I have always had this fascination in girl names ending in -lene or -leen. And I came across Maylene as an interesting name. What are your opinions?
Other ideas include [name_f]Marlene[/name_f], [name_f]Darlene[/name_f], [name_f]Arlene[/name_f], [name_f]Cathleen[/name_f], [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f] or [name_f]Eileen[/name_f].
I went to high school with a girl from the Philippines named Mailene and always thought it was interesting! It’s not my style and I find most -lene endings sound pretty dated but I do think they usually make really pretty middle names and help with the flow of a lot of FNs.
If I had to choose, my favorite is [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f].
I’m not a fan of Maylene. [name_f]May[/name_f] on its own however I do like. I like [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f]/[name_f]Cathleen[/name_f] and [name_f]Eileen[/name_f].
I think the -lene/-leen sound still sounds really dated to my ear. Not a fan of Mailene.
I like Maylene from all your choices. My personal favorite “leen” name is [name_f]Selene[/name_f]/[name_f]Celine[/name_f].
I agree that many “lene” names feel dated, but for whatever reason, [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f] seems to be used more continuously and so sounds pretty current. I really like [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f].
Names that end in -lene/-leen such as the ones you listed tend to seem very dated to me. Not all of the names that end that way, but all the ones you’ve listed do. Maylene seems very made up to me.
Pretty but a little plastic, it does me think of Maybelline makeup too…
I think it has a very pleasant sound but feels a bit dated to me. I think a name like [name_f]Mae[/name_f] or [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] would be a more updated version. I also agree with @amynic who said her favorite “leen” names are [name_f]Selene[/name_f]/[name_f]Celine[/name_f].
I think Maylene is fine, but as previous posters have said, it sounds kind of made-up/dated. If you were hesitant to use it as a first for those (or other) reasons, you could do something like [name_f]May[/name_f] [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f] “Maylene/Mayleen” as a nickname, or even [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f] or [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f] or something. Of your list my favorite is [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f]. I have a cousin named Murlene (personally not my favorite, but you might like it). If I saw Maylene I think I might assume you were honoring someone name [name_f]May[/name_f] and/or someone with a -lene name.
I agree that leen endings tend to be a little dated sounding. But Maylene is probaby one of the nicer ones. I prefer the spelling Mailene that someone else mentioned better than Maylene.
[i][b]My middle name is [name_f]Marlene[/name_f] and I have always liked it because I was the only one I knew of with the name and people used to say that they liked it. You also had the few who said that they disliked the name because it sounded “old and dated”… I do prefer [name_f]Marlene[/name_f] to Maylene, because I know of a girl called Mailey and people used to tease her all the time yelling “MAIL ME! MAIL ME! FedEx…” However, if you are spelling the name as Maylene, your daughter might not receive the same treatment as the girl named Mailey. I just felt so sorry for her.
[name_f]Eileen[/name_f] has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. I love the way that it rolls off of the tongue so perfectly…
I will suggest the name Baylene / Baileen, as it is very similar to Mayleen. Personally, I prefer the name Baileen as it can have the nickname [name_u]Bailey[/name_u] or [name_f]Bailee[/name_f] which sounds very pretty and altogether lovely. But that is just my personal taste, and my taste is not what really matters here. You must name your daughter the name that feels right to you, and I know it is hard, but try not to let other people’s opinions taint your views of a name that you love so very much. [name_f]Remember[/name_f] that you will always come across people that love and hate certain names and it is always going to be this way!
Best of luck to you hun x[/b][/i]
Maylene isn’t my typical style but I think it has a nice sound and isn’t popular. I also like the spelling Mailene that was suggested above.
I really like it! Sweet, songlike, with a retro flair. From your list, I also love [name_f]Marlene[/name_f] and [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f].
I have such a warm association with this name, my late grandmother always had Siamese cats. When I was a little girl she had Maylene.I think spelled [name_f]Mai[/name_f]-Leen though. I lived with her for a long time when my grandmother was sick and came to love that cat and her name so much. I would also like it on a person. It isn’t my usual style but the sound is certainly lovely.
None of the above…but may I suggest [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f], or [name_f]Justine[/name_f]?