Elena

[ChristineDaae]

What's the general feeling on Elena? Is it an old lady name? It's a totally different style to DDs name, which is a 'surname-first name' but that not too big a deal is it?

[FriskyHenderson]

There's hundreds of them in DC's school. Either Eeee-layna or Eee-lin-ah or Eleanor depending on origin of parents.

I don't see it as an old lady name at all.

[Zoe678]

Italian. Only potential problem I can see is that people could say ELLena or elENNa or elayna.

[LostMarbles99]

I think it's a beautiful name and I've never met anyone in with the name.

Def not an old lady name.

Am quite sure there aren't hundreds of them in any school!

[TakingThePea]

Not an old lady name at all!

I've met quite a few through work who were usually from eastern European countries.

I think it's really pretty.

[TakingThePea]

Also I pronounce it as E-lay-nah. From experience!

[ChristineDaae]

Oh yeah, we would pronounce it Eh-lay-na. General consensus is people don't hate it then

[InkleWinkle]

I know one. Pronounced E-lay-nah.
I think it's beautiful.

[tiredismymiddlename]

Love it and was going to choose it for DS, was worried that it would be pronounced as Helena without the H and I wanted it pronounced Elayna so ended up choosing another name. I suppose I could have spent it Elayna instead though? Oh the benefit of hindsight!

[badtime]

I know at least three pronunciations of Helena, (including Helayna), so saying it would be pronounced 'like Helena without the H' doesn't really narrow it down.

[wigglesrock]

This was going to be dd3 name. I love it, I say E lay na. But I then heard a couple of people pronounce it like Eleanor or Elinor and I couldn't get the love back for it. Eleanor is a nice name but it wasn't one that I wanted.

I'm not sure why it put me off so much but it did - we went for Anna.

[KenDoddsDadsDog]

I know an Italian Elena, really like it .

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

Lovely. I'm surprised people are pronouncing it differently. I would have thought there were enough Elena's from Eastern Europe, amongst other places, around now to make it more of a common (in the popular sense!) name.

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

God that was a badly constructed paragraph .

[TheLeftovermonster]

It's my DD2's name, so I like it. Had no idea people would pronounce it in different ways in English and I have to agree it is a bit annoying.

[Zoe678]

Wow, I'm so curious. what could somebody say about Elena that would get deleted ???

[CressidaMontgomery]

It was just a spambot message that had no bearing on the thread

[Iamgoodbutnotanangel]

I love it, I've been watching Vampire Diearies and one of the lead characters is Elena.

[alexpolistigers]

I love this name, it's very pretty. I would have said EH-leh-na.

[sleepingbeautiful]

I know two spelled this way, one is 20something and one 30something. Don't know any old ladies or little kids.
They both pronounce it Eh-leh-na not Eh-lay-na.

[FriskyHenderson]

But the Spanish Elena Is not the same pronunciation as the Italian or Eastern European.

[JumpingJackSprat]

i love it ever since i saw the zorro film witb antonio banderas... beautiful name.

[SlowlyGoingRoundTheBend]

I have one but with double L (pronounced Ell -en - a)! I have always loved it, very feminine. Mine usually goes by Elle now she is teenage though. Have never met anyone else with the name or known of any other girls with it all through her school days. People will always write it as Eleanor though .

[Cies]

Dd is Isabel Elena - she's half Spanish so we say e LE na.