I’m rounding out my top 3 girl names, which are currently [name]Veronica[/name] [name]Lenore[/name], [name]Gwen[/name] [name]Cordelia[/name], and [name]Helena[/name] [name]Daphne[/name] and I am trying to decide if [name]Helena[/name] just has too many possible pronunciations to use.
I generally avoid names that are hard to pronounce, but [name]Helena[/name] is in a different basket with a lot of different possibilities that are legitimate (Hel-[name]AYN[/name]-uh, Hel-LEEN-uh, or Hel-IN-uh)… do you think that would be a problem? Are you bothered when your first name is pronounced wrong?
Personally, my last name gets mushed a lot and it doesn’t bother me, but my first name is pretty hard to mistake so I’ve never considered it much.
I think both pronunciations are pretty and they are not so very different that one feels like it wouldn’t work. In most areas one pronunciation is more common. I personally don’t see it as a problem, but it’s yours to live with.
I think some names are worth the hassle and the classically beautiful [name]Helena[/name] is one of them. I believe the original Greek pronunciation is “[name]Helen[/name]-ah”. Most people choose the pronunciation they like best and go with it! I noticed the similar sound of [name]Gwen[/name] and [name]Helena[/name]. Is that ok with you?
My name is [name]Susanne[/name], pronounced Sooz + [name]Anne[/name], but I am very frequently called [name]Susan[/name]. I absolutely HATE being called [name]Susan[/name] (SOOZ + un). It’s basically a problem of people putting the stress on the wrong syllable. French and Spanish speakers have no problem with my name. I guess I don’t like [name]Susan[/name], partly ‘cause it’s just not my name, but also because several of my childhood friends’ mom’s names are [name]Susan[/name]. As a little girl, [name]Susan[/name] was a Mom name so of course, it didn’t suit me at all.
You mean that the Helen-ah pronunciation shares an -en sound with Gwen? Yeah, that’s fine with me. The difference in the starter/ending sounds and the number of syllables makes it ok, I think. I tend to pronounce Helena as Hel-AYN-uh and with that pronunciation they don’t share anything except a strong N sound.
When I was growing up people always butchered the pronunciation of my first name, I hated it. And I mean really hated it. It was also mistaken often enough for other names, so I’d get called by the wrong name in school by teachers and they’d get pissed off when I thought they were talking to someone else so I didn’t respond.
That said, I don’t think you’d have that big of a problem with [name]Helena[/name]. It’s fairly easy for most people to pronounce. I tend to pronounce it as “[name]Helen[/name]-ah”. It’s a beautiful classic name.
You’d probably have to correct people a few times… I wouldn’t know how to pronounce [name]Helena[/name] just by looking at it. I would probably say Hel-[name]AYN[/name]-uh because that’s my favourite pronunciation. Only you can really decide if it’s worth it. If you love it, use it!
