What do you think of Jana?

[DeemsB]

I have just joined Mumsnet and this is my first time posting!

I'm Lebanese and want to have an Arabic name for my daughter, but want to avoid using some of the more difficult Arabic letters and have something that is "easy" in English/ internationally.

Years ago, my husband and I heard the name Jana - pronounced with a soft "J"... think of Hannah but with a J; (in Arabic it means Heaven) - and we both said if we ever had a little girl we would name her Jana.

Now that we are having a girl, I am having second thoughts/ concerns.

Do you think the name is difficult?
When people see her name, will she be called "Yana" (as in Jana Navotana the tennis player) and assume she is Eastern European?

Your thoughts and feedback would be GREAT!

Thanks

This name is on my list but with the "yana" pronouciation, and i share the same concerns as you to be honest - I think she'll spend half her life correcting people and having to spell it. It's not worrying me enough to put me off completely but I am having second thoughts.

I read it as yana as I knew an eastern European lady with that name. If you spelt it Janna that would be read as a j.

Thank you both!

As you say, Jana over here would be pronouced Yana and she will spend most of her life correcting people. My mother goes through that and she hates her name as a consequence.

I did think of spelling it Janna or even Jannah (like Hannah) but I dont think that looks right?!

anyone else out there with any thoughts?

thank you

I think you are right and that it will be mispronoucned in the UK which is unfortunate as it is a nice name.

It reminds me of Made in Chelsea (the shame) one of the spoilt brats has a maid called Jana, pronounced 'Jaaaaanaaaaaa will you bring me some champagne'.

I don't think spelling it Janna would help - that would either be Yanna or Janna (with a "J" sound). It is a lovely name, but I do suspect your daughter will spend her life correcting people. Does that matter, though?

Janna is a name in itself, albeit not a very common one, so would be recognisable over here - might be a good compromise?

I was at school with a Jana, pronounced the way you want it to be - don't remember it causing problems, but we were at the same school for a long time so everyone knew how to say it!

I think it's a beautiful name. My go to pronunciation is Jana, not Yana.

i think people are more likely to prounounce it with a J. if otherwise, just correct them!

If this is a name you both want, go for it.

Jenna is very pretty and would avoid the y pronunciation

I think Jana is a lovely name, it's actually what one of my nieces are called!

Thank you everyone!

I think Jana is definitely staying on the list and is a strong candidate.... will consider spelling it Janna to differentiate it from Jana

There was an actress called Jana Taylor. No-one ever thought it was Yana. Some people were unsure if it was Jayna or Janna. I always wished it was my name because mine was very similar but much more ordinary!

i know a lana and she use to get her name pronounce backwards anal.this name looks simular when read backwards.x

pronounced Yarna = bosted tennis player Novotna

pronounced Jayna = Duggar drone

so not my fave

I think it's nice. Yes you might get people pronouncing it different ways, but that's the case for a lot of names.

I have a very common name and I still get odd pronunciations/spellings sometimes!

How about spelling it with an H?