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Baby names

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

Original poster

Hanna or Lea

66 replies

Annaeve · 14/05/2020 21:31

Which name do you like more? (They're equivalents of Hannah and Leah, different spelling due to my origin). I'm lost cause I really like Lea right now but for years I had thought I'd call my daughter Hanna so it feels like I'm betraying the name haha.

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REdReDRE · 16/05/2020 19:08

I LOVE Hanna! With or without the second h. Not as keen Lea but don't dislike it.

Quizeerascal · 16/05/2020 19:03

I slightly prefer Hanna, they're both lovely classic names though. I've definitely met British Hannas though so wouldn't find the lack of a second h particularly disconcerting Smile

GoulashSoup · 16/05/2020 18:55

I love Hanna and Leah but would have pronounced Lea as Lee. It was the name of my grandparents house, Lea Croft, with Lea being an old word for glade or meadow I’m English. Choosing to spell it to reflect your background is nice but it is likely to get mispronounced and misspelled.

Original poster
Annaeve · 15/05/2020 09:36

I think the London district is Lee not Lea unless you mean a different place

OP posts:
Original poster
Annaeve · 15/05/2020 09:35

Thanks everyone for your input! I'm surprised it's so controversial to skip a silent "h" when so many people these days pick the most unusual, hard-to -pronounce names they can think of :D (we have a toddler too so I'm around lots of kids).

To me, it's not "changing a perfectly fine name" as these spellings have existed for at least as long as the English ones in other parts of the world (I think they are both Hebrew names originally?)

But I do appreciate everyone's views especially in terms of having to spell it or correct people, rather than just being anti them because they're not English. Thanks again!

OP posts:
idontevenknowanyonecalledblurb · 15/05/2020 07:50

One of these is my name and I love it but it is always spelt wrong! Everyone wants to put the h on the end. Also I could never get anything with my name on from shops as a child! Smile

LotusClover · 15/05/2020 07:46

I don't like Hannah with the h at the end, but Hanna looked unfinished. And I agree that it's dated.

I love Lea and actually think it looks better without the h. I assumed it was pronounced "leah" rather than "lee". Nothing against spelling it this way personally, but be prepared for a lot of misspellings and mispronunciations if you're living in England.

Anyway, regardless of the h's at the end, Lea wins for me.

CeriBerry · 15/05/2020 02:28

It’s depressing how much people on here think everything needs to be Anglicised! For what it’s worth, the spellings Hanna and Lea are both commonly used in Wales (which is part of the UK, though you wouldn’t think it by some of the attitudes on this thread!)

Lovely names OP. I prefer Lea

DoreensEatingHerSoreen · 15/05/2020 02:24

My two sisters are Leah and Hannah!
So I couldn't possibly choose between them Grin

Staffori · 15/05/2020 02:15

Hannah and Leah are two of my favourite girls' names. I have a slight preference for Leah. However, I strongly dislike unconventional spellings and if I saw the name Lea, I would definitely think it was pronounced Lee. Well, the word lea meaning 'meadow' is pronounced lee. Lea is also a district of south-east London.

DramaAlpaca · 15/05/2020 01:01

Hanna.

I prefer it without the 'h' on the end.

Motherontheedge1 · 15/05/2020 00:45

Hanna

WantToBeMum · 15/05/2020 00:44

I like both names but prefer Hanna (it's one of my choices too). I would know how to pronounce both correctly without the H! Why not use both?
Hanna Lea is pretty.
I also know someone named Hannelia!

Ifeelinclined · 14/05/2020 23:50

Speaking as a Leah myself (guess I will be name-changing soon!), even with an H at the end of my name I still get called Lee sometimes. So I think Lea would be fine, but maybe I'm partial Wink

Chippednailpolish · 14/05/2020 23:47

Hanna. Beautiful name.

That was our preferred girls name and with the same spelling. (We had a boy though this time)

AndMyHairWillShineLikeTheSea · 14/05/2020 23:38

Hannah and Leah are both gorgeous. If you live in the UK then please include the H.

Why?

snidgetowl · 14/05/2020 23:33

Hanna is beautiful. For some strange reason I'm not keen on it with the h at the end, but love it without!

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 14/05/2020 23:14

Hanna. I do like Leah. However it will cause confusion with the Lea spelling.

bridgetreilly · 14/05/2020 23:13

Hanna is lovely. I'd stick with that.

WinWinnieTheWay · 14/05/2020 22:49

Hannah and Leah are both gorgeous. If you live in the UK then please include the H.

GirlCalledJames · 14/05/2020 22:49

The xenophobia is so depressing. People don’t need to anglicise themselves to be acceptable.

Blursula · 14/05/2020 22:47

Lea is beautiful. I would know how to pronounce it and would think most people would. Hanna I find a bit dated, sorry

helpmum2003 · 14/05/2020 22:44

Hanna

Homebirdafterall · 14/05/2020 22:42

I prefer Leah if you spell it with an h at the end. My sister named her daughter Lea but within a week they added the h because all of us pronounced it "lee" without the h there!

Spied · 14/05/2020 22:35

Lea(h)
I personally think of Hannah as dated.