I recently learned that an ancestor on my grandfather’s side was named [name_f]Alena[/name_f] and I really fell for the name. I posted on here before asking opinions of me inserting it in our current favorite combo for a girl and came to the conclusion that it wasn’t really a good idea. Anyhow, I still want to potentially use it for a daughter someday and am trying to come up with a middle name for it. Here’s what I was thinking…
[name_f]Alena[/name_f] [name_f]Danielle[/name_f]: my mn is [name_f]Danielle[/name_f], and while I don’t think it is odd for a mother to use a name similar to her own for her daughter, I do wonder if it is too close to my own name to use. My fn is [name_f]Alyssa[/name_f], btw. Thoughts?
[name_f]Alena[/name_f] [name_f]Marin[/name_f]: [name_f]Marin[/name_f] is a GP middle name…while it is a legitimate name, it is also a meaningful ‘smoosh’ name for me. It is the combination of my two younger sisters’ middle names ([name_f]Marie[/name_f] and [name_u]Morgan[/name_u]) and would allow me to honor them in one swoop.
[name_f]Alena[/name_f] [name_f]Claire[/name_f]: [name_f]Claire[/name_f] is a name that I’ve loved since I read it in a book.
[name_f]Alena[/name_f] [name_u]June[/name_u]: [name_u]June[/name_u] is a name with personal meaning for us. It’s the month we met and later married in (not the same year though lol). It also happens to be my birth month, as well as that of several of my relatives. So it has family connection, too. Plus it is an awesome month haha.
[name_f]Alena[/name_f] [name_f]Janette[/name_f]/[name_f]Jeanette[/name_f]: MN is after two special women in my life: [name_f]Janet[/name_f] and [name_f]Jeanette[/name_f]. The first was a teacher of mine who was killed when I was really young…she taught me so much more than school lessons and I miss her dearly. [name_f]Jeanette[/name_f] was my great-grandmother, who was sort of the matriarch of my mom’s side. She was really there for my mom growing up and she influenced the direction of my family in a positive way. She died when I was around 12, so I didn’t know her super well, but I still admire her.
That’s all I really can think of. What do you guys think? If you don’t like any of these, do you have any suggestions? Thanks a bunch!
I like a lot of these combos, and the meanings behind them. It’s fun to discover and reimagine names from your family tree.
First, though, I have to clarify: [name_f]Do[/name_f] you pronounce it a-[name_m]LAY[/name_m]-na (like [name_f]Elena[/name_f]) or a-[name_u]LEE[/name_u]-na?
Either way, my favorite from your list is [name_f]Alena[/name_f] [name_u]June[/name_u] (though, as a [name_u]June[/name_u] baby myself, I may be a bit biased ;)). [name_f]Alena[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] would similarly honor the most wonderful month of [name_u]June[/name_u], and [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] has the same punchy, vintage appeal.
[name_f]Marin[/name_f] and [name_f]Claire[/name_f] also have a nice flow with [name_f]Alena[/name_f].
To me, [name_f]Danielle[/name_f] is similar to [name_f]Alena[/name_f] in sound, so the two names seem to get lost in each other and lose their distinctness. You could go for a different D name so that you and your daughter would share initials—a nice connection. Depending on the pronunciation of [name_f]Alena[/name_f], I like [name_f]Alena[/name_f] [name_f]Daisy[/name_f], [name_f]Alena[/name_f] [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Alena[/name_f] [name_u]Darcy[/name_u].
And while I like [name_f]Janette[/name_f] or [name_f]Jeannette[/name_f], I think [name_f]Alena[/name_f] [name_u]Jean[/name_u] (if a-[name_m]LAY[/name_m]-na) or [name_f]Alena[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] (if a-[name_u]LEE[/name_u]-na) sounds better, and would still be a subtle tribute to one of those women.
I pronounce it as [name_m]Ah[/name_m]-[name_u]LEE[/name_u]-na, which is how my relatives say it…but I suppose there are a few ways it could be pronounced
Thank you for taking the time to give me some feedback! I love your suggestion of [name_f]Alena[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]! I’ll run that by DH. I see what you are saying about [name_f]Alena[/name_f] and [name_f]Danielle[/name_f]…I hadn’t thought about that! I’m not sure if it bothers me personally, but I’m definitely aware of it now. I like your suggestion of [name_f]Alena[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f]! [name_f]Jane[/name_f] is actually what my great-grandmother went by some of the time!
Thanks, everyone! It’s so hard to decide, but hearing your opinions has helped a lot! I still like them all lol…I almost hope DH vetoes some just so that it might be a bit easier!
