What's more important, a name you love or the flow?

ank080208

My last name sounds like co-lee-buh (Koliba) and every girls name that I love ends with a.  I think it sounds too sing-songy.  I can't decide if I should just stick with a name I love and get over it, or settle for a name that I'm not in love with.  Any help/advice would be appreciated!

 This is my list, and they almost all end in a:

 Ava

Sophia

Stella

Olivia

Nora

Layla/Leila

Hannah

Ella

Vivienne

Lorelai

Becky262

Sorry, the names that end with A do kinda sound like the children's books Amelia Bedelia.  

I think the shorter names like Ava, Nora and Ella are better than Sophia and Olivia but I'd still try to find something else (or hope that she gets married and changes her last name  lol)

sunnyday016

I think you have some really great name choices, but they do sound pretty rhymey with your last name. What a bummer! In the end though, if you can't find anything else you love, then just go with it.

k*princess

Some of these aren't so bad. I think Stella, Nora, and Leila sound a little less rhymey than the rest. The only one I would absolutely veto is Sophia... it seems way more rhymey than the rest.

What about versions of the -a names that don't actually end in -a? Olive instead of Olivia, Eleanor instead of Nora (and Nora could be a nn), Elle instead of Ella.. 

I would keep looking and if you honestly cannot settle for another name, try to pick a less rhymey -a name. You already have Vivienne, which is a good choice. 

fineskyline

I'd say a name you love, but I wouldn't be able to name my child anything that didn't also flow well. 

KeriMichaelMarie

Vivienne Stella Koliba

strangebird

While I see your point, I think may of your choices work well with your last name. The key to avoiding the sing-songy feel while still using a name ending in -a, is to avoid have three syllables in both the first and last name.

Sophia Koliba is nearly and eye-rhyme and sounds lyrical.

Leila Koliba and Olivia Koliba do not, although they do sound pervasively feminine.

I think it can be done. You'll have to say each name aloud before making your final choice (which I hope you were doing anyway: ) but I don't see any reason to avoid -a names altogether.

Brandibaby28

Go with the name you truly love no matter if it's sing-songy, or even a mouthfull!! DO what is in your heart!!!

d.cubed

I agree with pps about how many syllables are in the name.  

If we have a girl, we're using THREE -a names, but I don't think that it sounds too sing-songy because of the different syllable counts: 

Julia Zaneta Dobrygoffska (trans) 

So I'm all for using the names that you love, even if they end in -a! 

dana1318a

I would stay away from Sophia & Olivia because they both have the ee-uh sound, and I think that's too close to your last name.  But I think you could pull the others off if you love them.  My fave off your list is Vivienne though (not really the -uh sound so maybe I'm contradicting myself).  What mn are you thinking?  If it's something that breaks up the sound these could flow much more nicely.

Toots_pop

Brandibaby28:

Go with the name you truly love no matter if it's sing-songy, or even a mouthfull!! DO what is in your heart!!!

I absolutely agree!

ank080208

Middle name will most likely be Claire or Grace.