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Baby names

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

Ariella or Aria

63 replies

Emma244 · 26/05/2025 20:51

Trying to decide between Ariella & Aria for our baby. MN will be Primrose.

Leaning slightly more towards Ariella at the moment. Wondering whether anyone thinks Aria could work as a nickname for Ariella?

Thank you in advance!!

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okydokethen · 10/06/2025 16:04

Aria is so pretty

midlifeattheoasis · 10/06/2025 16:03

Dislike both of them

TimeSquare · 10/06/2025 11:38

I prefer Arabella Primrose

but out of the two - Aria

Primrose is lovely so maybe consider that for the first name. I know one aged 6 and it suits her and she is always complimented on her name

Maxorias · 04/06/2025 03:21

I like it better written Arielle.

Have you considered Adria ?

Firebird83 · 01/06/2025 23:13

DS has an Ariella in his class, it doesn’t seem strange to me and no-one has ever mentioned areolas!

MrsSkylerWhite · 30/05/2025 11:01

TheyreLikeUsButRichAndThin · 28/05/2025 17:24

Just makes me think of the Aryan race personally

Makes me think of Arya Stark 😁

Tranquilitybaby · 29/05/2025 23:03

Aria

Emanwenym · 28/05/2025 17:48

Are Ya Violent?

Dora33 · 28/05/2025 17:35

Aria violet goes together better than aria primrose

middleagedandinarage · 28/05/2025 17:26

Aria or Ella, Ariella sounds very chavy to me!
Prefer Williow or Violet to Primrose

TheyreLikeUsButRichAndThin · 28/05/2025 17:24

MrsSkylerWhite · 28/05/2025 15:48

Or Arya?

Just makes me think of the Aryan race personally

MirandaBlu · 28/05/2025 15:51

Another possibility is Ariadne, which might also shorten more naturally to Aria if you want.

The Hebrew name Ariel is unisex, so feminisations like Ariella, Ariela, and Arielle always seem a little contrived to me (like Robyn instead of Robin), but they've been in use in diaspora countries for a while and have become established. The washing powder is 'Ariel', but I wouldn't avoid that name because of it; the name has a long history before Proctor & Gamble used it. (Not sure about the US intimate care med; can't think of one called Ariella or similar although there is a fem hygiene brand called Bella.)

I never would have thought of 'areola' for Ariella but accents vary a lot, so perhaps check if it sounds similar in your local accent. Even if not, I suppose some child prodigy looking for bullying material might come across it and make little Ariella's life miserable, just as former Catalan president Quim (Joaquim) Torra had criminally negligent parents according to Twitter and Pippa's to be avoided because pipa means vulva in Polish working class slang.

Aria always makes me think of the Pretty Little Liars character rather than the Game of Thrones character Arya, although that name has become popular too. Aria in particular has had a kind of spike in use since around 2012, so may fall out of favour and seem associated with a particular time period. Or it might not, as it seems on trend with other fluid, vowel-y names like Olivia, Amelia, Ava, etc. which have had quite a run.

aria if you really want to, but people will say did your mum mean to call you Ariana and forget the N Aria was 31 on the last England/Wales baby names ranking while Ariana was 158, so perhaps Aria will be more familiar than Ariana to this child's contemporaries.

I'm a bit surprised at some of the reactions on here. Me too; I'd have thought both of these names would be familiar in English-speaking countries. Guess it goes to show that whatever the stats and lists say, there's a lot of regional variation in what's popular, or even used!

MrsSkylerWhite · 28/05/2025 15:48

Or Arya?

Pinkyhere · 28/05/2025 15:14

Ddakji · 26/05/2025 21:39

Ariella sounds made up, to be honest.

It's a hebrew name. Female version of Ariel -which means: lion of Gd

midlifeattheoasis · 28/05/2025 14:59

I don’t like either. Violet is lovely though, why don’t you want that for a first name?

Rosybud88 · 28/05/2025 08:44

Ariella is so pretty! I don’t associate it with nipples. I think it’s better than Aria.

TheyreLikeUsButRichAndThin · 28/05/2025 08:43

Emma244 · 27/05/2025 19:43

Oh dear it’s not looking great for Ariella! Glad I asked now as the majority are immediately thinking of nipples or washing powder 🤣

Other middle name options are Willow or Violet :)

Violet! Really hits the sweet spot of known, not overused, and not full of vowels, and friendly sounding. It’s a bit stronger and with more bite than those that are too vowel-heavy. I like Violet a lot!

I know a young Ariella, I don’t dislike it but it fits with what everyone is saying about pretentious, plus the whole nipple thing.

MetaDaughter · 28/05/2025 08:38

In all honesty, beyond people’s chests, Ariella makes me think of ‘The Borrowers’:

https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/TheBorrowers2in1.html?id=JvxX0jHABrEC&printsec=frontcover&source=kpreadbutton&hl=en&newbks=1&newbksredir=0&gboemv=1&rediresc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

LavenderBlue19 · 28/05/2025 04:01

I don't mind Ariella. There was one at my son's nursery and I never thought of nipples, but she did get lumped in with all the Ava/Eva/Amelia/Evie names in my head.

Aria is fine, I've never heard it used as a name but it's a nice word to say and inoffensive.

Neither go with Primrose though.

PortillosRedTrousers · 28/05/2025 03:50

Mariella is a good suggestion.

Pemba · 28/05/2025 03:44

Aria is a bit Game of Thrones though, which is why it's had a wave of popularity in recent years, I think.

FrodoBiggins · 28/05/2025 03:22

Agree with everyone re nipple, glad you've taken it on board. She might also be confused for a West Ham fan.

LBFseBrom · 28/05/2025 02:57

If you must, Aria. It's less complicated than Ariella which I must say I've never heard of.

Arabella seems to be popular at the moment but there is someone on facebook who posts reels of his little daughter, Arabella, plus him, his wife and wider family. Arabella is adorable but, honestly, they are so chavvy that alone would put you off the name for life.

Stick to Aria, it sounds classy. According to Wiki it has several meanings: "The name Aria can have several meanings depending on its origin. In Italian, it means "air" and is also a musical term for a solo song or melody. In Sanskrit, it means "noble" or "honorable," according to Wikipedia. In Hebrew, it can mean "lioness," and in Albanian, it means "treasure" or "gold," " All good.

It's a fairly popular name without being too common: "Aria is a fairly popular name for baby girls in the UK. In 2023, it was ranked #15 on The Bump and #14 on The Bump for girl names. BabyCenter also lists it in the top 20 for girls."

Aria (name) - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aria_(name)

ButterBites · 28/05/2025 02:54

I love both names tbh. But not a fan of the middle name, think it ruins the first names.

Is there a cultural element to the name? I know 2 Ariella’s and 3 Aria’s from nursery, classes, etc and they are all South Asian.

wandawaves · 28/05/2025 02:41

Ariella sounds like areola.
Aria is very pretty.

I really don't like Primrose, at all.
I like Aria Violet.