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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

will people know how to pronounce Elena?

64 replies

MrsCharlieD · 05/01/2014 21:32

Hi ladies Im just after some feedback really. We've decided if bimba turns out to be a girl that we will name her Elena. We've shared this with close family and have had people mispronouncing it which had never crossed my mind would happen. so far I've heard e-len-a, a-leen-a and ee-len-ar. Is this a difficult name to know how to pronounce? We have always pronounced it e-lay-na x

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SoupDragon · 07/01/2014 13:12

I would pronounce it E-lay-na unless told otherwise.

Jeezimacasalinga · 07/01/2014 13:10

In Italian it's E-len-a. In Spanish it's E-lay-na. In Greek its E-lee-na. We are Italian so our DD1 is E-len-a. As we live in London, her name is often pronounced wrongly at first, because of all these different (and all correct!) versions of pronunciation. She often gets Eleanor, too. However, people are very quick to get it right, it's not a big problem!

SomethingOnce · 07/01/2014 09:44

The last one I knew was an e-LEN-a, so I'd probably default to that unless I knew otherwise.

YoungBritishPissArtist · 06/01/2014 23:06

I would say it el-LAY-nah but I do know someone who pronounces it like Eleanor.

Alisvolatpropiis · 06/01/2014 23:02

I'd say El-ee-na. This was how a Greek girl I knew said it and I've never met another.

Think CZJ was an Eh-lay-na in the Zorro films though

BuffyxSummers · 06/01/2014 19:52

I'd pronounce it Eh-lay-na if I saw it written down. I've heard it as Eh-lyeh-na too. You'll just have to correct people like us who say it the way you don't like Grin

CarryOnDancing · 06/01/2014 18:15

I'd pn it the same as you. I also like Alena, pn the same apart from the A obviously!

Frikadellen · 06/01/2014 17:23

I would say E-len-ah As the 2 with the name i have known pronounced it that way.. but Once told how i would say it as you wanted it.

OBehaveMaeve · 06/01/2014 13:54

Eh-LEN-ah.

ElAYna is wrong as it's taking a foreign name and pronouncing it as though it were English? But obviously how you pronounce your own child's name is your decision.

DollarDollarBills · 06/01/2014 13:28

I would pronounce it E - lay - na

ClaudiusMaximus · 06/01/2014 06:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

sleepywombat · 06/01/2014 06:42

This reply has been deleted

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MissPlumBroughtALadder · 06/01/2014 06:31

I knew an Ellen-ah Elena so that's how I think of it now. Beautiful name.

Original poster
MrsCharlieD · 06/01/2014 06:21

Thanks elquinto x

OP posts:
elQuintoConyo · 06/01/2014 03:43

E-láy-na for me, but I have a Spanish DSil called Helena and that is how it's pronounced.

Congratulations and best wishes for Sunday Thanks

Original poster
MrsCharlieD · 06/01/2014 03:37

Thank you for all the responses. Very much appreciated. We are sticking with Elena and will find out on Sunday if we need to use it x

OP posts:
wigglesrock · 05/01/2014 22:17

We had picked Elena for dd3 quite early on in the pregnancy. But I just couldn't settle with the different pronunciations. I heard it said more like Elinor at one point & that just sunk it for me. Elinor is a lovely name but it wasn't the name I wanted. We went for something else.

I will always have a soft spot for Elena Smile

Rosieliveson · 05/01/2014 22:08

I know a baby Elena pronounced elEHna nn ellie. I first said elAYna but changed as soon as I was corrected. Probably won't matter as no one who knows you or dd well enough to need I pronounce it will need telling more than once.

flyingelephants · 05/01/2014 21:59

i am an El-en-a. I like my name and I liked having an unusual name, but spent years correcting peoples spelling/pronounciation and I did get annoyed at times. I have had people insist I am pronouncing it wrong (a teacher at school many years ago spent the whole 5 years I was at the school telling me that my name was E-lay-na, that was the only correct way to say it and that was much nicer than El-en-a anyway!) In the end I gave up correcting people and got used to being called many different variations. I have been known by a nickmane for years now which I don't like as much and is a very common name but it is simple to both spell and pronounce. On the rare occasions where my full name is used (hospital appointments etc) it is rare that it is pronounced my way and even if I correct people, generally most people seem to continue to say it the way they think is correct regardless.

I still like the name though and the way you pronounce it is more common I think, so might not be such an issue.

Wednesbury · 05/01/2014 21:58

Also randomly at a pre-school group one of the mothers was named Elena and she pronounced it the same way as us. She was Spanish I think.

Middleagedmotheroftwo · 05/01/2014 21:57

I know an e-LEN- a. With the emphasis on the middle syllable.

Wednesbury · 05/01/2014 21:57

I have an Elena and we pronounce it your way (E LAY na). There is another at her nursery too and she pronounces it the same way.

It is sometimes pronounced wrongly by people who aren't sure but it's no big problem for us. It is one of those names that can be pronounced either way as it is used in quite a few different countries across the world. I wouldn't be put off. I'm very glad we chose it and DD loves her name.

chartreuse · 05/01/2014 21:50

I know an El-en-a

Original poster
MrsCharlieD · 05/01/2014 21:49

Hi pussycat according to what I've read the origin is Spanish but who knows? We would definitely want it pronounced eh-lay-na x

OP posts:
HyvaPaiva · 05/01/2014 21:47

Eh-LAY-nah

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