Olena Pronunciation/Spelling

  • Olena - Oh-Len-uh
  • Olena - Oh-Lay-nah
  • Olena
  • Olenna
0 voters

We are Canadian, and it appears Oh-Len-uh is the North Americanized way of saying Olena
Whereas the more traditional Ukrainian way is more along the lines of Oh-lay-nah.
Which pronunciation/spelling do you prefer, and any reasoning?

(For the sake of name nerdiness - There’s also an interesting Russian pronunciation that’s close to Oh-Lee-en-uh, as best as I can figure with the accent, but it’s not in the running!)

I love [name_f]Olena[/name_f]!
I am Ukrainian Canadian as well, and I’ve always said it O-len-uh. I know a girl called [name_f]Olena[/name_f] in my Ukrainian dance group and she also pronounces it O-len-uh. With the accent, it maybe is a bit more like O-ley-nuh, with a bit of a scoop to it on the second syllable that gives it a Y sound- but in general I’ve only ever heard it said O-len-uh, and I prefer it that way. Not sure why, I just like the smoother sound? However, O-lay-nah is also very nice!

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@OctaviaMay - Thank you so much for your response, especially as a Ukrainian Canadian! (We are from Alberta!) I’ve never personally met an [name_f]Olena[/name_f], but it’s very reassuring to know that you know at least one that says it Oh-Len-uh, because it’s how I’ve been intuitively saying it since I first saw it. Ukrainian isn’t my culture, but it is my Fiancés, and baby girl will have a Ukrainian last name with the typical hard C/K sounds and -uk ending, so a softer first name is a priority.
[name_f]My[/name_f] biggest silly concern is using the name and then having the older generation be like “Why are you saying it like that?” We attend big Ukrainian family reunions every year, but his family has definitely moved away from more traditional names over time, we’d love to revive one with our little girl.

I’m American but I do say O-len-uh and I think [name_f]Olenna[/name_f] is the most aesthetically pleasing spelling. To get the other, maybe Olaina?

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I love [name_f]Olena[/name_f], such a lovely name! I do believe it would be pronounced closest to aw-LEN-uh in Ukraine. I’d definitely stick to the [name_f]Olena[/name_f] spelling and the oh-len-uh pronunciation over oh-lay-nah! It just sounds & looks prettier to me, is more authentic, and I worry that oh-lay-nah may get mixed up with [name_f]Elena[/name_f].

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Summary

So nice to hear that you’re from [name_f]Alberta[/name_f]! (I’m from Vancouver, B.C)- but I actually performed with my Ukrainian dance group at the Vegreville Ukrainian Cultural Festival last summer- [name_f]Alberta[/name_f] sure has good Ukrainian dance groups!
I love your name choices- whatever you pick, your daughter will have a gorgeous name!

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I would pronounce it Oh-leen-uh

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I love [name_f]Olena[/name_f] :two_hearts: I love both pronounciations as well and dont have one I would instinctually use. I would just go by which I was told, but I do really love both a lot.

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Thank you all so much for your votes and thoughtful responses! It’s really helping me to see how a little [name_f]Olena[/name_f] might be viewed as a person :two_hearts: The name is definitely at the top of my list right now, not sure of his thoughts, he’s not said no to it though but we’ve got time!!!

[name_f]My[/name_f] husband is ukrainian and Im American-Ukrainian and I still speak it, I know multiple Olena’s pronounced Oh-len-uh but [name_u]Ive[/name_u] never met any [name_f]Olena[/name_f] as O-lay-nuh, maybe [name_f]Elena[/name_f] as Yeh-lye-nah? but [name_f]Olena[/name_f] is typically pronounced Oh-len-uh in western ukraine.