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Baby names

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Original poster

Elena, Isabela, Oksana Milena?

44 replies

NadineKm · 04/01/2020 00:18

1st DD, due in May, DP is eastern European and we wanted a name which goes with her Eastern European surname but isn't completely foreign to English as we live in Wales (she'll have a Welsh middle name. We got it down to Elena, Isabela, Oksana and Milena but can't make up our minds! Any advice would be gratefully appreciated!

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ButterflyRuns · 06/01/2020 00:02

Elena is lovely! Isabela would be my 2nd but people probably won't make the link because Isabella is a popular name nowadays.

Rabbit600 · 06/01/2020 00:00

I like Elena

PiafPilaf · 05/01/2020 22:50

I’d worry that Elena would be mispronounced constantly as Eleanor! I like all of them though. How about Mila?

RickOShay · 05/01/2020 22:43

I love love Oksana.
I also like Valentina, Tatania and Natalya.

Kevintherootvegetable · 05/01/2020 20:48

Isabela is going to be a name that will be constantly misspelled. My daughter's name is a variant of this and incorrect spelling of her name annoys her on a regular basis. Elena is lovely and more unusual.

Militantmartha · 05/01/2020 20:38

They are all pretty names. Oksana and Milena will have a strong Eastern European association in the UK (especially Oksana which sounds very Russian) whereas Isabela and Elena won't to most people so depends how much you want the name to stand out for its roots.

A few extra suggestions for you ... Alina, Petra and Valentina are all pretty names.

Whatsyourflava · 05/01/2020 17:36

Isabela also lovely

Whatsyourflava · 05/01/2020 17:36

Elena is nice

5LeafClover · 05/01/2020 17:27

Elana is a stand out favorite to me from your list. Really pretty name, flows beautifully in Welsh accent.

Xmasdiet · 05/01/2020 15:01

Isabela is lovely, but Elena is perfect-such a pretty name without being over the top and it would suit all ages.

DivGirl · 05/01/2020 08:57

Elena is lovely, Oksana is okay(?), And Isabela is fairly inoffensive.

My first thought when I read Milena was that it's a symptom of internal bleeding, but then I realised it's spelt differently. Pronounced similarly though? I wouldn't use it for that reason.

TooGood2BTrue · 05/01/2020 08:26

I lile Elena. How about any of these: Katya, Nadya, Irina, Natalya, Neva?

CeeceeBloomingdale · 05/01/2020 08:19

I dont like Oksana, the others are nice

lowlandLucky · 05/01/2020 08:17

Elena is perfect

Ihaveamind · 05/01/2020 03:13

I like them all in order of preference Oksana, Elena, Milena, Isabela.
I'm not Welsh though so my pronunciations are probably different to how her friends and neighbours will say her name.
Although I think most words sound nice in a Welsh accent. ☺️

Ritascornershop · 05/01/2020 03:06

I think Oksana is gorgeous. Also like Elizaveta (not on your list saying). Isabella is lovely, but maybe over-used?

Januaryjanuary · 05/01/2020 03:00

Just some extra ideas

Januaryjanuary · 05/01/2020 02:58

Isabella
Elena
Helena
Lydia
Anya

L0bstersLass · 05/01/2020 01:38

Aarghh pressed post too soon - aforementioned video is here...

L0bstersLass · 05/01/2020 01:37

Poorolddaddypig - I'd imagine she'd get called Sana for short.
The accent is on the S, not the A.

This video of Judge Rinder's time on Strictly when he was paired with Oksana has her name pronounced twice in the first 12 seconds.
She was great pro. Shame she only did the one series.

Poorolddaddypig · 05/01/2020 00:21

I really don’t like Oksana. It sounds like it sound be spelt Ox-Ana and just makes me think of a big lumbering ox. It just sounds quite burly to me - it gives the impression of someone large and slow. Also what if she was called Ox for short? Or Oxy? I like the others! Elena is my favorite - I would have gone for Milena had I not read the comments above about bloody stool Sad

SleepingStandingUp · 04/01/2020 12:07

Oksana or Miilena.

Isabela is sooo popular and no longer has any cultural links. Elena has Welsh vibes but also generic ones too so again you lose the cultural link

EssentialHummus · 04/01/2020 11:58

Russian DH here - of all your names I think Elena is the stand-out winner. Or Anya, as PP said. Isabella (that’s my sense of the correct spelling) is lovely but to me an Italian name. Oksana sounds very harsh (though the one I know is lovely!).

Omashu · 04/01/2020 11:56

Also I don’t see how Ox teasing would be inevitable or even an issue Confused

Omashu · 04/01/2020 11:55

I was only thinking yesterday about how much I love the name Oksana! So beautiful 🥰