I like the name Lila a lot, it's really beautiful. I'm not a fan of boys names for girls, so I can't get into the "James" trend, but that's a personal preference and you shouldn't let it affect your choice.
I LOVE Lila. It's been on my list of favorites since I was a young girl and I have nothing but good things to say about it. I also really like using middle names to honor family members and other special people. That said, I'm still not a fan of James on a girl, even if it does honor someone. No one names their son Emily or Sophia, so I don't like the double standard there of using a masculine name for a girl. Lila Leigh (pronounced Lee, I'm assuming) sounds a little strange since both names start with L, but I think it's fine since you're using the name to honor someone and people rarely use the middle name anyway.
ETA: I hope that wasn't too rough. At the end of the day, it's your baby and your decision.
That's my sister's name, mn Rebecca. She loves it, and it's always been unique. She does get a ton of mispronunciations though, just as a heads up. Oh and when she spent a year in Israel she learned that it's actuall a popular name for dogs over there, so people were pretty amused, but not in a mean spirited way. It means night in Hebrew.
Personally I don't like either of those middle names. Lila Leigh sounds too rhymey for my taste and I don't get using James as a middle name for a girl. That's just my opinion though, do what makes YOU happy.
Lila is lovely. I really don't like boy names on girls. It will sound dated in ten years and I don't see yanyone naming their son "Joseph Claire Lastname" which bothers me!!
I saw your post on the baby names board and thought people were a little vicious over there! I personally like unisex names and have thought about using James as a middle name for a girl as well since my name (Jamie) doesn't work well as a mn. Lila is very girly so lila James is a nice balance of feminine and masculine. I say James over Leigh But go with whatever you love most!
I honestly, in this case, prefer James if you are dead set on using one of those middle names. The double L with the other option is a little much for me and the masculine name is not as big a deal since it is a middle name. I was going to suggest Jamie as well (Also my name and I was named after a James) but Lila Jamie does not flow. Maybe you can honor James by using a name that starts with a J? Here is a webpage with a lot of ideas.
Lila is lovely. I really don't like boy names on girls. It will sound dated in ten years and I don't see yanyone naming their son "Joseph Claire Lastname" which bothers me!!
Oddly enough, as a child I only knew two other Claires and one was a man who spelled it Clair. To me, it almost felt like my parents had given me a boy's name! Then it became more common and super popular for girls to the point where a lot of people don't even know that it's a valid masculine name. It still really bothers me when someone spells my name Clair though, because that is the traditional masculine spelling for the name and I hate it!
All the more reason to avoid James though, OP. I absolutely hated it as a kid that my name could be used for either a boy or a girl and if my name had actually been a masculine name it would have been even worse.
Re: Thoughts on the the name Lila for a girl - 89 days to go!
ETA: I hope that wasn't too rough. At the end of the day, it's your baby and your decision.
https://nameberry.com/nametalk/threads/113436-Feminine-form-of-James
But in all honesty go with James if that is what you want. Your baby... No one else's.
All the more reason to avoid James though, OP. I absolutely hated it as a kid that my name could be used for either a boy or a girl and if my name had actually been a masculine name it would have been even worse.
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My husband is a James, I struggle to see it fitting on a girl.
But in saying that, it's totally your choice at the end of the day as its YOUR little lady and no one else's opinions should matter if you love it!