Thank you Berries for the amazing and helpful suggestions. You’ve really got the creative juices repumping. [name_m]Just[/name_m] to quick update we are expecting a girl. MIL is named [name_u]Clare[/name_u] [name_f]Annabell[/name_f] and my mother is [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] (not [name_f]Carrie[/name_f]) [name_f]Margaret[/name_f]. I have always loved the name [name_f]Clara[/name_f] but am now rethinking and hesitating because it honors MIL so much more then my mom who will be in babys life so much more. A lot of great suggestions were made to use a version of my moms name for middle. Now hubby and I are revisiting another thought and want some input. What about Carianna? Carriana? Cariana? (not sure on spelling) Hubby and I initailly dismissed it as it feels very “trendy” to me. Probably because of [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] [name_f]Grande[/name_f] and Rihana maybe? And i prefer the more classics like [name_f]Clara[/name_f]. But what are your thoughs? Also how would you pronounce it? [name_f]Ana[/name_f] as in [name_f]Apple[/name_f] or [name_f]Ana[/name_f] as in AHHHHna? And if Cariana was her name…do you think she would just go by “carrie” her whole life? I’m not a fan of that…
Have you considered [name_f]Carina[/name_f]? Cariana also sounds very trendy to me and I do feel like she would go by [name_f]Carrie[/name_f] most of the time. Another option would be calling her [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] so that she’s more equally named after both grandmas.
Carianna is unique! I don’t know if it sounds trendy but it’s not classic like [name_f]Clara[/name_f]. I would say it like “carry anna” not like “carry ahhnuh.” I guess I would be inclined not to say it like [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] [name_f]Grande[/name_f] and Rihana do, maybe this varies by region. I do think she might end up just going by [name_f]Carrie[/name_f], but maybe not. If you want a unique name then it’s a good choice!
If you love [name_f]Clara[/name_f] then you should still use it!
Some ideas to honour your mother:
Clara [name_f]Meg[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Marjorie[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] (maybe too alliterative)
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Adeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Carole[/name_f]
I’d pronounce Cariana as cah-ree-ah-nuh. It’s quite nice but i do prefer [name_f]Clara[/name_f]
I understand the reason, but Carianna or Carriana or Cariana are all not that appealing to me. It’s too much of a smoosh name, some of which I like, but not this one. Yes, I think “[name_f]Carrie[/name_f]” is inevitable with this name.
Carina is beautiful, though! With [name_f]Carina[/name_f], you don’t have to worry about “[name_f]Carrie[/name_f].” It honors both your mother and mother-in-law and it’s gorgeous. You could even do [name_f]Carina[/name_f] [name_f]Claire[/name_f], which is very pretty. There’s also [name_f]Caterina[/name_f] or [name_f]Catriona[/name_f].
I instinctively pronounced it ‘[name_f]Carrie[/name_f]-[name_f]Anna[/name_f]’ not ‘ahna’ (and I did read it as [name_f]Carina[/name_f] first) but it’s easy to fix pronunciation usually you just have to tell someone once.
It can work if you love it. It isn’t as classic as [name_f]Clara[/name_f], but in my opinion meaning trumps style every time. However I wouldn’t go with a name I loved less, choose the one you love and has the most meaning to you. And if it’s [name_f]Clara[/name_f] maybe don’t consider it an ‘honor’ name, just the name you loved most for your daughter.
Cariana is really pretty! [name_f]My[/name_f] instinctive pronunciation would probably be like the name [name_u]Anne[/name_u], but I wouldn’t be at all surprised to be corrected to [name_f]Ana[/name_f]. I think you could avoid [name_f]Carrie[/name_f] yourself, but there’s no guarantee that she wouldn’t eventually choose it; if you really dislike it, that would give me pause. Overall, I love the idea of incorporating both your mother’s and your mother in law’s names! But I can’t tell how enthusiastic you feel about Cariana. If you love it, I think it’s a wonderful and clearly very meaningful choice. But if you’re hesitant, there are lots of other good options to combine both grandmas’ names! I really think it comes down to what you love 
If you’re interested in more suggestions:
Summary
[name_f]Anna[/name_f] [name_f]Caroline[/name_f]
[name_f]Maisie[/name_f] [name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] [name_u]Anne[/name_u]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Daisy[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Marjorie[/name_f]
[name_f]Bella[/name_f] [name_f]Margaret[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]
[name_f]Belle[/name_f] [name_f]Caroline[/name_f]
[name_f]Margot[/name_f] [name_u]Clare[/name_u]
I personally think that [name_f]Clara[/name_f] can honor both [name_u]Clare[/name_u] and [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] equally, and it’s beautiful and what you really want.
As someone whose mother is much more in the life of my kids than my mother in law, my mother knows that she’s the grandmother who is front and center - more hands on, more involved, more invested… she would never feel that a name that ‘honors the other grandmother more’ would get in the way of anything. She knows that the loving relationship between her and our children is what counts most.
You could always add something to [name_f]Clara[/name_f] that is a tribute to your mother in other special ways. (ie if your mother loves singing the song ‘You are my [name_f]Sunshine[/name_f]’, you could go with [name_f]Clara[/name_f] [name_f]Sunshine[/name_f], etc.) It’s not as true-to-name, but incredibly sentimental.
I find Cariana/Carriana/Carianna okay. They don’t make me go “wow I like this!”, but they’re fine. I prefer other Car- or Clar- names. I’d say the A as your second option.
If you’d like to hear other ideas, what about:
[name_f]Carina[/name_f]
[name_f]Cara[/name_f]
[name_f]Carys[/name_f]
[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] (essentially the same name with [name_f]Caroline[/name_f])
[name_f]Cora[/name_f]
[name_f]Callie[/name_f]
I don’t know if this has been suggested before, but the first name that came to mind was [name_f]Carolyn[/name_f]!