Carolina, Leila OR...

starlight_24

Carolina  (Caroleena) OR Leila for a girl? Salvador or Nicolao (Nico) for a boy? I know these probably aren't anyone's style on here, but if you had to choose? Middle name thoughts?

starsmaycollide

Carolina and Nicolao are nice. I think they need short middle names...

starlight_24

Thanks. Those are what I'm leaning towards for the day

strangebird

I've never liked Leila much and Carolina is not my style, but if I have to choose: Carolina. However, I think it should be spelled Carolena if you want it pronounced as you described. Even with my adjusted spelling, I think it will often be mispronounced, but I would think less often than if it's spelled Carolina.

OctoberCAPA

Very, very few people in the US will pronounce Carolina the way you want it pronounced.  And I think Caroleena looks silly.  So either be ready to correct people (politely--it's not their fault you're choosing a non-standard-American-English pronunciation) or go with Leila.

I love Salvador.

vanceandlori

Carolina is GORGEOUS, but like pp said, will get mispronounced. You could always tell them "like Carolina Herrera," though and hope that they'll remember how to say it.

 

I think Nicolao is cute ... Nick would be a cute nn.

Toots_pop

I'm loving Leila/Layla these days   DH vetoed it, but I think it's a pretty name!

ohbabyboy

starlight_24:

Carolina  (Caroleena) OR Leila for a girl? Salvador or Nicolao (Nico) for a boy? I know these probably aren't anyone's style on here, but if you had to choose? Middle name thoughts?

Love the nn Nico.  SO CUTE! 

I would go with something totally cool for a middle name....something like Nicolao Dexter.  I think it sounds cool.

I like the name Carolina, but with it spelled that way, it will probably get pronounced with a long i

cshoem01

I think Carolina goes best with the two boys names you're deciding between. Although I love Leila, it seems kind of blah next to the boy selections--and you may want to use them for a future son.

cjheidi

Carolina for sure! I like both boy names...but to pick just one i'd go with Nicolao

anna7602

I loooove Salvador, but we can't really use it because of the meaning (DH is Jewish, so that would be weird). But Nico is also very, very cute.

I like both Carolina and Leila. I guess it depends on where you live. Where I am, not many people would have a hard time with pronouncing Carolina "leena" instead of "line-a," but if there aren't many Spanish-speakers around you and you're worried about mispronunciation, go with Leila.

dordes

I have a good friend named Carolina (pronounced the same way you want to) and she rarely has issues with people mispronouncing it. It happens occasionally, but not more than any other name. I'm a Diana and get Diane sometimes, so it really doesn't matter how simple a name is. I think Carolina is a beautiful name, but so is Leila...you can't go wrong with those two choices. Same with the boy choices...both are great unique names.

As for middle names, it depends on your style/goal. Your first name choices are different in an ethnic way (which I think is awesome). So do you want to stick with that style or pair the names with something less exotic?

mr&mrswelch

I really like Carolina. I don't have any strong feelings about the boys' names.

macchiatto

I would go with Leila, just because I think Carolina would constantly be correcting the pronunciation of her name with people thinking it's pronounced like the state.

I really like Nicolao/Nico for a boy.

tct1219

carolina is one of my top 3 girl names! just fyi every time i have asked about it on here, people do think it will be mispronounced more often than not. i personally would still use it because it's an increasingly more well-known name so i vote for that. honestly, i don't think that many people are so ignorant as to not know how to correctly pronounce a name. plus, it's just so pretty.

of your boy names, i vote for nicolao because nicholai [russian] is one of my favorite names!

procella_lamia

Leila & Salvador.  I'd do a short mn with Salvador

ttmccoot

i must be a dumba$s... i would have pronounced leila LEE-la.

anyhoo, i like carolina a lot. one correction, and i'm sure people will get it. and salvador is my pick for your boy.

good luck!

starlight8323

starlight_24:

Carolina  (Caroleena) OR Leila for a girl? 

The fact that you had to put the pronounciation in parenthesis should tell you right away to go with Leila.

I actually have the opposite problem, which is actually the same problem if you think about it:

 I LOVE the name Carolina, pronounced like everyone else on here seems to think as well: Caro-line-a. But I'm afraid people will mispronounce it as Caroleena, so it's OUT.

I just have no time for correcting people, and don't want to put my daughter through that either.

starlight8323

tct1219:

honestly, I don't think that many people are so ignorant as to not know how to correctly pronounce a name.

So.. you automatically know how to pronounce EVERY name that is posted on this board?

I learned in 2nd grade how to pronounce "Carolina" when we leared about the states in school. I don't think it makes me ignorant to think it should be pronounced that way.

 

k*princess

Leila and Nicolao. I have no idea about middle names, though.

macchiatto

tct1219:

honestly, i don't think that many people are so ignorant as to not know how to correctly pronounce a name. plus, it's just so pretty.

Um. It's not as if Caro-lee-na is THE correct pronunciation for that spelling. I live in South Carolina, and have met girls named Carolina pronounced the typical American way (like Caroline with an "a" at the end) so it's not a matter of ignorance; if people just see "Carolina" on paper, how are they to know which pronunciation the parents had in mind? I think it will depend more on whether they've known someone with that name and if so, how they pronounced it; otherwise many will understandably just pronounce it like the state--like the names Georgia and Virginia.

ttmccoot

Eaglefoot23:

starlight_24:

Carolina  (Caroleena) OR Leila for a girl? 

The fact that you had to put the pronounciation in parenthesis should tell you right away to go with Leila.

I actually have the opposite problem, which is actually the same problem if you think about it:

 I LOVE the name Carolina, pronounced like everyone else on here seems to think as well: Caro-line-a. But I'm afraid people will mispronounce it as Caroleena, so it's OUT.

I just have no time for correcting people, and don't want to put my daughter through that either.

wow, you must be reallyreallyreally busy.