Some rather unusual names - which ones do you like?

[caitlinrose]

These are not on our list but names I encountered this past week. I'm curious to hear what you think of them and whether you find all of them usable:

Ayaka
Citra
Lindsay
Christabel
Makena

Makena is a name I loved as a teenager and I'm sort of liking it now. I pronounce it like Makenna/Mackenna. Would it be usable?

Which spelling of Lindsay is best? And I am aware that Lindsay is one that's not unusual ;)

As stated above, Lindsey is the original as it's after the place and that's how it's spelt.

Christabel and Lindsay are just normal names, if a bit dated

Ayaka - horrid, would get called yakky in school

Citra - is an IPA beer so would be along the lines of calling your baby Chardonnay

Makena - with this spelling I'd pronounce that Ma - kayna so if you wanted the sound Mackenna you'd need to spell it as such

Ayaka - sounds Japanese to me but not a pleasant sound in English, so imo not useable unless it's your culture. I don't like it.

Citra - I do actually like it. I think of fresh lemon scent and summer. I haven't heard of the beer.

Lindsay - useable and I like it ok.

Christabel - useable but too frilly for me.

Makena - useable but I absolutely loathe all names starting with a Mac sound, except Mack for a boy.

I'm confused because you quoted behindthename which clearly states that Lindsay is the original and Lindsey the variant.

I know that the place is Lindsey but I guess it was used as Lindsay first as a given name?

Christabel is my favourite.

I'm a Lindsay, spelt this way. I've spent my life spelling it out to people. It is very dated, I was born 1970's.
Don't particularly like it tbh. It sounds rather little girly to me.

Well, I'm going to be honest and say I don't care much for most of them, but they're your name choices and if you like them then that's all that matters.

Ayaka - not sure how you pronounce this, but I think it's the worst of them all
Citra - I just think of citrus fruits
Lindsay - this is the female spelling, the male is with an 'e'. You'll probably have people spelling it the wrong way quite often
Christabel - If you called the child Chrissie or Christie then maybe. As the full version I don't like it
Makena - don't mine this one so much, but I'd probably spell it with two 'n's so that it's likely to get pronounced properly.

Nope

Ayaka was a drinking game I did at university

Christabel.

Really not keen on Makena as thought you'd pronounce it Make-na.

Not a fan of any of them, but also on paper I’d pronounce Makena differently to Makenna.

To me, Makenna is a short ‘ma’ with the emphasis on the ‘kenna’.
Makena is has more emphasis on the ‘Ma’ and a shorter ‘kena’, IYSWIM?

Citra is a common Indonesian name - but note it is pronounced "Chitra" not "Sitra" or "Kitra" - (C in Indonesian is CH not S or K). Would be annoying telling people how to say it properly all the time!

Yes - Ayaka is Japanese, but I prefer Ayako - the "ah-yah-kah" sounds a bit harsh (Japanese A's are all short) and -ko endings are more associated with female names). I think the name Ayaka would be shortened to "Aya" most of the time

Not normally interested in baby name threads but this is an unusual collection!

I only like Christabel of that list. Lindsay (whatever spelling) is a 60-something woman to me.

Ayaka and Makena sound like Turkish nightclubs.

Citra is ok but I think that's only because I know a lovely Citra.

I don't like any.

Ayaka (if I am pronouncing it right) seems like quite a harsh sound.
All varients of Lindsay are so overdone and dated.

Christabel looks spelt wrong.
Makena is not the same as Makenna soundwise. I hate the whole surname as first name thing anyway though. Very American.

Ayaka: I think it's too harsh in English, and makes me think of a yak or the word yuk

Citra: kinda cool, but sounds like a girl from a futuristic dystopian novel. I haven't heard of the beer, or it used as a name.

Lindsay: spelling issues. Dated. Don't think it's ready for a comeback yet.

Christabel: unusual to me as I've only met one in RL. It was spelt this way though. It's OK. Lots of good NN options.

Makena: sounds a bit downmarket to me. I'd use a different spelling to reflect your preferred pronunciation.

If you like Ayaka, what about Ayala?

Lindsay is a Scottish surname.

Lindsey is a place in England.

This fairly reputable website says that the two are linked: www.ancestry.co.uk/name-origin?surname=lindsay

MacKenna is a Scottish surname meaning 'son of Kenneth'. I can't see how or why anyone would want to use it for a girl.

Christabel make me think of the suffragette (daughter of Emmeline) and of Colderidge's mock-medieval vampire (or witch) poem

Uhm... nope.

If you look up Lindsay, it specifically says it comes from Lindsey.

"From an English and Scottish surname that was originally derived from the name of the eastern English region of Lindsey."

www.behindthename.com/name/lindsay

Lindsey is the root.

Ayaka - Lovely in Japanese - it reminds me of the singer of that name whom I loved as a teenager. However, among white British folk, I think the pronunciation would not be nearly as nice.
Citra - I'm not sure of the pronunciation and I think you'd get a lot of citrus and Citroën comments.
Lindsay - Normal name, somewhat dated.
Christabel - Victorian name, not my personal style but I think it's okay. It reminds me of Christabel Pankhurst.
Makena - Looks like an African-style respelling of McKenna. I think it's alright but not my style again.

It clearly lists Lindsey as the variant for the given name, though:

www.behindthename.com/name/lindsey

No one is denying that the place is called Lindsey but for some reason, at least according to behindthename, Lindsay is listed as the original given name.

That makes a lot of sense, thanks for your help and for being nice :)

Ayaka - something sounds weird here
Citra - I quite like this, but sort of feels unfinished
Lindsay - I prefer without a d, think Lynsey looks best. But most people I know with that name are in their 40s
Christabel - it's a bit fairytale
Makena - awful spelling of Mackenna, but not keen either way.

I think McKenna and McKenzie and their variations are more popular in the USA. Both nice names.

Lindsey or Lindsay are nice for a girl, I don’t like them as a boy’s name.

Christabel or Christobel are ok, but I much prefer Christina.

Sorry, I really don’t like the others on your list.

I like Christabel.

Ayaka - Yak for short?
Citra - sounds like a range of bathroom fittings
Lindsay - know loads of them with various spellings. Seems very 1970s
Christabel - best of the bunch but prefer Christina
Makena sounds like a brand of chainsaw

@TheBirdintheCave , according to one name site. Others say differently.