OP here.

Thanks for your suggestions! We are Jewish, and of Eastern European heritage. I'm still loving both names. I really love the nickname Lainey (or Lanie) and like Elena but don't love it. I love Emily, and think it's such a pretty, feminine name, but know it is very common and maybe Elena is a little fresher of a name.

I am familiar with that Disney movie Elena but that doesn't sway me away from Elena.

For the middle name, we are honoring a relative. A middle name beginning with F would be my first choice (though I know that's a difficult letter to find good names for). So I'm trying to come up with good F middle names. Fiona is the one I like the best so far. R would be the other middle name we would use if we don't find a good F middle name. I do love Rose. Also I love Rachel.

Thanks!

Elena (I don't love Lainey)

As an adult Elena, I definitely vote Elena! Especially now that Elena of Avalor means you'll be able to find name stuff, which was not true when I was growing up!!

Elena Ruth? What a strong name that would be!

Elena. As an adult Emily, I can confirm there are too many Emily, Emme, Emma, Emory, Emerson, etc. kids around! Always someone yelling my name!

Based on just the names themselves, I like both.

Emily is great, but I'd skip Rose as a middle name unless you like the exorcism reference.

Either first name is good.

Use Rose as a middle name for whichever name you pick, Fiona does not work with either name.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elena (no nickname).

Emily is so incredibly boring! Given how popular both Emily & Emma have been for the past 15 years or so, you could probably call out "Em! Over here!" at any crowded park or in any co-ed/ girls' school cafeteria in this area & at least 10% of the girls within earshot would probably turn around.

What kind of savage are you??? I just had a new niece named Emily and I am EXTREMELY offended by this. I'll have you know she is the least boring baby I have ever encountered. I bet your name is "Katie" or "Jen." EMILYS ROCK MY WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New to DCUM, are you?

Elena is lovely--I would go with that. Emily is incredibly overused.

Elena.

Emily is so, so, so common and while it's fairly traditional, it's not "classic" like some other very common names, e.g., Elizabeth.

Elena Rose. Emily's nice but boring and way too popular. I know about 15 girls under age 5 named Em-something (either Emily, Emma, emmaline, Emilia, Emerson, etc) it's just too common. Elenas pretty, a bit different without being weird, has several nickname options, could work in different cultures/countries (of the only 2 Elenas I know, 1 is Italian and 1 is Bosnian. Then of course there's Elena Kagan, who is Jewish, and I think Elena is a fairly popular name in Spain and other Spanish speaking countries too)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elena (no nickname).

Emily is so incredibly boring! Given how popular both Emily & Emma have been for the past 15 years or so, you could probably call out "Em! Over here!" at any crowded park or in any co-ed/ girls' school cafeteria in this area & at least 10% of the girls within earshot would probably turn around.

What kind of savage are you??? I just had a new niece named Emily and I am EXTREMELY offended by this. I'll have you know she is the least boring baby I have ever encountered. I bet your name is "Katie" or "Jen." EMILYS ROCK MY WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My name is NOT Katie or --shudder!-- Jen. It is Alexandra. HAVE AT ME BITCH!!!!

Elena, nickname Lena.

I like Emily better, but I would choose Elena.

I had my oldest child in 2000 and it seemed every other baby girl I met was named Emily. It was so popular.

I too immediately thought if Elena of Avalor. It's a pretty name though.

Elena Fiona is a mouthful. Actually, Emily Fiona doesn't exactly roll off the tongue either. Rose works better with both (though I do love the name Fiona).