Eleanor

[micegg]

Do you pronounce it El-a-nor or El-a-na?

I've always pronounced it Ellen-OR, but when I moved to the UK I knew an Eleanor whom everyone called Ellen-A. I think it's very weird - to me they're two different names! But that's what she called herself too, so who am I to argue?

I know two. One of each pronunciation.

Thanks all - Morgan; I love LAUREN but DH doesnt for some unknown reason. So annoying as its mmy first choice. He is also yet to be fully persuaded on Isobel.

If I had a girl she would be Eleanor, pronounced the first way. Great 60's hippy song - the band escapes me.. Always good to have your own song!

It was Lindisfarne!! Eleanor is my name - we pronounce it El-lenor. I had a friend at Uni called Elena who pronounced it Ellen-a. We both get called Ellie and we're 25!! Its a great name!

You could use Eleanora which would stop the mispronounciation and with it ending in an 'a' it would also help reinforce that the short version should be Ella rather than Ellie

It's my name and I pronounce it the first way - well more like 'Elener' really. I'm in Scotland and I've never heard it pronounced the second way.

My name's Eleanor too, and it's always been pronounced E-la-na, never E-la-nor. However, most people called me Ellie as a kid so that's how I'm still known. I used to love having a name that was different but every little girl seems to be called Ellie nowadays!

I have always been pronounced the first way but I did grow up in France where it was always pronounced more a la francaise, so became my way of saying it and introducing myself. Lots of people call me the second though, and some people ask me which I prefer.

ps: only one of my bestie friends is allowed to call me Ellie (aaargh!), but I have always butchered her name so I deserve it...

I always think it should be spelled Elinor, as Dashowood (in Austen's Sense and Sensibility).

And definitely not pronounced elena.

But maybe I'm old fashioned.

First way. I do know an Elena, but that's how it is spelled and pronounced. Wouldn't worry too much about giving the baby a name with more than one pronunciation - there's always something for people to get wrong. Took us ages to stop FIL adding an extra 'd' onto the end of dd1's name (he kept calling her Caitlind, for some reason).

El-e-nor, I love the Elinor spelling too.