Leah vs. Lia?

pinkie529 · May 2012

Hi all! I just recently posted about our final name list for girls and received very helpful responses. The name "Lia" was just recently suggested to me by my mother. DH and I really love this name and are thinking about adding it to our recently shortened list, but we have some questions/concerns.

1. The spelling. My family is very Italian, so when my mom suggested this name to us, she was referring to the Italian spelling, "Lia." Though I think this spelling is pretty, I am partial to using the most common spellings of names. I am worried that if we use Lia instead of Leah, people may believe we were trying to be "creative" or "different" in our spelling--definitely not the look we're going for.

2. DH's distant cousin's name is Leah. This is his first cousin, but we rarely see her (maybe every 2-3 years, as she lives across the country). They are not close, but sometimes keep in touch via Facebook. We would probably eventually visit her/her family when the baby comes, though. I don't want to "steal" her name or create any awkwardness. So what do you think, big deal or no?

TIA for your honest opinions! We don't have our heart set on this name, so any and all feedback is welcome!

ETA: While my maiden name was very obviously Italian, our last name isn't Italian sounding (DH is Italian on his mother's side)--not sure if that matters, though.

Mrs.DeliaMarieP · May 2012

I think that since you are Italian, then Lia is just fine.

Go with whatever name you prefer, and don't worry about the cousin as long as she doesn't have the same last name. Also, there is a huge age difference between them, so it's really not a concern, and definitely pick a different middle name.

Allycat11 · May 2012

Typically I would suggest Leah over Lia, but with your Italian heritage I think either would be just fine.

I wouldn't worry about DH's cousin because you don't seem to have a close relationship and it is not an immediate family member.

Laurakat81 · May 2012

Mrs.DeliaMarieP:
I think that since you are Italian, then Lia is just fine.

Go with whatever name you prefer, and don't worry about the cousin as long as she doesn't have the same last name. Also, there is a huge age difference between them, so it's really not a concern, and definitely pick a different middle name.

Yup, this.

CocoBrynne · May 2012

I prefer Lia.

littlemac1117 · May 2012

I like Leah better than Lia, but I think Lia works well with your Italian background.

BeeKayy21 · May 2012

i think because you are doing it because of your background then thats fine..lia does look pretty, i am just always tempted to say lie-uh. i like the name though!

JMU_Bride09 · May 2012

I would use Lia. It's a legit name, and if ignorant people think you misspelled Leah, well, that's their problem lol. It's a beautiful name. In regards to your DH's cousin, I think it's fine to use the same name, so long as you're ok with it. She can still use it for a future child should she wish.

magsugar13 · May 2012

I actually like Lia more than Leah,,,,but i think that is because of my love of italian names.

Starry Again · May 2012

I prefer Lia for some reason - I think I have bad associations with people named Leah, although it is a nice name. I wish it wasn't Amber's kid's name though, now when I think of "baby Leah" I just want to cry.

pinkie529 · May 2012

All of this feedback is a HUGE help! I think we'll be adding Lia to our list!

Thank you so much!

kravan · May 2012

I love Lia!

jburdet1 · May 2012

I prefer the Leah spelling as is in the Bible and am not familiar with the Lia spelling. However, if the Lia spelling compliments your Italian heritage than I would use that spelling.

raefre · May 2012

1) As much as I think Lia is prettier than Leah, I am one of those people who would think, at least at first thought, that you were trying to be special with the Italian spelling.

2) If you went with Lia, you would be honoring your family heritage and, at least on facebook or in emails, you would be able to easily differentiate between cousin Leah and daughter Lia.

pinkie529 · May 2012

raefre:
1) As much as I think Lia is prettier than Leah, I am one of those people who would think, at least at first thought, that you were trying to be special with the Italian spelling.
2) If you went with Lia, you would be honoring your family heritage and, at least on facebook or in emails, you would be able to easily differentiate between cousin Leah and daughter Lia.

That's a great point! Thank you!

Mrs.LM625 · May 2012

My daughter is Lia. I love, love, love her name. We chose the spelling because both MH and I are of Italian heritage, and both my maiden and married names are obviously Italian. I, too, was nervous that it would look misspelled, but we just did not like the Leah spelling. So in my (biased) opinion, I think you should add Lia to your list!!

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