own name is a simple but hard to guess spelling/pronunciation issues due to vowels so it’s pretty similar to [name_f]Milena[/name_f], I think. So that isn’t a huge deal to me since I was never really bothered about my own name. However, all other things being equal (and I do like both names equally) I would go for the more familiar name. So in your place I’d pick [name_f]Melanie[/name_f]. It’s easy enough to say, to hell with that when you are on the internet but when you have to deal with that day to day while being a new parent is another thing. The other concern is the seed of doubt planted about the name. That can be hard to overcome.
I prefer [name_f]Melanie[/name_f], but you should use the name YOU love. [name_f]Milena[/name_f] isn’t that difficult.
You do have to choose what you feel is just right on your girl. All humans have their names but, I will say that [name_f]Melena[/name_f] is the medical term for blood being present in poo… [name_f]Milena[/name_f] might be a bit too close for comfort.
It sounds like you love [name_f]Milena[/name_f] more, and personally I find it much prettier and more interesting than [name_f]Melanie[/name_f]. A friend’s little sister is named [name_f]Milena[/name_f]; they’re from NJ and I don’t think she runs into too many name-related issues.
I vote for [name_f]Melanie[/name_f]. [name_f]Milena[/name_f] isn’t that unique, I know one and also a few Milanas, and I dislike [name_f]Mila[/name_f] and [name_f]Millie[/name_f]. [name_f]Melanie[/name_f], on the contrast, is fading in popularity. I like the nickname [name_f]Mellie[/name_f] and I adore [name_f]Melanie[/name_f] from Gone With the Wind. She’s such a sweet, caring, kind woman so a great namesake, in my view.
Well, my little girl’s middle name is [name_f]Milena[/name_f], so that would be my vote. In fact, everyone seems to be calling her [name_f]Milena[/name_f] and I’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback. I’m actually thinking I should have named her [name_f]Milena[/name_f].
[name_f]Melanie[/name_f] is too 80s girl cutesy for me. [name_f]Milena[/name_f] has nickname possibilities that work well for a little girl while still having a nice formal name to fall back on.
Also, [name_f]Mila[/name_f] Kunis’ name is actually [name_f]Milena[/name_f].
I’d probably choose [name_f]Melanie[/name_f] - it’s Polish variant, [name_f]Melania[/name_f], is on my list.
But here [name_f]Milena[/name_f] is way more popular than [name_f]Melania[/name_f], and for me it’s “little girls’ name”, while [name_f]Melania[/name_f] is more elegant and mysterious.
But if you prefer [name_f]Milena[/name_f], I think you should go for it - like someone has already said, even popular names can be mispronounced or misspelled. Also, if you pay any attention to choosing a name with more positive meaning, [name_f]Milena[/name_f] wins.