On my other thread, [name]Lemon[/name] and [name]Auburn[/name] made a suggestion that maybe perhaps I should look beyond the names of [name]Mara[/name] and [name]Soraya[/name] and see if there is actually another name that feel even more right…
So I am asking if you have any 2 syllable girls’ names to suggest that would go w/my other children’s Navarra (deceased), [name]Keira[/name] and [name]Everett[/name]. I like offbeat (hence Navarra and [name]Soraya[/name]), but I am finding I am liking 2 syllables (hence [name]Raya[/name]) better…maybe it is just because I am used to saying my other living kids’ names. Anyway, I have a taste for the exotic, but it seems that you don’t find that much in shorter names…but please if you have a suggestion for a name more than 2 syllables, please do not hesitate though. Anyway, any help at this late in the game is appreciated. I am starting to feel like a total loser and a$$…both online and esp. off, where people actually know me! I wish I had done this pre-birth!!!
[name]Do[/name] not be so down on yourself! This is so important that you are happy with your final decision so of course you need to put a lot of thought into it, and nameberries are all name obsessed anyway so we love to help 
2 syllable exotic names off my own personal name list hehe:
[name]Ulla[/name] Norse will/determination
[name]Theda[/name] Greek gift of God
[name]Tanwen[/name] Welsh holy fire
Rhosyn Welsh rose
[name]Odette[/name] French wealthy
[name]Nona[/name] Latin ninth
[name]Leta[/name] Latin joyful
[name]Ezri[/name] Hebreq strong
[name]Delyth[/name] Welsh pretty and blessed
Cosettte French victorious people
[name]Cleone[/name] Greek glorious
[name]Annia[/name] Latin priceless one (3 syllables but I love it and it’s meaning!)
[name]Zaria[/name] Arabic rose (same as above!)
[name]Shiri[/name] Hebrew my song
[name]Calla[/name] Greek beautiful
[name]Hera[/name] Greek protectress
[name]Zadie[/name] Hebrew princess
[name]Vida[/name] Spanish life
[name]Mabel[/name] French loveable
[name]Amity[/name] Latin friendship (3 syllable but lovely meaning :))
[name]Clemence[/name] French merciful
[name]Shirin[/name] Persian charming, sweet
Awen Welsh muse
[name]Sarai[/name] Hebrew princess
[name]Lilith[/name] Hebrew lily
[name]Nola[/name] Gaelic little bell
[name]Amaia[/name] Spanish end (again 3 syllables but a lovely sound)
[name]Ingrid[/name] Norse hero’s daughter
[name]Ailsa[/name] Scottish place name
[name]Anwen[/name] Welsh very fair
[name]Margot[/name] French pearl
[name]Aria[/name] Italian a melody (3 syllables)
[name]Alba[/name] Latin white
[name]Roma[/name] Italian place name
[name]Avani[/name] Hindi the good earth (3 syllables but has a similar feel to Navarra for me)
[name]Manon[/name] Welsh wished for child (on nameberry it’s only listed as a French name meaning bitter but the Welsh meaning is legitimate too)
[name]Cassia[/name] Greek cinnamon
[name]Astrid[/name] Norse divinely beautiful
[name]Celeste[/name] Latin heavenly
[name]Jana[/name] Czech God is gracious
[name]Sanaa[/name] Swahili art
[name]Anita[/name] Spanish gracious
[name]Cora[/name] Greek maiden
[name]Greta[/name] [name]German[/name] pearl
[name]Mischa[/name] Russian who is like God
[name]Imani[/name] Arabic faith
[name]Cleo[/name] Greek in her father’s renown
[name]Nia[/name] Swahili resolve
[name]Amara[/name] Greek lovely forever (I think you might have already considered this one if I remember your previous posts)
[name]Rhea[/name] Greek a flowing stream
[name]Malaya[/name] Filipino free (3 syllables)
[name]Anais[/name] French gracious
[name]Elodie[/name] French marsh flower (3 syllables)
[name]Adele[/name] [name]German[/name] noble
[name]Elsa[/name] Hebrew pledged to God
[name]Nina[/name] Russian priceless one
[name]Thea[/name] Greek goddess
[name]Clara[/name] Latin bright and clear
[name]Lana[/name] Irish cheerful
[name]Iris[/name] Greek rainbow
[name]Seren[/name] Welsh star
[name]Eden[/name] Hebrew delight
[name]Carys[/name] Welsh love
[name]Esme[/name] French beloved
[name]Florence[/name] Latin flourishing, prosperous
[name]Martha[/name] Aramaic lady
[name]Imogen[/name] Greek beloved child
[name]Estee[/name] Persian star
[name]Freya[/name] Norse a noble woman
[name]Hope[/name] you find something in there you like!!
Hm… how about:
[name]Esme[/name]
[name]Greta[/name]
[name]Raina[/name]
[name]Carys[/name] (maybe not with [name]Keira[/name])
Elowen
[name]Thea[/name]
[name]Cassia[/name]
[name]Daphne[/name]
[name]Maia[/name]
[name]Lilia[/name]
[name]Carmen[/name]
[name]Alia[/name]
[name]Priya[/name]
[name]Zora[/name]
[name]Amina[/name]
[name]Willa[/name]
[name]Lila[/name]
[name]Alba[/name]
[name]Alma[/name]
[name]Inez[/name]
[name]Anais[/name]
Erlea
[name]Alaia[/name]
[name]Mireia[/name]
[name]Eleni[/name]
Ishtar
[name]Nina[/name]
[name]Tanith[/name]
[name]Anoush[/name]
[name]Lucine[/name]
[name]Katya[/name]
Citra
[name]Kaia[/name]
[name]Rona[/name]
[name]Adara[/name]
[name]Avia[/name]
[name]Dahlia[/name]
[name]Dara[/name]
[name]Liora[/name]
Livna
Meira
[name]Noa[/name]
[name]Sabine[/name]
[name]Solange[/name]
[name]Adela[/name]
[name]Elysia[/name]
[name]Liana[/name]
[name]Carina[/name]
[name]Vera[/name]
Good luck!!
Hey!
You know, both of your girls’ named have ended in -ra. Is that something you want to continue, maybe? Here are some ideas if you do:
[name]Audra[/name] - “noble strength”
[name]Dora[/name] - “gift”
[name]Flora[/name] - “flower”
[name]Lyra[/name] - “lyre”
[name]Moira[/name] - “star of the sea” [MOY-rah]
[name]Sabra[/name] - “prickly pear” [[name]SAY[/name]-brah]
[name]Sora[/name] - “sky”
[name]Zara[/name] - “eastern brightness, dawn”
[name]Do[/name] any of those appeal to you, Janda? With your kids’ names, my favorites are [name]Lyra[/name], [name]Moira[/name], [name]Sora[/name], and [name]Zara[/name]. Also, what does your little one look like?
[name]Lemon[/name]
[name]Lemon[/name], [name]Lyra[/name] is an amazing suggestion. I love this name so much, but my own husband just won’t go for it. I agree with [name]Lemon[/name], I think it would fit your sibset beautifully, Janda.
Some others mentioned that would be lovely additions:
[name]Odette[/name], [name]Esme[/name], [name]Freya[/name], [name]Lila[/name], [name]Moira[/name]
Once again, good luck! I hope you find that perfect name.
My eyes lit up too when I read [name]Lemon[/name]'s suggestion of [name]Lyra[/name]! It seems to meet all criteria – and is a delightful, unexpected, beautiful, name!
[name]Lemon[/name] always has great suggestions!! You should take it, if you love it!
@klcadler2, @everwaiteing, @elsiekutz - you all are too nice! And to think I didn’t even know how to pronounce [name]Lyra[/name] a few months ago…
I agree it is a fun name! So unexpected and sweet!
[name]Lemon[/name]
Janda… what did you decide to do?
I feel bad taking so long to get back with you guys. Believe it or not, I tried logging on several times the past two days and it wouldn’t accept my password and it was the CORRECT password! Well, I decided to take it as an opportunity to REALLY think about what I wanted to respond w/ and do period.
SO, w/o further adieu (sp.?), this is gonna be a long one ladies (gents?), so sit back and relax lol…
First off, I would like to respond to some of the suggestions.
Ljandrl: I like the following names you suggested:
[name]Zaria[/name]/[name]Zara[/name] (esp. [name]Zara[/name]…but rhymes w/ending of Navarra, putting me back at square one)
[name]Amara[/name] (same as above)
[name]Rhea[/name] (like the [name]Ray[/name]-a pronunciation…as I fell in ‘like’ w/[name]Raya[/name] first and then found [name]Soraya[/name]…but I do not like this sp. because it is the tail end of the word diah____ and well you know the rest!)
[name]Annia[/name]
[name]Aria[/name]
[name]Amaia[/name]
[name]Malaya[/name]
[name]Thea[/name]
[name]Lana[/name] (was on my list, DH said no to this and [name]Alanna[/name] 
)
[name]Seren[/name] (is [name]Soraya[/name]'s middle name…I pronounce it Seh-renn)
[name]Cora[/name] (on bottom of my list…but too close to [name]Keira[/name] and DH was lukewarm on it)
[name]Freya[/name]
[name]Iris[/name] [name]Rose[/name]: I liked [name]Dahlia[/name] (DH did not because of the “[name]Black[/name] [name]Dahlia[/name]” association he has in his mind)
And then, here we go again…I like [name]Dara[/name] and [name]Adara[/name] but pronounced like DAR and not [name]DAIR[/name]…so they rhyme w/ending of Navarra (sigh!)
[name]Lemon[/name]:
I like your suggestions. I liked [name]Audra[/name]; was on my list and DH said no. [name]Zara[/name]- see above. And then we come to [name]LYRA[/name]…very nice suggestion…in fact, I am a fan of most names that have the “LIE/[name]LY[/name]” sound in them: [name]Lila[/name], [name]Delilah[/name], [name]Lorelei[/name], [name]Eli[/name] (for a boy of course lol)…but DH said no, no, no and no. And then even if I was to pronounce [name]Lyra[/name] as Lear-ra…it would rhyme w/[name]Keira[/name]…hence another problem once again, and as you can tell, I am big into the names NOT rhyming. I am not even sure if I am even pronouncing [name]Lyra[/name] right: IS it LIE-[name]RA[/name] or LEAR-[name]RA[/name]?!
You are right though, [name]Lemon[/name]…I did have a theme going there…I wanted the new baby girl to have an “ra” ending to her name as well, and well, it looks like I totally put myself in between a rock and a hard place…as I found NOTHING but [name]MARA[/name] and [name]AMARA[/name] that I liked this go round and we all know how that sadly ended. I didn’t even want the first name to start w/an “S”, but you know that story, too. Also, I have never really been into names that have “y’s” in them, so that may be a factor that I have some getting used to w/[name]Soraya[/name], as I despise all alternate spellings. Plus, I want the REAL version of the name, and not something that is derived from it, as it seems to me when you are using a name that is so out there to begin w/, that one should not screw w/the sp., but then again, just my take on it.
[name]Lemon[/name], I also wanted to let you know that I saw in another thread that you are 20…20! You have the wisdom, foresight, compassion and way w/words of a woman way beyond your years! Your mother must be proud. I can tell just by the way you convey yourself in this forum, that you are someone that anyone would be honored/privileged enough to call their friend! You are so immensely helpful; more than you could ever know. You not only are very knowledgable about names, but you express yourself so eloquently when sharing your insight!
Someone asked what the baby looked like: Fair skin, blondish-brown hair and blue eyes.
Sorry I am rambling…just trying to get all my thoughts out asap, as I am excited to hear back from the ‘berries’.
I don’t want anyone to think that if I just decide to stick w/[name]Soraya[/name], that I wasted your time, as I truly believe I have to go through this process of looking at alternate names and making new lists in order to make sure that [name]Soraya[/name] is in fact the right name and that I can then live w/it for the rest of my life. I so want to [name]LOVE[/name] it, not just like it! And, if I was to choose between [name]Mara[/name] or [name]Amara[/name], as opposed to [name]Soraya[/name], I would choose [name]Mara[/name]. However, I find it strange that I am going through a process to make sure I love a name that I have already legally chosen; just doesn’t seem right…but then my first child dying doesn’t either and things just spiraled out of control based on that.
I have a few questions about this site in general, I look up [name]Seren[/name] and the pronunciation listed here is totally different than what seems to be commonly agreed that it is…I just don’t see it as Sair-en…but Seh-renn. IN fact, if it was Sair-en and only Sair-en…I would have been like bleh! And then w/[name]Soraya[/name], it mentions nothing about being a star cluster in the constellation of [name]Taurus[/name] and that is in fact I assure you the [name]TRUE[/name] meaning of the name…not princess just because the famous princess of Iran was named [name]Soraya[/name]!
Here are a few last questions that are VERY important to hear opinions on:
IF YOU had a deceased child, would it bother you, like it bothers me, that the names rhymed? I understand that Navarra, [name]Mara[/name] and [name]Amara[/name] are totally different names, but I do NOT understand what people mean when they can honestly tell me that though they are different, that they [name]DON[/name]'T sound alike…I am telling you they do they do they do or I wouldn’t be in this predicament.
Also, w/no regards to my naming criteria, what name comes to mind for YOU for a baby girl addition to my already existing sib set of Navarra, [name]Keira[/name] and [name]Everett[/name]? And when pondering this, please do take Navarra’s name into account even though she is deceased and we do not sign our cards w/her name or say it aloud everyday…but we sure do talk about her ALOT…so it isn’t like hearing her name is a rarity in the household so to speak.
I am going to ask opinions on my list of girls’ names I was working w/throughout the pregnancy once I get it together.
Maybe I will do a poll on what the popular opinion is on naming a living child a name that rhymes w/a deceased older sibling’s name…as I am oh so curious.
Also, someone made a remark in another thread that no matter what name you give your child, that it doesn’t change the essence of who they are when they come into this world…and I wholeheartedly agree.
Well WOW if you made it this far; thank you thank you and if you decide to respond, well, quadruple THANK YOU! I love this site and appreciate every iota of the advice/opinions I have received here the past 2 1/2 months!
JANDA
Janda,
Thanks for all the sweet compliments and things you said. I’m just so happy to get to help you, so it is all worth it!
Anyway, first things first - [name]Lyra[/name]. Yes, it is said with a “lie” sound, as in lyre, from which its meaning is derived. So, no, it doesn’t rhyme with [name]Keira[/name]. Pity that your husband dislikes it so much!
And, about [name]Seren[/name], I think both “sair-en” and “seh-ren” are accepted pronunciations, though I personally think “sair-en,” as in the beginning of [name]Sarah[/name], is easier to say with an American accent than “seh-ren.” Could be just me, though! Gorgeous name either way in my opinion…
I’m going to jump ahead to your very important questions. Would I choose a name for my baby that rhymed with the name of a deceased child? No, absolutely not. Why? Because, I wouldn’t choose a name for my baby that rhymed with a living child’s name! Navarra is still your daughter, regardless of the fact that she is no longer living, and I think she should be treated as such, myself. You said you speak of her often, and even if you don’t sign her name on cards or anything, she is still a part of your family. That’s why I personally wouldn’t be comfortable using [name]Mara[/name] or [name]Amara[/name], though they could make nice middle names. Speaking of, have you ever considered using [name]Seren[/name] as your daughter’s first name and giving her a middle name of [name]Mara[/name] or [name]Amara[/name]? [name]Seren[/name] seems to fit your fair description, and its Welsh background fits nicely with your sibling set, I think.
I would say that you have a somewhat difficult sibling set to “match,” so to speak. [name]Keira[/name] and [name]Everett[/name] are a bit more mainstream, whereas Navarra feels different, more exotic. However, this gives you room to play with more unusual names, so I think you’ve got something neat going on! I’m going to give some more suggestions, but keep in mind that I kind of already forgot what I suggested last time. I’m kicking things off with another round of -ra names, so maybe something will work:
[name]Adora[/name] - “beloved one” - [name]Addie[/name], [name]Dora[/name]
Alora - “my dream” - [name]Ali[/name], [name]Lora[/name], [name]Lori[/name]*
[name]Annora[/name] - “honor” - [name]Anna[/name], [name]Annie[/name], [name]Ann[/name], [name]Nora[/name]
Azra - “pure” - Azi, Z*
[name]Deidra[/name] - “she who chatters” - [name]Deedee[/name]
[name]Leora[/name] - “light” - [name]Lee[/name], [name]Leo[/name], [name]Lora[/name], [name]Ora[/name] [Also [name]Liora[/name] “[name]Lia[/name]”]
[name]Sonora[/name] - “pleasant sounding” - [name]Sonny[/name], [name]Sora[/name], [name]Nora[/name]
[name]Sora[/name] - “sky”
[name]Zora[/name] - “dawn” - [name]Zo[/name], Z
(Names marked with * don’t appear on Nameberry!)
My favorites with Navarra, [name]Keira[/name], and [name]Everett[/name] are Alora, [name]Deidra[/name], [name]Leora[/name] ([name]Liora[/name]), and [name]Zora[/name] - I think [name]Leora[/name] and Alora are awesome! Okay, I can’t think of any more for today, so get back to me on those first. Good luck!
[name]Lemon[/name]
You are MORE than welcome [name]Lemon[/name] for the compliments! Thanks for the quick response. I am so relieved that there are people out there, even if they are people that I do not know, that can be honest w/me and admit that even though [name]Amara[/name]/[name]Mara[/name] are different names than Navarra, that they do rhyme and they agree that if they were in my shoes, that they wouldn’t be comfortable using them either…so once again, thank you thank you thank you…as that makes me feel so much better to be validated in my thinking. Also, what you said about how just because Navarra is deceased doesn’t make her any less a member of my family definitely made my night. As she came into this world just like my living children, but didn’t get to come home, and if I wouldn’t name a child w/a name that rhymed w/another living child, than I agree you are correct in that Navarra deserves the same respect. I couldn’t parent her in life, so I gave her the only and greatest gift I could ever give her, the gift of my favorite name in the whole world at the time and the one I thought of throughout my whole pregnancy w/her (even though I didn’t find out the gender), so I would have felt sheepish ‘saving the name for later’ when it was quite meant for her…I would have felt like I was stealing from her…just like I would feel like I was stealing from her now if I changed [name]Soraya[/name]'s name to [name]Amara[/name]/[name]Mara[/name]. And that is what I think kept me from naming her that in the hospital and not submitting the paperwork all these weeks to change her name…because deep down, even though I [name]LOVE[/name] the name [name]Mara[/name]…I cannot do it, because the ‘ara’ sound (my fave sound of all time) belongs to Navarra and [name]Soraya[/name] deserves her own ‘sound’. Also, side note, I wonder if people that go on to have more than 2 of the same gender, end up settling on the names at that point or at least feeling like it, since it stands to reason that one would use their fave names on the 1st born of that particular gender, argh???
You made another good point about how [name]Keira[/name] and [name]Everett[/name] are more mainstream and Navarra is more exotic, just like [name]Soraya[/name]…so if I do keep [name]Soraya[/name] (which I seem to be leaning towards more and MORE each passing day), I would have started on an exotic note so to speak and ended on one since [name]Soraya[/name] will most probably be my last child.
Another question I forgot to ask in my last post was whether the meaning or how the name sounded was more important when choosing a name or both? W/[name]Soraya[/name] the meaning grew on me more than the sound did at first and now that I am getting used to saying it more, the sound is growing on me, or maybe it is just because I am starting to associate it w/my baby, whom I obviously love?!
By the way, I like the ‘idea’ of [name]Seren[/name] as a first name, but since I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]LOVE[/name] [name]LOVE[/name] my girls’ names to end w/an “a”, I cannot put [name]Seren[/name] in the first name slot, but good suggestion! Also, if I put [name]Amara[/name] or [name]Mara[/name] in the middle slot, it would unsurp (sp.), the whole idea of using “S” nature names for the middle names. And that is why I have been having a problem w/[name]Soraya[/name] besides the “y”…I never really wanted the first and middle name for any of my kids to start w/the same letter and I was worried that [name]Soraya[/name]'s name had too much of an ‘alliteration theme’ going for it (rolls eyes)!?
By the way, [name]Lemon[/name], one saving grace about [name]Soraya[/name] not ending in ‘ra’ like the other 2 girls’ names do, is the fact that there is an ‘ra’ in her name in the middle which is a bonus, as I am particular about this stuff, and I can always nickname her [name]Sora[/name], although DH says NO [name]WAY[/name]! That [name]Raya[/name] would be more likely that [name]Sora[/name] any day!
I like [name]Sonora[/name] and [name]Zora[/name]…DH poo pooed [name]Sonora[/name] in the past and I think he said he liked [name]Zora[/name]…I liked [name]Aurora[/name] at one time, too, but when I said it, I just didn’t feel comfortable…I felt garbled.
Thanks again [name]Lemon[/name]!
Janda
To answer your main questions: No, I would not give any of my children a name that rhymed with a deceased son or daughter. It would make me feel as if I was essentially denying the deceased child’s existence or treating her like she was replaceable – just because she was not physically present. It would feel disrespectful, and I couldn’t do that. To put it a different way, using a rhyming name for her sibling would be like stepping on her individuality or ignoring her place within the family.
BTW, look how Navarra has touched people from all over, even tonight, as Nameberries write about her and read about her.
As for more name suggestions to go with Navarra, [name]Keira[/name], and [name]Everett[/name]: Here are a few. By now, you may have considered these already:
[name]Alexandra[/name]
[name]Sondra[/name]
[name]Samira[/name]
[name]Amira[/name]
[name]Audra[/name]
I still think [name]Soraya[/name] is gorgeous!
Well the only thing that I can confidently help you on is the pronounciation of [name]Seren[/name].
[name]Don[/name]'t worry, you are pronouncing it exactly right. And I speak Welsh so I say that with confidence hehe.
SEH-ren, more emphasis on the first syllable. I hear a lot of people, even English speaking people in [name]Wales[/name] that say it suh-[name]REN[/name] but I can confirm that is totally wrong. As far as I can tell you seem to be saying it just right and I think it’s an absolutely beautiful name I plan to use it as a middle name for one of my children one day if I’m so lucky!
_
I could have not summed it up better myself than what you wrote in the first paragraph! This is exactly how I think and feel, and probably have all along, and has been what has stopped me from using [name]Amara[/name]/[name]Mara[/name].
That is such a nice thing to say about how Nameberries have been touched in some way by my daughter Navarra.
I like [name]Audra[/name]; DH didn’t! And if I am pronouncing [name]Amira[/name] and [name]Samira[/name] right, they are rhyming w/my pron. of [name]Keira[/name] to my ears…urhhh!
AND that really helps when people who like the name [name]Soraya[/name] (pron. Suh-[name]RAY[/name]-uh), keep reinforcing to me how gorgeous it is w/compliments…so thanks again!
Thanks for the reassurance about [name]Seren[/name] and for validating the pronunciation. That is a compliment in and of itself that you may want to use it for a middle name for a daughter yourself one day!
Janda,
I really loved your response, and I think you are doing so much better with this situation, it seems. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you seem to be settling into [name]Soraya[/name]'s name, right? Good! If you can’t find anything that fits her better, I think she is probably a [name]Soraya[/name]…
One thing you did mention was the alliteration that sort of bothered you. Have you considered slightly altering her name instead of completely changing it? I was thinking something like:
[name]Araya[/name] [name]Seren[/name] [uh-[name]RAY[/name]-uh seh-ren]
Anyway, I totally agree with you that this little girl needs her own sound, and it is cool that her name does - or could - have an “ra” tucked inside it somewhere, thus keeping up your trend a little bit. You asked a question, and I’ll try to answer it. I don’t think choosing a name for meaning or sound is necessarily more important, but I can tell you that I definitely choose for meaning - if it has a great meaning on top of that, then so be it! My logic is that I get to hear the sounds every day, but I might not always think of the meaning. And, other people will really only hear the sounds, unless they (1) ask the meaning of the name, which is unlikely, or (2) already know the meaning of the name based on extensive naming knowledge, again, unlikely. So, that’s that for me! Good luck!
[name]Lemon[/name]
Ahhh I love [name]Lemon[/name]'s suggestion of [name]Araya[/name]!
Not that I don’t think [name]Soraya[/name] is absolutely stunning! But just as an alternative if you do still feel you need one and if you’d rather not have the alliteration.
I was watching the Bachelorette finale the other day when they met [name]Ali[/name]'s family (don’t know if there are any other Bachelorette fans here?!) and noticed that her sisters name was [name]Raya[/name] and I thought that was beautiful. I looked it up and it means friend in Hebrew too which is such a lovely meaning
Other names that rhyme with [name]Soraya[/name], or have a similar sound are:
[name]Freya[/name]
[name]Mireya[/name]
[name]Malaya[/name]
[name]Andrea[/name]
[name]Laura[/name] x
[name]Lemon[/name],
You are exactly right: I seem to be ‘settling into’ [name]Soraya[/name]'s name instead of feeling like I am ‘settling’ so to speak.
I have considered altering her name before…to just [name]Raya[/name] in fact; but upon further speculation, it just DID NOT sound good w/our last name and [name]Raya[/name] didn’t seem like as much of a ‘whole’ first name to me if you will, and [name]Soraya[/name] (along w/it’s meaning) seemed to fit the bill! I like [name]Araya[/name] though as well and it is like getting the ‘[name]RAY[/name]’ part and a feeling of ‘[name]Amara[/name]’ in one!
[name]Lemon[/name], but did you mean you chose first for sound? Let me know.
Thanks again!
Janda