How would you pronounce Lena?

[WhiteHairReally]

So, ‘Mr and Mrs Michael Tindall’ have announced that their nearly new daughter is to be called Lena Elizabeth. Pronounced ‘Lay na’.

I have to admit that I’d have pronounced it ‘Lee-na’ but rather like this alternative pronouncation.

Is she in for a lifetime of initial explanations of how to pronounce her name?

It seems strange to me to pronounce le as lay, however, it's their perfect right to do so.

I would have rhymed it with Ribena

I know of a little baby called Lena and it's pronounced Lenna. Her family are Polish.

I know a Lena pronounced leena

NOt heard it before and would automatically use my phonics (I teach infants, lol) to say lee-na.

Lee-na, I suppose it could be Len-a, not heard Lay—na before, but good luck to them in any case.

Isn’t their eldest called Mia - pronounced ‘My-ah’ (rather than ‘Me-ah’)? So Lena’s sister may be able to empathise on the name mispronunciation front.

Lay-na

I would pronounce Elena as El ay na so Lena as Lay na isn't too surprising. But I also have a relative called Layna, spelt like that.

Online search suggests it can be said in various ways, depending on where you get its roots from:

Len-Ah
Lay-Na
Lee-Na
Leh-Na (a softer version of ay; kind of half way between ee and ay)

Leena as in Zavaroni. Or Len-a. Not Layna. Then again Princess Leia was Laya. But lovely name regardless.

I my experience it's Lee-nah. Lots of people say Layna or Len-ah though.

Like lenna

Leena

Leaner, as in Zavaroni.

I work with a Helena (Helen-a) and and Alicia (Aleesha) and a bloke who also works with us knows this but calls them Hel-ay-na and Alice-ia. Not even my name but does my head in

I would pronounce it Layna but have met a few Lee-nas too. Also heard it pronounced L-yeh-na.

I would pronounce it Leena. Never heard it pronounced any other way.

I think it is an odd choice. Horrible name suitable, in my opinion, only for old ladies

It's a lot more charming than you, mydogisthebest

id pronounce it Layna or Lehna

I know two Lenas and they are both pronounced Layna so Leena would seem wrong to me.

I know 2 Lena’s and it is Ley-na for both and they are both lovely little girls

I would have guessed Leena or Lenna, but the Layna sound is nice.
Congratulations to the Tindalls

I only know older women called Lena, it is a bit of an "older" name in Scotland. Names like Lena, Agnes, Minnie, Ina, Effie. And I'd pronounce it Lee-nah.