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Baby names

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Original poster

Thoughts on Lyra?

85 replies

Livingbysea · 01/10/2024 16:13

Hi everyone,

im due to have a baby girl in 3 weeks and my husband and I still can’t decide on a name!! My first choice was Ada which he has gone off and his faves are Jasmine and Isabelle neither of which I would choose as I know a few of each!

we both like Lyla but he suggested Lyra today and I like it! We are thinking of Lyra Grace Elliot. I haven’t heard the name much and it’s not that common. Anyone have any thoughts on the combo I have put above?

many thanks!

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Longdarkcloud · 01/10/2024 20:34

A friend’s granddaughter has recently called her newborn Alyra, which I think is a nice variant on Lyra ( which I like). I think it is likely to remain way down on the most used list.

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 01/10/2024 18:47

I’m the opposite of some of these posters - I love repeated sounds (whether alliteration or assonance) in names - to me it makes them sound quite lyrical and more memorable. So to me Lyra Elliot sounds great precisely because of the “L”s. Isabelle is even better. I might also be tempted by something like Emma even more (Ella might be a bit much I guess 🤣).

piscofrisco · 01/10/2024 18:21

I Iove it. Our dog is called Lyra (but only because I knew I wasn't having more kids or else I would have saved it ).
Also Lyla, and Layla.

JimPansy · 01/10/2024 18:20

Every other Lyra will be Lyra Grace.
I don't like Lyra or Lyla.
I get Lyra Relliott vibes too.

ButterAsADip · 01/10/2024 18:17

Know a few. It’s nice but for me merges into the mass of Lila, Layla, Lola, Lyla, Lanas that are rife!

TheCultureHusks · 01/10/2024 18:16

I think anything ending ‘a’ is hard to say with Elliot. The a to e is hard to say. Isabelle elliot would be worse though!!

marshmallowfinder · 01/10/2024 18:14

It's Lycra to me. Much prefer Lara.

llamalines · 01/10/2024 18:14

Lyra is a lovely name. Do you know the His Dark Materials series? She's a great character, I would have loved to share my name she with her as a child.

llamalines · 01/10/2024 18:13

TheCultureHusks · 01/10/2024 18:10

Oh gosh just noticed the surname. Forget the middle name - it won’t ever ever be said, so what you need to think about is how Lyra Elliot sounds. Lie Rarrelliot is what I hear. It’s not the most brilliant combo 😬

Lyra Elliot is fine IMO.

I didn't give my DD the middle name I wanted because I convinced myself the sounds didn't go. I regret it now. The meaning was more important.

TheCultureHusks · 01/10/2024 18:10

Oh gosh just noticed the surname. Forget the middle name - it won’t ever ever be said, so what you need to think about is how Lyra Elliot sounds. Lie Rarrelliot is what I hear. It’s not the most brilliant combo 😬

TheCultureHusks · 01/10/2024 18:09

It’s lovely but fashionable! Lyra, Lara, Luna… I know several. Half are cockerpoos and half are little girls 😵‍💫

Moreteaandchocolate · 01/10/2024 17:43

Love it!! 😊

Floogal · 01/10/2024 17:36

Sounds too much like Lycra or liar.

Pyroleus · 01/10/2024 17:29

It's a lovely name but I think Lyra Elliot is a bit of a mouthful of vowels and Ls. You would get used to it, but if there was a name ending in a consonant sound you liked (like Jasmine which is lovely too) it would flow better. If you don't care about that then go for Lyra, it's really nice.

NeverGuessWho · 01/10/2024 17:18

It seems I'm the only one who really doesn't like it.

It's probably as old as time, but it smacks of being a new name that somebody has made up in order to sound unique, IMHO.

I work in a school, and we have lots of Laylas, Lylas..Myhas, Mias, Mylahs, Milas, and other similar names.

Staff find it hard to remember which name belongs to which girl, because they are all so similar sounding. It's understandably annoying for the children when this happens.

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 01/10/2024 17:16

I prefer pretty Lyra over Lyla simply because it doesn’t have spelling issues (Lila, Lilah). Plus I also like the astrological and mythological links.

The only issue is that it’s fairly trendy now (and wasn’t used before Pullman’s Dark Materials- in particular once the films/tv show came out) so it may become dated. Lyra could turn out to be like Lara (Pasternak’s Dr Zhivago) and become a semi-classic - or give away her age in future. It’s a risk you take with pop culture names/ names that rise quickly.

Also unless you are set on Grace, I’d consider something a bit more interesting for a middle - almost every girl has Rose May or Grace for a middle name these days so there will be a fair few Lyra Grace’s out there. Eve, Maeve, Claire, Blythe, Hope, even semi popular Faye etc would all be more uncommon one syllable middle names.

mumofbun · 01/10/2024 17:16

I like it - also makes me think of his dark materials. Ed Sheeran has a child called Lyra I'm sure (would put my DH right off haha)

4405cd · 01/10/2024 17:14

Not keen . I think of Lycra but just pick the name you love.

Bestfootfwd · 01/10/2024 17:09

I like it.

MushMonster · 01/10/2024 17:06

I do love it! I have never come acroos a Lyra.
I like it more than Lyla.

StressedQueen · 01/10/2024 17:03

Really, really gorgeous and I love it - one of my favourite names! I always think of the character in His Dark Materials who is fantastic

Tinytigertail · 01/10/2024 16:59

It's lovely!

Scutterbug · 01/10/2024 16:47

Love Lyra. Makes me think of His Dark Materials.

justfornow1 · 01/10/2024 16:45

MerryMarys · 01/10/2024 16:42

Is it pronounced Lee-ra or Lie-ra?

Lie-ra (or it should be anyway!)

justfornow1 · 01/10/2024 16:45

Beautiful. Go for it x