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Baby names

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

Original poster

full names for Leni

44 replies

ladycarlotta · 08/05/2019 23:21

Really love the name Leni for a girl - usually it's short for Helen/a which I don't love. Any thoughts on a full name that might suggest it? I guess there's Eleanor...

(this is entirely academic as I had a daughter a few months ago and named her something else, but I love her so much I'm already plotting the next.)

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may3120 · 16/07/2020 09:46

Zombie thread 🚨

BatleyTownswomensGuild · 16/07/2020 07:50

I think Leni can be a stand-alone name. My German friend has a daughter called Leni.

Rhi14 · 16/07/2020 00:42

Eleni is my daughter's name and she now known mostly as Leni. We have a lot of compliments about it and i really love the name. It's also natural nickname for Eleni as you just remove the E.
Go for it !!

stellarfox · 12/05/2019 08:18

Already been suggested but I love love love Lenore, Lenora and Leonora. They are all so pretty and would be perfect with Leni as a nickname

Dinolady · 12/05/2019 06:36

I know an Eleni (which is a gorgeous name) and the infant Lennon i know is always called Lenni (which i adore).

niceberg · 12/05/2019 05:43

I know a lovely young girl called Eleni, age 10, who is known by all as Leni. Love it. She has a Greek connection but you wouldn’t need to to choose the name.

ThatCurlyGirl · 12/05/2019 05:27

OP - how are you thinking of pronouncing Leni?

One of my fave TV characters of all time is Elaine from Seinfeld who was affectionately called Lainey (pronounces as lay-nee) which I think is so pretty!

Strokethefurrywall · 12/05/2019 03:45

DS2 was going to be a Valentina next Leni which is also my mums nn and she's a Lenore.

I love Lenore but DH wasn't sure about naming daughter after a living grandmother. So I chose something half way between and settled on her nickname.

As it turns out we had a boy but I absolutely would have used Leni for a girl, it's fantastic!

Eledamorena · 12/05/2019 02:49

Great thread OP, I also love the nickname Leni but not taken with Helen or other obvious names it could come from. If we ever had another girl I would be posting this exact thread. You've saved me the bother! Some good ideas here.

dolphin50 · 10/05/2019 14:02

Anne Franks aunt was called Leni and full name was Helene

Abi197 · 10/05/2019 10:05

Friend from school called Alaina, we called her "Lainey" which I assume is the same pronounciation as Leni?

Hungrymamabear · 09/05/2019 20:04

Eleni, Elena, Leonora, Leonie, Lainey, Eleanor, Eleonora, Millennia, Nicolina, selinia,

oohbubbles1 · 09/05/2019 19:59

I know a Lennon nn Lenny and I think its brilliant 😍 also Elena, Lena or Marilena? x

FannyOMalley · 09/05/2019 17:57

The Leni I know is Aleyna.

AnnoyedByAlfieBear · 09/05/2019 17:53

The Leni I know is a Valentina.

WyncyG · 09/05/2019 17:34

A best friend of mine in teenage years was a Leni (pronounced Lenny!) which was short for Lenitta (len-ee-ta) which always bugged me because for that pronunciation it should definitely only have had one 't'. The perils of making up your own baby names!
So Lenita maybe? Very individual but immediately recognisable as a name, and no other nickname would be more obvious than Leni

ForTheSakeOfTheFox · 09/05/2019 13:42

Elin?

Icklepup · 09/05/2019 13:11

Melanie
Lenia

Peregrina · 09/05/2019 09:02

Celine or Selina?

Leni Reifenstal was Helene Bertha Amalie, so the Leni could either have come from the Helene or the Amalie.

CloserIAm2Fine · 09/05/2019 08:13

I love Elena or Eleni

daisypond · 09/05/2019 07:55

Marlene?

Cbeebiesrehab · 09/05/2019 07:37

Eleni or maybe Elena

tdam · 09/05/2019 03:10

I love Leni, I've considered it for my daughter as a nickname either for Eleanor or Lennon. I love both although I'd probably go with Lennon, it has spunk in my opinion. I'm not usually into unisex names but in this case I think it works.

zen1 · 09/05/2019 01:11

Charlene on Neighbours (going back 30 years!)was always called Leni for short. That’s the only time I’ve ever heard it as a shortening.

Original poster
ladycarlotta · 09/05/2019 01:05

Is this for a sister to Adolf?

oh boy! You can't seriously say Leni is in the same bracket as Adolf. There are still hundreds of thousands of Helenes, Lenes and Lenis in Europe. By that logic nobody would be calling their kids Eva, Otto, Richard, Albert, Heinrich or Hans.

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