So I’ve posted several threads RE mine and DH’s naming dilemma with the name [name_f]Lana[/name_f], our absolute favorite baby girl name. But due to it’s frequent mispronunciation as [name_f]Layna[/name_f] or Laaaana (rhymes with banana) and very unfortunate backwards spelling, I’m not sure I can get comfortable with all I might be saddling my daughter with if I name her [name_f]Lana[/name_f] with the traditional spelling. I’m not typically a fan of alternate spellings but we adore the name and don’t want a name that would be mispronounced all the time, so after considering the spellings [name_f]Launa[/name_f] and Lahna and determining that they could both still be problematic (though Lahna probably less so than [name_f]Launa[/name_f]), we are now considering “[name_f]Lonna[/name_f]” as our one last hope of a somewhat foolproof spelling.
What are your thoughts on the name [name_f]Lonna[/name_f]? I know people can mess up the pronunciation of anything if they try hard enough, but [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] seems about as straight forward as you can get! Basically it’s [name_f]Donna[/name_f] with an L…though honestly that is part of our hesitation. No offense to anyone with the name [name_f]Donna[/name_f], but does the [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] spelling make the name less “special” and seem like a lame knockoff of [name_f]Donna[/name_f]? Or am I overthinking that part? I could see her telling people “it’s like [name_f]Donna[/name_f], with an L”, to clarify spelling or occasional pronunciation issues, so I wonder if that would somehow take away from the unique beauty of the name.
Any thoughts or feedback would be much appreciated! I’m due in 11 weeks but my son came a month early so time is ticking! I’m still searching to find another name we love just as much, but so far, not much luck.
I hate to say this to you, but I think the spelling of “[name_f]Lonna[/name_f]” totally changes the name. [name_f]Lana[/name_f] is semi-exotic, beautiful, and unique but familiar. [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] is a middle-aged woman (a la the era [name_f]Donna[/name_f] was popular), maybe kind of tired, and seems like a mispelling or made up name. Plus, according to nameberry, it seems to be pronounced Low-nah, not [name_f]Lana[/name_f]. Any name can be mispronounced, but I do think your preferred pronunciation is the most common one you will get with [name_f]Lana[/name_f].
I think it is much more likely to get the pronunciation you desire. Of course, there will always be people who mispronounce it, but I think the spelling will eliminate most of that. Good luck!
[name_f]Jesslyn[/name_f], your point is completely valid and the reason I’m so hesitant about the spelling. I’ll have to check on the Low-na pronunciation.
Nooshi, I feel the same way. [name_m]Just[/name_m] gotta decide if the spelling takes away too much from the beauty of the name. Decisions, decisions.
I would stick with [name_f]Lana[/name_f] too. The spelling looks fresh and minder while also having an exotic and “official” flair to it. [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] feels like a variant of [name_u]Lonnie[/name_u]/[name_u]Lonny[/name_u] (LAHN-ee) to me. ([name_u]Lonny[/name_u] is a diminutive english form or [name_m]Alonzo[/name_m] - “noble and ready" and not related to [name_f]Lana[/name_f] - “little rock” or “handsome”).
I would pronounce [name_f]Lana[/name_f] LAH-nah. [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] I’d pronounce LAHN-ə. I think I mentioned this in a previous thread but I’d keep [name_f]Lana[/name_f] and tell people it’s pronounced like [name_f]Svetlana[/name_f]. (Very few people would say Svetlayna or Svetlaaaana.)
[name_f]Lonna[/name_f] will definitely get the pronunciation you want. I like it a lot. I think it’s smart because you aren’t going to see it in the top 100 yet it is familiar and easy to pronounce and modern & feminine. I am a fan of short names that stand out because they are counterculture. [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] rocks, and I say go for it.
I’m going to be blunt here and I hope you take it in the spirit my advice is given. First, there were Hollywood actresses named [name_f]Lana[/name_f] [name_m]Turner[/name_m] and [name_f]Lana[/name_f] [name_m]Wood[/name_m]. Today, we have singer [name_f]Lana[/name_f] del [name_u]Ray[/name_u] and [name_f]Alana[/name_f] (aka [name_f]Honey[/name_f] [name_u]Boo[/name_u] [name_u]Boo[/name_u]) so most people should be aware of how to pronounce this name (lah-nah). I don’t agree with changing the spelling of a prefectly fine name simply due to the ignorance of others. The [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] spelling doesn’t make YOU look educated. Stick with [name_f]Lana[/name_f] and everyone wins. Your daughter will have a name that is correctly spelled and others can learn how to pronoune it if they don’t already know. Knowledge is power.
Thanks; I appreciate the feedback and certainly don’t take offense. I have thought about the [name_f]Lana[/name_f] del [name_m]Rey[/name_m] thing and wondered if that could help people learn to better pronounce it in the future. However, I have also talked to people with the name [name_f]Lana[/name_f] who have told me that it is mispronounced more than it is mispronounced corruptly, so I know it will undoubtedly get mispronounced a lot and that’s what I have to wrestle with.
[name_m]Both[/name_m] are going to get mispronounced, that’s just how it is, and it’s not that big of a deal. I think you’re over thinking it. You have a better chance with [name_f]Lana[/name_f], because that’s the traditional spelling and then there’s the singer [name_f]Lana[/name_f] del [name_u]Ray[/name_u], so I think it would be find. Go with [name_f]Lana[/name_f].
Yes. Also, [name_f]Lana[/name_f] is much more familiar to me than [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] and I could imagine people thinking that [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] is a typo and was supposed to be [name_f]Lorna[/name_f].
I like [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] as a spelling alternative but because I would say [name_f]Lana[/name_f] the same way I say that [name_f]Lana[/name_f] is still a great spelling. What’s going to bother you more the spelling errors of [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] or when people mispronounce [name_f]Lana[/name_f]?
I agree with pp that [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] takes away from the beauty of the name. I would also pronounce it more like 'LAWN-uh" than Lahn-a. I know you’ve been struggling with the spelling of this name for fear of mispronunciation and [name_f]Lana[/name_f] spelled backwards (which I really don’t think will be an issue, most people don’t even think of it.) However, I think [name_f]Lana[/name_f] is beautiful and classic, while [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] looks a little made-up and kind of dated (perhaps because it reminds me of [name_f]Donna[/name_f]).
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you want your daughter to be called a name that sounds like LAH-nuh or [name_m]LON[/name_m]-nuh (with a short ‘o’, to rhyme with [name_f]Donna[/name_f])? Because the name ‘[name_f]Lana[/name_f]’ is pronounced LAH-nuh, isn’t it? And [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] is just a completely different name.
I think she wants [name_f]Lana[/name_f] pronounced just like [name_f]Lana[/name_f] [name_u]Del[/name_u] [name_u]Ray[/name_u] and [name_f]Lana[/name_f] turner. Which is technically the correct or at least most common pronunciation. Not with the Lan- sounds that is in the word “land.”
The million dollar question. I would say the pronunciation would bother me more, except for the fact that the [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] spelling just seems less attractive/appealing.
Thanks for all the great feedback everyone. It sounds like a lot of you have the same feeling about [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] as I do; it’s just not as pretty, and makes it seem like a dated spin on [name_f]Donna[/name_f] and takes away from the unique beauty/exotic feel of the name. I was hoping perhaps it was just me, but clearly it’s not, lol. I’ve still got a lot of thinking to do.
I would say the pronunciation would bother me more, except for the fact that the [name_f]Lonna[/name_f] spelling just seems less attractive/appealing. 