See the results of this poll: Which girl name to choose - Elena or Nadia?
Respondents: 56 (This poll is closed)
- Elena : 31 (55%)
- Nadia: 25 (45%)
I like [name]Elena[/name] a LOT, but honestly, it’s becoming so common I’d go with [name]Nadia[/name]. [name]Nadia[/name] is beautiful!
Siblings with the same initial really isn’t a problem, unless they’re twins of the same sex.
[name]Elena[/name] is one of my personal favorites so it gets my vote 100%. Personally, I don’t think children sharing the same initial is as big of a deal as people make it out to be. My hubby and his brother both share initials and it was never really an issue. Same with my niece and nephew. I knew three sisters growing up with names that start with the letter “N”, as far as I know it was never an issue. Some people think that once you start a theme (sharing initials etc) that you have to continue with it for any subsequent children. Personally, I disagree. Most people beyond Nameberry wouldn’t care. A lot of people on Nameberry, myself included, are name crazy enough that it would be noticeable to them and possibly might be an issue, or a perceived issue. I don’t think children would make a big deal out of it, as long as the parents don’t.
[name]Nadia[/name] is nice, but doesn’t have the down to earth, sweet and feminine appeal that [name]Elena[/name] has. [name]Nadia[/name] seems more exotic and distinctive though.
[name]Elena[/name] is getting so popular. I’ve never really cared for it. I don’t think it’s anything special. If you decide to have a third and you name him/her something that doesn’t start with an E it might seem a bit strange. I voted for [name]Nadia[/name]. [name]Nadia[/name] sounds so exotic and flavorful. It has much more flare than [name]Elena[/name].
The same letter thing is not a huge deal to me. My mom was the lone girl with three brothers- all who had names that started with R while hers started with K. Not a problem. Still, letter thing aside, not a big fan of [name]Elena[/name], any spelling. [name]Nadia[/name] is really pretty though, so I vote for that one, but only if [name]Iris[/name] is totally off the table. [name]Iris[/name] is one of my main favorites.
I voted for [name]Elena[/name] which is lovely and pretty however I much prefer [name]Iris[/name] and [name]Lucia[/name]. My first choice would be [name]Iris[/name].
I don’t think you should avoid a name you love just because it has the same initial as your other daugher. My mum and her siblings initials go, in order, K K G B K so I def think it’s fine! Also my 4 male cousins are J J S H. I think if you have 3 siblings in a row with the same initial, you’ve basically established a pattern that I personally would feel tied to. However if it’s just the first two and it’s just coincidental that you happened to love two names with the same initial, I think thats fine and I wouldn’t feel tied to giving a 3rd child the same initial.
Good luck! 
[name]Elena[/name] is pretty and gentle, but I find it a little bland. [name]Nadia[/name] feels deeper to me.
[name]Nadia[/name] all the way! It’s beautiful!
Thanks for the feedback! Would love to hear more. If we go with [name]Elena[/name], she will have the exact same initials (including middle initial) as her older sister. The good news is that the initials don’t sound the same. We are choosing family names for the middle, and that’s just how it’s working out, both girls having the same middle initial.
[name]One[/name] thing I don’t like about [name]Nadia[/name] is that in Russian it’s technically a nickname for [name]Nadezhda[/name]. We won’t do [name]Nadezhda[/name] as a full name. Does the not obvious nicknaminess of [name]Nadia[/name] bother you?
I still do love [name]Iris[/name], but with our last name, which has an S in there, I’m just not sure we can pull it off. I’m leaning towards first names that are more melodious. [name]Love[/name] [name]Lucia[/name] a lot, but I’m not excited by the fact that it has three legit pronunciations.
I voted [name]Nadia[/name]! I wouldn’t worry about the nickname issue at all. It sounds like a full name, and most people probably won’t know that its a nickname in Russian. It seems very whole and legit like [name]Lydia[/name] or [name]Claudia[/name].
I’m also a [name]Lucia[/name] fan. Its pronunciations have been the draw back for me as well. I personally like Loo-see-ah the best.
I don’t think most people are aware that [name]Nadia[/name] is a nickname. I wouldn’t let that bother you.
I love [name]Elena[/name]. I guess popularity must be regional, because the only Elenas I know are adults from [name]Russia[/name], where as I know quite a few Nadias.
[name]Elena[/name] is perfect
I love both and voted [name]Elena[/name], but the more I think about it, the more I feel like it’s losing it’s unique feel - [name]Nadia[/name] feels less overplayed if that maters to you at all.