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Baby names

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

Original poster

Votes please! Lorena or Alba?

60 replies

Goscat · 07/02/2025 21:28

Down to our final names and can't decide!

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bluebunnys · 11/02/2025 18:16

I actually prefer Alba!

Carouselfish · 11/02/2025 15:52

I always think of Bobbit with Lorena but that dates me. What about Loretta?

Original poster
Goscat · 11/02/2025 15:37

angelinawasrobbed · 10/02/2025 22:59

I do t like either, though I quite
like Rosalba (white rose)

I really strongly dislike that 🤣

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Viviennemary · 10/02/2025 23:17

Don't like either of them much. Alba is totally dire. Lorena is better.

user2848502016 · 10/02/2025 23:10

I work with a Lorena and always think it's a pretty name

angelinawasrobbed · 10/02/2025 22:59

I do t like either, though I quite
like Rosalba (white rose)

FTTTC2025 · 10/02/2025 22:54

Goscat · 09/02/2025 08:14

Just Al-ba. It's a Spanish name (means dawn). Al-ah-ba is the Gaelic place name.

Show quote history

It was the gaelic pronunciation I was referring to, which is ‘Al-ah-buh’ not ‘Al-ah-ba’ but I see you’re going for the Spanish pronunciation which is the same as the anglicised version of the Gaelic word in Scotland. So many languages and variations!

I prefer Lorena and think it’s simpler but also really like Mila as others have suggested.

BodyKeepingScore · 09/02/2025 14:26

I'm going to say Alba. It's a lovely name.

And Lorena always makes me think of Lorena Bobbit.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/JohnanddLorenaBobbitt

GreenTeaLikesMe · 09/02/2025 13:53

Mila is really popular too! I would not pick it if you don’t want a popular name.

Original poster
Goscat · 09/02/2025 12:45

LovelySunnyDayToday · 09/02/2025 09:52

Sofia
Mila
Lucia
Lola

Oh I do like Mila! Will suggest.

We have a cousin Lucia already
Sofia too popular for me
And Lola for some reason gives me stripper vibes 🤣

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Original poster
Goscat · 09/02/2025 12:44

stillnotdark · 09/02/2025 09:34

What about Isla, ties to Scotland and Spain.

I used to adore this name! However, There's 4 islas in my son's class currently so I've been really out off it!

It is also the literal word for island in Spanish, pronounced eez-la so think people would struggle to change pronunciation to eye-la. We spend a lot of time in Latin America.

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LovelySunnyDayToday · 09/02/2025 09:52

Sofia
Mila
Lucia
Lola

LovelySunnyDayToday · 09/02/2025 09:49

I just can't get over the fact that Paloma is "pigeon" in Spanish and I hate pigeons 🤣🤣 it's also dove TBF, but either way!

Oh ok fair enough ! 🤣

I think of it as a beautiful white dove symbolising peace 🤍🤍🤍

stillnotdark · 09/02/2025 09:34

What about Isla, ties to Scotland and Spain.

WildCherryBlossom · 09/02/2025 09:13

I love Alba, but I think it would be strange in Scotland. I'm not sure Lorena would completely work in Scotland either. I think it would get pronounced Lorainne-ah

Alma
Yolanda
Laura
Marisa
Isabel
Ana
Maya
Catalina

villamariavintrapp · 09/02/2025 08:57

Also thought of Bobbitt immediately, it's not the best association.

CerealPosterHere · 09/02/2025 08:47

How about Sofia or Isabelle, they’d both work well for multi lingual families.

Onlyvisiting · 09/02/2025 08:40

Goscat · 09/02/2025 08:10

Unfortunately in a bilingual household almost any name we choose will probably need some sort of explaining on one side of the Atlantic🤣. It's Law-ren-ah, but can see where people might initially say it more like the sound in Lorraine.

There's also Lorenia, but not sure if I find it a bit frilly

Show quote history

So is the pronunciation supposed to be like Lauren with an a on the end? I don't normally like changing names to be phonetic but I'd be inclined to switch it to Lorenna just for an easy life! (And Google tells me that it is sometimes spelled that way)

I'm in the south West and there is a cornish name Lowenna which apparently means joy which is nice. Also morwenna.

TheBirdintheCave · 09/02/2025 08:28

ladygindiva · 07/02/2025 21:39

Lorena. I think Alba will date.

Came here to say this too!

Original poster
Goscat · 09/02/2025 08:21

Onlyvisiting · 09/02/2025 06:43

I've never heard of Lorena as a name, tbh I assumed you were trying to fancify Lauren until I saw other posters mention it! So although it sounds nice and I like it much better than alba I would imagine you need to be prepared for her having to spend a lot of her life correcting people from calling her lauren.

Oh, fyi I also googled her name and the top result was the Lorena Bobbit that was previously mentioned, apparently there was a TV docu series about it in 2019, so more people might be aware of the association than you'd expect.

Edited

Whatever name we choose she's likely to have to spend some time correcting in one language or the other. We wanted to call our son Miguel, but my dad kept saying mig-well 🤣 but it's me-gel (hard g like gold). Whereas my in-laws can't for the life of them say lochlan which was another contender.

I figure people still use the name ted since Bundy 🤣.

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macaroonmayhem · 09/02/2025 08:17

Alba is the name of a political party which would rule it out for me. Although, to be fair, people call girls Tori or Tory. But there’s too much potential for teasing with Alba for me I’m afraid.

Original poster
Goscat · 09/02/2025 08:16

TappyGilmore · 09/02/2025 07:05

What about Lorna? As others have pointed out, Lorena will forever be associated with Lorena Bobbitt. It was the first thing I thought of. Lorna is so similar and yet no negative connotations.

I don’t like Alba at all.

Our son has a Spanish name and I just don't feel like Lorna goes with it. I know not vital, but they sound a bit jarring together.

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Original poster
Goscat · 09/02/2025 08:14

FTTTC2025 · 09/02/2025 07:55

Which pronunciation for Alba would you use? I find the anglicised version quite harsh and clunky but the traditional ‘Al-ah-buh’ is much softer which I like.
Lorena is a lovely name and won’t be as common for her.

Just Al-ba. It's a Spanish name (means dawn). Al-ah-ba is the Gaelic place name.

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Original poster
Goscat · 09/02/2025 08:13

SargeMimpson · 09/02/2025 08:11

I like Alba but only if it's pronounced correctly.

As in the Gaelic al-ah-ba? Ironically it's actually a Spanish name Al-ba, so yes maybe too confusing

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Original poster
Goscat · 09/02/2025 08:12

LovelySunnyDayToday · 09/02/2025 07:46

Lorena.

But also have you considered Paloma?

I just can't get over the fact that Paloma is "pigeon" in Spanish and I hate pigeons 🤣🤣 it's also dove TBF, but either way!

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