Galina or Galena?

[Pluto30]

What do you think of the name Galina? And do you prefer the spelling Galina or Galena?

DC is due is 5 days and we're still at a loss for a name. DH likes this one with the nickname Gigi.

Opal thanks so much for the book reference. I knew the name came from a circus themed book, but couldn't recall the name. I loved those stories, will have to look them out for DD.

I don't think the book i read had a circus in it. It was this one www.amazon.co.uk/Summer-Barshinskeys-Diane-Pearson/dp/0552126411

I'm sure that's the book I'm thinking of, but probably have the circus theme conflated with something else. Might order it to remind myself!

There are so many (imo) pretty scandi names.

Milla
Aina
Aila
Ella
Erika
Karina
Katarina
Alexandra
Laila
Inga
Aina
Pirio
Gunn
Ulla
Ingrid
Astrid
Maibritt
Ylva
Alva
Lisa
Tuva
Viktoria
Ida
Kristina
Vera
Marit

Btw, I'm not saying these names are exclusively used in Scandinavia.

Uhm.

Scratch Gunn. I do know a lovely one and it sounds very nice in Swedish. But maybe not in an English speaking country 😅
Tina?

I'm Italian and it makes me think you've called your daughter 'Chicken'.

I'm another who sees Galina and thinks 'chicken', both from Italian and Spanish. And I would pronounce Galena as gah-lay-na.

The chicken thing may not matter so much in Australia, (although there are many Italians/Italian descendants), but if your DD travels to Italy, Spain or Latin America when she is older, she will get some very strange looks!

Love them both! Would pronounce Galena as 'Ga-lane-a'

cake

But many South American countries and Italy (Indont know about Spain) have large communities in many countries. Especially the US and Canada.

So, South America, North America, Spain and Italy... that are a lot of places where it would matter.

But I do agree, it does sound really pretty!

I'm another one who looked at your title and instantly thought 'chicken?! WTF??'. However you spell it, if you are pronouncing it gal-ee-na, then a LOT of people will think you have named your child after poultry. Not good.

Galina = chicken
Galena = lead ore

So neither work well for me though I do know Galina is a Slavic name. I know a Halina which removes all the chicken connotations.

I don't really see how you would get Gigi from either name. Gaga perhaps, but you don't pronounce it Jalina, it's a hard G. Unless you were thinking of a hard G in Gigi but I've never heard it pronounced that way, only as Zheezhee.

Giselle or Geraldine or Ghislaine (often pronounce Zheelaine) might be better if you like Gigi.

Will always be a Hen to me whichever way you spell it.

Galena reminds me of Balena - and that's a whale.

We've scratched the name.