Girl's name help: if we like these...?

[bingeddybongo]

I'm 36 weeks pregnant with DD and my husband and I have as yet failed to come up with a name for her that we really love. I'm happy to have a top three or whatever to choose from when she arrives, but we decided on DS's name (a proper grandad name) the day we found out he was a boy, so didn't have to put any effort into coming up with names at all. This time we're totally stuck and I'm really frustrated I am spending so much time worrying about it!

We'd like a name that works well in English and German and isn't wildly popular in either country. The names we quite like so far include:

Anna
Anya
Lana
Lara
Rosalind
Marlene (pronounced the German way: Mar-ley-na)
Lila (Lee-la)
Lilja
Lilianna
Julianne (Yu-lee-ah-na)
Emily
Matilda

I would be so so grateful for suggestions along these lines! Thank you :)

I would immediately ditch the ones you've had to explain how to pronounce to avoid her spending her life saying my name is X and it's spelt like this X
I'd go with what goes with your son's name too.

I really like Marlene, but I suppose you do risk people pronouncing it Mar-Lean. Also think Anya and Lila are great. I would pronounce Lila as you describe.

Rosalind is pretty too, although I personally wouldn't use as I don't like Ros as a potential nickname. Wouldn't go with Matilda either as I know about five, not sure how popular nationally though.

Other ideas:
Mara
Annika/Anika
Nina
Elina
Lotta/Lotte
Elisa

Saskia
Milla
Florence
Maya

Just stick with Anna, it's lovely

Eva
Greta
Hanna
Johanna
Katharina/Katarina
Emma
Marina
Clara
Julia
Leonie
Louisa
Lotta
Antonia
Carlotta
Marla
Nina
Amalia

Any names you've put pronounciation in brackets after, dismiss.

Anna and Lara are lovely.

Nicole.

Love Lana

Also like Lila but I'd pronounce it Lie-la

I love Marlena, I also love Merielle and Mariella
Explaining spelling and pronunciation doesn't bother me in the slightest though.

I know of an English/German couple who have an Inga. Think that's a lovely name.

Absolutely love Lana!

My name is Meriel I have never seen it spelled Merielle! Have had a life time of Muriel, Merrel, Mirrel and even Melvin though...

Oh wow, thank you everybody, for both input and suggestions, there's some lovely names there :)

And good point iyamehooru and ThroughThickAndThin01, thank you - my brain is obviously fried because that had been something I'd been thinking about and actually I like two of those three names only in German (Lila and Julianne) so I should have just crossed them off the list. My own name's not exactly complicated but I've had to spend my whole life spelling it, which has been really annoying. I do really love Marlene though - do you think it would get mispronounced a lot in the UK?

With Marlene - I would hesitate before saying Mar-layna?

I think your average Brit would say Mar-lean.

Sorry Waitrose I probably would have checked on the spelling before naming my imaginary DD Meriel!

Could you spell it a different way .

Do you live in Germany op? If that's your Dds normal setting I wouldn't worry too much if it's her norm, and she just has to correct in the UK.

Ok thanks thickandthin, I was sort of hoping Marlene Dietrich might still be well enough known to have it pronounced right... oh dear, makes me feel old!!

But yes we do live in Germany and will probably stay here.

If you are in Germany use it!

Marlene Dietrich is old to me, and I'm way older than you. Your 2016 born DD's peers won't have a clue.

Hahaha I have no idea how you know how old I am but that's a very good point!

Love Marlene but I'd worry about the pronunciation as I think there's probably more people familiar with only fools and horses than Marlene Dietrich

How about Annaliese?

Missed the bit about you living in Germany do ignore me, go with Marlene

Not German...but I have a Dutch friend whose DD is called Eline, I think it's beautiful

I like Leela but that is how I'd spell it because Lila is pronounced Lie la and you/ she will forever be correcting people. My daughter has a phonetic name, said as its spelt and even though it's unusual people still ask how it's pronounced which i don't get.

Thewolf I actually prefer your spelling!

I think you'd have to change the spelling of Marlene to make sure you get the correct pronunciation. If I saw it written I'd think 'Mar-lean'