Pronounced the same way as the masculine counterpart [name_m]Leon[/name_m]. I was always a fan of [name_m]Leon[/name_m]. It’s cool and mature sounding. I’ve also always thought that it would be an interesting name for a girl (maybe I’m crazy). It wasn’t until recently that I even discovered [name_f]Lian[/name_f] and of course I fell in love with it immediately. The only difference is the spelling so it’s basically perfect. However I think I would prefer the [name_m]Leon[/name_m] spelling for it, even for a girl.
I was wondering what you all thought. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you like the name [name_f]Lian[/name_f]? Which spelling of it do you prefer? Am I going too far out there to still want the male spelling for a girl?
I know a [name_f]Lian[/name_f] who pronounces it exactly like [name_f]Leanne[/name_f], so I view it the same way. A bit dated and not too special.
[name_m]Leon[/name_m] is a very distinctly male name, to me, so perhaps name her [name_f]Leontine[/name_f] or [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] with the nn [name_m]Leon[/name_m]? It’s just too much of a male name to award a female on its own, I’m afraid; like naming a girl [name_m]Cecil[/name_m] or [name_m]Charles[/name_m].
I thought it was pronounced [name_f]Leanne[/name_f]. [name_f]Lian[/name_f] is a unique spelling but it will probably get mispronounced. There’s always [name_f]Leona[/name_f], which is very pretty.
I’ve known 2 Lians. One pronounced it like the name [name_f]Leanne[/name_f]. The other was more like [name_u]Lee[/name_u]-in. I think you’d have quite a few pronunciation issues if you want it pronounced like [name_m]Leon[/name_m]. I think [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] or [name_f]Leona[/name_f] is a better alternative.
[name_m]Leon[/name_m] and [name_f]Lian[/name_f] are not counterparts. [name_f]Lian[/name_f] is a Chinese name. I don’t think people should use Chinese names unless they have some knowledge of the written language, as you lose so much of the history and meaning when you lose the characters. I mean, is 莲 (which isn’t pronounced like [name_m]Leon[/name_m]) the name you want? That is a common name which means lotus (莲花). The nameberry entry says [name_f]Lian[/name_f] means “graceful willow” which would not only have a different “spelling” but likely a different tonal pronunciation as well. Since Chinese is a tonal language, if you are going to use a name but use different tones in the pronunciation (to force the name to be closer to [name_m]Leon[/name_m], for example), it would be like a Chinese person using an English name and deciding to swap an “f” with a “b” because they like it better that way. It turns the name into nonsense.
If you’re willing to go into made-up territory, I think Lionne or Lyonne would be better on a girl than [name_m]Leon[/name_m].
And I don’t see how [name_f]Lian[/name_f] = [name_m]Leon[/name_m] pronunciation wise, even just phonetically (without the added struggle of the actual Chinese pronunciation/tone).
I’ve been thinking about [name_f]Lianne[/name_f] or [name_f]Lianna[/name_f] a lot recently though (due to [name_f]Lianne[/name_f] la Havas, probably). It looks so much more wearable than dated [name_f]Leanne[/name_f], and I think it’s quite pretty.
Some people who have the name [name_f]Lian[/name_f] have posted that they pronounce it “lee-awn” which is why I got so excited about it. There are other ways to pronounce it though.
[name_f]Leona[/name_f] is pretty. I know there are multiple ways to pronounce it too and they’re all pretty sounding.
Slightly confused about how [name_f]Lian[/name_f] sounds like [name_m]Leon[/name_m] - I pronounce [name_m]Leon[/name_m] [name_u]Lee[/name_u]-on (short o) but would never think to pronounce [name_f]Lian[/name_f] that way, I would say it either like [name_f]Leanne[/name_f] or [name_u]LEE[/name_u]-uhn
I kind of like some masculine names as nns for girls names ([name_m]Leo[/name_m] for [name_f]Leonora[/name_f] for example) so maybe, like someone suggested, [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] or even [name_f]Leonora[/name_f] with nn [name_m]Leon[/name_m]
[name_m]Even[/name_m] though I’d be using the name so suit how I like it more, I’d still be happy with it that way. I can see where you’re coming from though. The meanings of names used to not be that important to me. As long as I loved the way they sounded I was happy with them. That’s been changing lately though. I guess if I really wanted to I could just use Lionne or Lyonne or some other type of spelling for it. If that was the case though, I could still just use the [name_f]Lian[/name_f] spelling for it I think.
Thank you for informing me of its origins. I should have done that on my own instead of just assuming…
I’m not a fan of nicknames… I do like the idea for some masculine names on girls though. Out of all the names that have been suggested I like [name_f]Leonora[/name_f] and [name_f]Leona[/name_f] the most.
