I am currently 33 weeks pregnant and if I have a girl I would like to have the first or middle name after my mother- [name]Elaine[/name]. I have been on bed rest for 5 weeks and she helps me out everyday and we have always been really close.
The problem is she is not particularly fond of her name. I like the idea of a similar sounding name or even just similar meaning. We are not fans of [name]Helen[/name], [name]Helene[/name], or [name]Ellen[/name]. [name]Elinore[/name] is also off the table since people confuse my mom’s name so frequently and call her [name]Elinore[/name]- which she hates. It also cannot end in a “e” sound since the last name ends in ley.
Can you please give me any suggestions?
If it is a boy we will most likely name him [name]Wyatt[/name] [name]James[/name] ([name]James[/name] is a family name). If this helps at all.
Helaina or [name]Helaine[/name]
[name]Alana[/name], [name]Elena[/name]
[name]Yvaine[/name]
[name]Lane[/name]
[name]Eliana[/name] pronounced [name]El[/name] ee ah na
Alena (ah-lee-nah) could be an option, or Alana (either ah-lawn-ah, or ah-lay-nah) could work, even Lainie, which would be very cute! Congrats and good luck picking a name!
I really like the suggestions of [name]Elena[/name] and [name]Eliana[/name] ([name]Elena[/name] was actually my second thought!). Have you considered [name]Helena[/name]? I know [name]Helene[/name] and [name]Helen[/name] don’t appeal (they don’t appeal to me, either!), but I think [name]Helena[/name] is just lovely. And it has the lovely nn of [name]Lena[/name] (or the more unisex [name]Leni[/name], or the vintage [name]Nell[/name], or even [name]Ella[/name]/[name]Ellie[/name]… Not sure where you’re at, but I love the Scottish [name]Eilidh[/name], too. If it appeals and it would work in your area, I offer that up, too.
If you know she doesn’t like her name but want to honor her in some way, why not ask her for some suggestions? State upfront that you’d be taking them under advisement as opposed to promising to use one, but she might like the idea of having her grandbaby being called one of her personal favorites (or a variation on one).
[name]Linnea[/name] (lin-ay-ah). Has all of the same letters from [name]Elaine[/name] (plus one n). It’s the name of a flower.
[name]Layla[/name]/[name]Laila[/name]? It has the same “ay” sound as [name]Elaine[/name].
[name]Bianca[/name], [name]Lucille[/name], [name]Phoebe[/name], [name]Phaedra[/name], [name]Sorcha[/name] (similar"bright/shining "name meaning as [name]Elaine[/name])
My first thought would be [name]Alaina[/name] (or [name]Elena[/name] if you want to keep the E) . Or idk if you like unisex names…but just [name]Laine[/name] or [name]Lane[/name] would work too. [name]Do[/name] you have any other girl names you like to work with?
I really admire a lot of the names suggested here. I’ll put in a good word for [name]Eileen[/name]. A lot of people consider it dated, but it has always had a beautiful, delicate sound to me.
Another thing to consider is using the initials of your mother’s first and middle names. That would give you (and your mom) the fun of a free-range search from [name]Eartha[/name] through [name]Elaine[/name] to [name]Eulalia[/name] and everything in between. Then you could do it all over again with her middle initial.
As long as your mom and your daughter both know that the intention is to honor your mom, I think there all sorts of ways to do it–a rift on her middle name or maiden name, a scramble of the letters in her name, reversed initials, meaning…
I like the cutsie variants of [name]Eilane[/name] like [name]Ellie[/name] or [name]Laney[/name]. They come directly from [name]Elaine[/name] but are a little more modern. If those are too nicknamey for you, how about something like [name]Clair[/name], [name]Brycin[/name], or [name]Phoebe[/name]. They are all some form of bright/shining! Can we ask what first names you are considering?
The first thought that popped into my mind was [name]Lenore[/name] but I’m not entirely sure why, I guess it’s just a vibe thing (and I adore the name) then came [name]Delaney[/name] and [name]Yvaine[/name]
I will second the suggestion of asking your mom for her favorites and maybe picking one of those. Or you can just take a syllable of your mom’s name and use that. My mom has similar feelings about her name. For a girl I’ve thought about incorporating the more prominent syllable (An) into the name ([name]Annabelle[/name], for example). So, for [name]Elaine[/name] you could do [name]Lacey[/name] or something like that. Or just [name]Lane[/name], which is a little more literal in its connection. Or any [name]El[/name]- name ([name]Elise[/name], [name]Eliza[/name], [name]Elisabeth[/name], [name]Eloise[/name], [name]Ella[/name], etc.). or use her initials maybe?
I think it’s really sweet that you want to honor your mom in this way. Sounds like she is a good one and deserves it! Good luck!
