What do you think when your hear Aleah??

wintertime_love

We are trying to agree on a name for our second daughter and like names that are sophisticated/elegant/feminine.  My hubs really likes Aleah.  Do you get the "trashy" vibe or the "sophisticated/pretty" vibe? 

Our first daughter is Gabrielle.  I like the names Scarlett and Eva as well, but the Hubs isn't on board.  I'd like both girls' names to match in terms of style.  Thanks!!  Any additional name suggestions welcome, also!

BlueRidge8

I can't get a sophisticated vibe from a name without a history and I don't think it goes with Gabrielle. 

I do like Eva, but I suppose it's out if your DH doesn't. What about Sophia? 

MainelyFoolish

I think the name is fine, but the most common spelling is Aaliyah.

What about just Leah? It's a classic, feminine name.

karen_loy

I get the trashy vibe, sorry, and I don't think it goes well at all with Gabrielle

How about Corinne, Elizabeth, Katherine..?

wintertime_love

Thanks, I had the feeling it was "trashy" sounding but I didn't want to believe it :P 

EGMphoto

First thing that I think of is Aaliyah. Not a great connotation.

swimiz500

Yeah, I think of Teen Mom also. So not a great vibe. 

futuremrscanet

I think of the late singer Aaliyah.  But do not get a trashy vibe...just that association. 

KittyMarie219

It's a variant of the Arabic name Aaliyah, which I much prefer.
The Americanized spelling makes me think of that dimwit from Teen Mom 2.
Also whoever mentioned Leah -- most people are probably going to a "trashy" vibe from that name as well as Leah is the name of another of the Teen Mom girls' daughters (Amber's daughter) and the name is also strongly associated with Twilight as well (Leah Clearwater, first introed in the third book Eclipse). Personally, I think Leah is a fine name, although I won't use it b/c it's too close to my brother's name Lee and b/c of the Teen Mom association, but that's mostly just b/c I can't stand Amber the mom.

asouthorn

I like Scarlett, Aleah makes me think of teen mom and the late singer

MainelyFoolish

KittyMarie219:

It's a variant of the Arabic name Aaliyah, which I much prefer.
The Americanized spelling makes me think of that dimwit from Teen Mom 2.
Also whoever mentioned Leah -- most people are probably going to a "trashy" vibe from that name as well as Leah is the name of another of the Teen Mom girls' daughters (Amber's daughter) and the name is also strongly associated with Twilight as well (Leah Clearwater, first introed in the third book Eclipse). Personally, I think Leah is a fine name, although I won't use it b/c it's too close to my brother's name Lee and b/c of the Teen Mom association, but that's mostly just b/c I can't stand Amber the mom.

A decade from now, no one is going to think about Teen Mom or Eclipse when they hear the name Leah.

blush64

I prefer Eva. I don't get any vibe from Aleah.

dangerkitty102

I think of teen mom, sorry. And that would be the teen mom that lives in a trailer in west virginia so it definitely doesn't have the "sophisticated" association for me.

Reyka9

MelRC117:

I think of Teen Mom 2's Alleah and Allianna (or however Leah and Corey spelled them)...so I have to say the trashy vibe. Sorry.

This. 

Zimger

I don't get a sophisticated vibe. I get more of a spunky/hyper vibe. As far as trashy...I don't think so, but I don't really watch alot of TV so I'm not getting the Teen Mom reference (I have heard it's a terrible show). I don't really think it goes with Gabrielle though. I like Scarlett, maybe you can get your DH on board. Another suggestion on here that I liked was Corrine.

Allycat11

MainelyFoolish:

KittyMarie219:

It's a variant of the Arabic name Aaliyah, which I much prefer.
The Americanized spelling makes me think of that dimwit from Teen Mom 2.
Also whoever mentioned Leah -- most people are probably going to a "trashy" vibe from that name as well as Leah is the name of another of the Teen Mom girls' daughters (Amber's daughter) and the name is also strongly associated with Twilight as well (Leah Clearwater, first introed in the third book Eclipse). Personally, I think Leah is a fine name, although I won't use it b/c it's too close to my brother's name Lee and b/c of the Teen Mom association, but that's mostly just b/c I can't stand Amber the mom.

A decade from now, no one is going to think about Teen Mom or Eclipse when they hear the name Leah.

Agreed, if you use Leah, those references will be irrelevant in a few years.

FWIW, Aleah sounds trashy to me. I love your other name choices.   

chibride4

I know sisters named Gabrielle (Gabby) and Francesa (Frankie). Cute sibset. Not feeling Aleah, but Leah and Eliana are nice.

capulet

MainelyFoolish:

KittyMarie219:

It's a variant of the Arabic name Aaliyah, which I much prefer.
The Americanized spelling makes me think of that dimwit from Teen Mom 2.
Also whoever mentioned Leah -- most people are probably going to a "trashy" vibe from that name as well as Leah is the name of another of the Teen Mom girls' daughters (Amber's daughter) and the name is also strongly associated with Twilight as well (Leah Clearwater, first introed in the third book Eclipse). Personally, I think Leah is a fine name, although I won't use it b/c it's too close to my brother's name Lee and b/c of the Teen Mom association, but that's mostly just b/c I can't stand Amber the mom.

A decade from now, no one is going to think about Teen Mom or Eclipse when they hear the name Leah.

This.  I don't have those associations now, even, because I don't know from Teen Mom or Twilight.  Leah has been a biblical name for a few thousand years and will retain that association for a long time to come.  I don't think pop culture references should be a dealbreaker in naming a person who's going to outlive any such references in our collective consciousness by like eighty years.

But Aleah, yeah.  I don't know how to "hear" it when I read it because I'm not sure how it's intended to be pronounced.  I can think of at least three different ways.

KittyMarie219

MainelyFoolish:

KittyMarie219:

It's a variant of the Arabic name Aaliyah, which I much prefer.
The Americanized spelling makes me think of that dimwit from Teen Mom 2.
Also whoever mentioned Leah -- most people are probably going to a "trashy" vibe from that name as well as Leah is the name of another of the Teen Mom girls' daughters (Amber's daughter) and the name is also strongly associated with Twilight as well (Leah Clearwater, first introed in the third book Eclipse). Personally, I think Leah is a fine name, although I won't use it b/c it's too close to my brother's name Lee and b/c of the Teen Mom association, but that's mostly just b/c I can't stand Amber the mom.

A decade from now, no one is going to think about Teen Mom or Eclipse when they hear the name Leah.

Teen Mom, maybe depending on whether or not the family actually makes it out of public sight -- even when they aren't filming Teen Mom, you constantly see those girls on some magazine tabloid cover --  but the Twilight Saga is popular enough that the movie series will eventually be rebooted and thus the character will resurface. Plus, I doubt that even ten yrs from now there will be teenagers who aren't reading the Twilight Saga.
I would also like to point out that if it were true that no one would know what Twilight is in ten yrs from now, I doubt we'd see so many posters saying, "I can't use the name Isabella or Esme or Rosalie or ect. ect b/c of stupid Twilight!" Which is, btw, the very type of opinions that caused me to believe that the name would receive a negative reaction.
Also, people can also say that a decade from now no one will think about Teen Mom 2 and little Aleah and Alliannah or w/e are going to be all grown up and then what excuse is everyone going to have for saying Aleah is trashy? Especially when it's only ONE letter off from Leah, and to say that the name has no history seems not only ridiculous but inaccurate, especially when one considers the Arabic name from which it was derived Aliyah --

Aliyah or Aliya is the name given to the immigration of the Jews to Israel. This especially occurred in the 20th century, and the state of Israel was established in 1948. It is considered by many Jews as a return to the Promised Land. -- babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com

I fail to see how that is anyway lacking of historical significance. 

Mrs.G123

I def. don't think of it as sophisticated. What about Louisa?

JMTTC

I also think Teen Mom....But I do love the name Leah.

mommytoconnor

I don't think elegant or sophisticated when I hear Aleah.  I like Leah, though just not Aleah.  Love the name Eva, but if that's out, what about Olivia, Ava,Caroline,Grace they all sound sophisticated to me.

SayAnything84

First I think, "why didn't they spell it the normal way like the singer?" The second thing I would think that it was an African American, obvisouly that is not a bad thing but I have known about 5 Aaliyah's in my life and they were all African American, that could just be a regional thing for me. 

JaneG2011

MelRC117:

I think of Teen Mom 2's Alleah and Allianna (or however Leah and Corey spelled them)...so I have to say the trashy vibe. Sorry.

JaneG2011

MelRC117:

I think of Teen Mom 2's Alleah and Allianna (or however Leah and Corey spelled them)...so I have to say the trashy vibe. Sorry.

 

Same here

Laurakat81

I really dislike Aleah. Leah is beautiful though. 

ZoeMay06

I like how it sounds but not the spelling. I have a very good friend named Alia (who has a PhD and isn't the least bit trashy) and I've always loved her name. I much prefer it spelled like that for simplicity's sake.

Along those lines, I also love the name Aria. 

megemoney

I get WT feeling.  I think of the signer, but with a WT spelling. 

Gabrielle is a beautiful name.  Aleah does not even sound like she'd be from the same family.

I LOVE Eva.  That will be my first daughter's name.

Amelia

Bethany

Cathrine

Delilah

Eva (Evangeline?)

Fiona

Isabelle

Josephine

Natalie

Olivia

Sophia

Veronica

Vivian

adventureolive

I think of that girl from Teen Mom who cheated on her husband. She names one of her daughters Aleeah and I definitely get the trashy vibe from it.

 

What about Amelie, Simone, or Fleur?

jelina

I don't know anything about TeenMom or Twilight but I do get a trashy vibe from Aleah. It is spelled one bazillion different you-neek ways and the singer connection doesn't help either.

I do not get the same vibe from Leah. Also I love Eva, very pretty.

queenbone

I think of the singer Aaliyah and start singing "Age ain't nuthin' but a number." And then I think of her tragic end in a plane crash. 

It's a nice name, although I prefer the above spelling.  Not sure how well it goes with Gabrielle, but they are both pretty and feminine.

ETA: Just went back and read the other responses.  I think the lesson here is people should stop watching and reading trash so they have less of a frame of reference for trashy.  

jlh2716

Never saw a single episode of Teen Mom, nor have I read a single sentence of the Twilight books (was subjected to the first movie--wasn't compelled to go any further with it), and I don't read tabloids much, so I don't get any of those references with Aleah or Leah. While I don't get a trashy vibe from Aleah, I don't like it, even when spelled correctly. And it doesn't fit with Gabrielle, nor is it sophisticated to me.

I don't particularly like Leah, but I don't have bad associations with the name. It's a biblical name, not something I associate with pop culture at all. I know a Leah, and she's very sweet, a pediatrician, and she always looks very neat and well put together.

SnoopyLuv

feffy11:

When I HEAR [uh-LEE-ya], I think it's an ethnic name (nothing wrong with that, but I MIGHT make an assumption). When I SEE Aleah, I think "why didn't they spell it right?"

 I agree with other PPs. I wouldn't call it sophisticated, and I definitely don't think it goes with Gabrielle. Gabrielle makes me think of: Alexandra, Veronica, Theresa, Catherine, Josephine, Michaela, Danielle, Francesca, Bernadette, etc.

I think Gabrielle, Josephine, and Bernadette make a killer sibset (All three-syllable French derivatives (with different endings) that are the feminine forms of strong boys' names).

 

This is too funny! J's name was almost Gabrielle. I've been pushing DH to change his mind on Bernadette and his fav name is Francesca. On the same wavelength, LOL!