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?

Pronounced Leena our neighbour was a lovely one! Hope the baby follows suit.
Though dps gonna be forever correcting folk!!

I've heard it pronounced both Leena & Layna. It's nice either way & goes well with Mia.

I know a few Dutch and German Lay-nah's and English Lee-na's

My husbands cousin has twin girls and one of them is called Lena. It's pronounced to rhyme with Nina (Lee-na).

How on earth can LENA be pronounced Layna? If that's the way they want it pronounced then they should spell it different. Just seems pretentious to me People are always always going to get it wrong.

Sorry but I do think it is an awful name.

I would say “LAY-nuh”. It’s pretty and nice with Mia. Good luck to them!

Without being told otherwise I would’ve pronounced it Lee-nah.

I’m a bit surprised at their choice but I guess they have a lot more leeway than Kate & Wills to be able to veer away from more traditional/boring names.

I would have said Leena, like Lena Dunham.

But equally, I know an Elena pronounced E-Lay-na, so I suppose it's like that.

Lay-na

I’m not British but I can’t see how it could be Layna.

I pronounce it Leena, as does anyone I know who is called it does. Similarly, anyone I know called Helena pronounces it Heleena.

I can understand both being pronounced with short e sounds but not ay sounds.

Leena...
why not spell it Laina or Layna if that’s what they want?

If the family were British I would assume that it was pronounced Lay-na. If they were American, I would assume Lee-na. If they were from mainland Europe then I would say Len--a.

Leena.

I would expect Layna more from Americans (i.e. Helena is Helayna).

Anyone remember Lena Zavaroni?

I've never heard a British person pronounce it Layna!

I would've say 'Lee-nah' and thats the problem with names like this, it's never clear how the pronunciation should be, setting your child up for a lifetime or correcting people and spelling out their name.

It’s Lee-na. If they wanted to call her Layna, they should have written it that way.

Lee-nah

I don’t like it very much actually. Mia and Lena Tindall don’t exactly roll off the tongue.

Mia
Lena
Savannah
Isla

Princess Anne’s grandchildren. Not very Windsorish but then Mrs Michael Tindall (as she is now perplexingly named) is a private citizen and can do as she likes.

I like the pronunciation but not the spelling and thought initially it rhymed with Tena, as in the pads.

Its sweet she's got Zara's granny's name for middle

Isn’t Lena as in Dunham pronounced Lee-na but Layna in the states

Elizabeth is one of Zara’s middle names. Par for the course for the royals I guess.

Lee-na

I know a Lena an she is a Lee-nah. So that is the way I would say it.

But as far as I am concerned, Zara and the rugby man can pronounce it how they like - she is their daughter so it's up to them. It's a nice name and so is Mia.

mollyHuaCha she was the first person I thought of. Hence lean a is how I think of saying it. I have always thought of it as a sad name but without that connection it isn't.