Is My Baby Girl Name Misspelled??

wao que lindo se ve escrito...DEEANA!!... me parece perfecto que hayas convertido el nombre en su ortografía para que suene Diana y no Dayana! no importa que no esté en el diccionario ingles como tal!!!, no es lo mismo Diana leah que Dayana Leah...asi que pa lante!!!!

Just a little personal note:

My daughter is named Leahna (Lay-on-a). It's a name I made up and noone has ever heard it before. We always have to spell it and tell people how to read it and some people have trouble remembering it, BUT we love the name and it suits her, I could not imagine her being called anything else! If you love the name and the spelling, go with it and you'll be happy. The only "right and wrong" is the way YOU feel.

It is not a conventional spelling, but that doesn't make it wrong. You can spell her name however you like! If you name her Diana, however most Americans will pronounce it DI-ah-na with a hard "I" (like princess Diana.)

I think it's wise to spell a name phonetically if you are using an alternate pronunciation. Had you spelled it Diana, everyone would have pronounced it with the English pronunciation. Spelling it Deeana, nobody will pronounce it incorrectly, so you're smart. I have seen it spelled Deanna (but then I wonder if it's pronounced Deena or Dee-anna) - so actually your solution is the best I've heard for this name!

We have sooooooo many languages in English, names are spelled many many ways here in the US. We are VERY used to asking how to spell a name or being corrected on how to pronounce a name. Diana, Deanna, Deeanna, Dyana are all used.

Just some examples off the top of my head:

- Catherine, Catheryn, Catherynn, Katherine, Katheryn, Katherynn, Kaytherin, etc.
- Eva, Aoife
- R., Rilee, Rileigh, Rileah, Rhileigh, Rylee
- Megan, Meghan, Maygen, Meeghan
- Sean, Shawn, Shaun
- Isabelle, Isabell
- Mary, Mairie, Marrie, Mayree,
- Ann, Anne
- Sarah, Sara

The 3 vowels "eea" will make people pause, because it's not an English way to use vowels... but only for a moment.

Deeanna-Leah is a beautiful name :) However you choose to spell it.

Diana is the name of Prince Charles' wife in England. She was killed in a car crash in the late 90's. The name in English is pronounced Die ann uh.
In English the name Dee ann uh is Deanna.
Either way I love both, they are beautiful names.

I would pronounce the name D-EE-AH-NAH LEE

No, it's not misspelled! You just spelled it phonetically, which was wise. Now people will pronounce it the way you intended.
It's a beautiful name!

Well, there are a lot of unconventional spellings of names. If you do choose an unusual name or an unconventional spelling, you probably won't find a lot of references to it or cups and other toys with that spelling of the name on it. "Diana" is the way a female name in American and British English is spelled. It is pronounced with a "long i" and not a "short i (where it sounds like e)" It sounds like "I" as in, "I went for a walk." The spelling Deeana sounds exactly like the way I would expect a native Spanish speaker to pronounce Diana, but most people will pronounce it with a long E sound instead of a long I sound.

So -I wouldn't say you've misspelled it -it's your spelling of her name, and it will depend on who is pronouncing it. However, if you want people to pronounce it with the "I" sound -like Diana -you will have to change it.

I have a friend who wanted her son's name spelled phonetically, and no one knows what it is and frequently thinks it's a girl's name. Instead of Julian she went with Juleein. I recommend spelling it either the normal way and liking it, or spell it the way you want, really, really like it, and not mind if others dont know how to pronounce it. :-)

I do understand what you are saying - the spelling in English is Deanna. It was also the name of a Star Trek character: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deanna_Troi

You can probably You Tube "Deanna Troi Star Trek" and hear it spoken.

Cheers!
:)K.

PS - In English grammar, 3 vowels (EEA) can't be next to each other.

I know some body (not spanish speaking) whose name is Deeana

In English, I have seen that name that sounds that way usually spelled Deanna. BUT, people often mispronounce it as DEEna. (Dina in spanish). So your daughter might have her name mispelled by people who hear it, but I bet she will never have it mispronounced by people who are reading it. It is pretty easy to see how you want it pronounced, which makes it easy. As far as whether it is a name that really "exists", I would not worry about that at all. I have seen WAAY crazier spellings lately of names that the parents wanted to make them a little unique.

http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Deeana

Honestly, there is no such thing as a "misspelled" name. You can spell your child's name however you see fit.

I don't know Spanish but the most common English spelling is probably Deanna. You can spell it how ever you want (maybe Dayana is closer to how your pronounce it) If you use an unusual spelling you and you daughter will probably always be teaching people how to pronounce and spell it. Not a huge deal but a bit of an effort. Whatever spelling you use, it is a beautiful sounding name. I have a long time friend named Marisa. Her family is Italian and they pronounce her name similar to how you describe, with the "i" making a long "e" sound. As a teenager she decided she wanted everyone to use the Italian pronunciation and spent a while correcting everyone until it sunk in. I'm sure your daughter will find a way to make the name suit her when she gets older.

Also, if you want to change the Birth Certificate call the vital statistics office or check their web site. You will probably have to go there in person with ID showing you are the parent and fill out a form and maybe pay a small fee.

You can spell your baby's name any way you want to. I have seen lots of different spellings of different names just because people wanted to be different. No biggie!!

That name does not exist, but lots of Americans are named made-up names. You can just tell people how your 'Diana' is pronounced, that is done also, or you can spell the name however you like. (For instance, Mikayla was not a real name until lots of people started using it.)

The English equivalent would be Deanna.

Because i am Puerto-Rican born in NY - I totally understand what you are trying to do.

What's important that you teach your daughter to pronounce it properly and she will teach others to pronounce her name properly.

Now American's may pronounce Deeana - you need to teach them to say Deeana (like DeeAHna)

Beautiful name you have chosen.

A.

I would pronounce that name dee-ann-uh lee-uh. Or Dee-ah-nuh. I love dayana for a Spanish/Hispanic/latina girl. I can't believe people think Leah is lee or leia! I grew up with a name that was always misspelled or pronounced wrong (T., pronounced tee-air-uh) and I still wish i had a name that was slightly more common. I have never met a deeana, just Diana, Deanna, Deana, dina, and dena.

There is no such thing as a misspelled name if it's spelled the same way as it's spelled on the birth certificate. There are many parents who spell the same names differently. And many names that are spelled the same are pronounced differently. Diana can be pronounce Dy ana or Dee ana. I think you are creative to spell it the way you want it to be pronounced. Please don't worry about it.

About a name not existing in English. Many names are made up. My name, M., doesn't exist in English as far as I know. People want to spell in Marta which is a Spanish name I'm told. I like my name even tho I do have to almost always spell it for people. I like being unique. lol My counsin's name is LaCreta. We don't think that name exists in English either. Perhaps it's a Spanish name but I've never seen it in Spanish either. She also likes having a different name.

We never find any name close to ours in personalized objects. Doesn't bother either of us. There are many names, even common names that don't have personalized items too. What is common when a child is born may not be by the time the child is older and looks for their name. Maybe you'll start a trend with Deeana. And you can find personalized items with the name of Leah.

You can spell it and pronounce it any way you want.
I worked with someone who came from Germany who's grandson is 'Eric' and pronounced it that way, but they spelled it 'Airich'. I'm sure many people will call him 'air-rich'.
If I were reading Deeana-Leah out loud, I'd pronounce it 'Dee-anna-lee', and it's a lovely name.

In English it'd be Deanna. But you have a right to spell a name however you want, I have seen Cristina written as Krystyna, Kristina, Christina, Krystina, so my point is, it's up to you. Don't feel afraid to be creative in the spelling of your daughter's name, at least it's a normal name, unlike say "Pilot Inspektor" (Jason Lee's son's name) or other odd names...

Deana is a name in English, and if I'm reading your post correctly, that is exactly how your daughter's name is pronounced. I have a friend, Deana, and have heard of other people with this name. It's pronounced DEE-ann-ah. Sounds like you got exactly the name you wanted.

When people mispronounce her name, just correct them. When they ask her name you say it like want them to.

Honestly I am confused as to how you want her name pronounced, so I am no help as far as the spelling. But all that matters is that her name is spelled how YOU want it to be.

Love it...it might confuse people less if you wrote it: Dee Ana. Spell it like you like it!

it looks to me like the way Diana is said in Spanish. There is no other way to pronouce "ee" in English other than like an "i" in Spanish.

But then my last name does not look anything like how it sounds.

You can have the spelling of her name legally changed, but I don't know how to go about that myself.

I would spell it like this: "Dayana." You didn't mention if your baby has been born yet. You realize that if her birth certificate bears a misspelling, you need to correct it A.S.A.P.

I think this may be what you wanted:

Deanna - D + Anna - in English this is "Ann + a" NOT "On + a" and not "D+Ya+Nah"

http://www.babycenter.com/baby-names-deanna-6975.htm

And I thought Leah was pronounced Lay + a. Not Lee + a. But I could be wrong.

I hope that helps you.
http://www.babycenter.com/baby-names-leah-2758.htm

Greetings S.,
I have several friends that speak Spanish and they have all given thier children the Spanish spelling of a name. They have given the English trasnlations as the nick name.
The only way I have seen this name spelled is-- Deanna, or Deann. Diana-Leha is a pretty name. If you are concerned then you can have it changed without much problems legally.
If you are worried about others mispronouncig it then be sure to teach her at a young age not to allow that. My daughter is Faith-Jennifer, when someone at school tried to shorten it to Fay or Fai, she Stomped her food and spelled it for them and made a fit til they got it right.
Just be sure you teach her both languages so she has a good chance in life. In the school district my husband workedin the children that spoke no English at home really had a hard time.
God Bless, Nana G

Deanna would be my closest spelling to the spanish equivalent

Both my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are named Diana and are of Colombian descent and people call them by both pronunciations. My husband and I are having a heated discussion as I type this and he says your father was wrong. But don't mind him, spell it anyway you like. If you haven't already had the baby, I would spell it Diana and just correct everybody when they say DIE-A-NA. These days people are spelling names in all kind of crazy ways.

I have seen that spelling but it is a rare. What matters most is not what others think but what you are happy with.

Melissa R, the name Leahna,that is another name I have seen as well. Google also brings up some people with the same name and it is on a few baby name lists.

I've seen it spelled usually Deanna.

S., the way you've spelled your baby's name looks fine. The best thing about the spelling and pronunciation of Deeana-Leah (beautiful name, btw) is that your daughter will have a story behind her name.
My name is C. and am Mexican-American. My whole life I've had people tell me that it was misspelled. I even had a woman at the DMV tell me I had written it in wrong on my driver's license application! I just say "No. My mom wanted it spelled this way because she thought it was prettier than the common version, Cecilia, but pronounced the same way."
I have two sons, Jaime and Nicholas. When Jaime (pronounced the spanish way - Hi-meh) started preschool the teachers called him Jaymee. He came home the first day and told me he didn't like the way his name was pronounced. I told him to explain in a nice way that he preferred to have his name pronounced the way it was at home. He did, and he was a hit from that day on!
When Nicholas was born and we were still at the hospital, a lady from birth records came to fill out the birth certificate form. I told her his name and how I wanted it spelled. She said that I was spelling it wrong (story of my life). That the correct way was Nicolas, without the "h" and an accent over the "a", because that was how it was written in spanish and pronounced Nee-coh-lahs. I had to tell her several times that I didn't want it that way. She argued with me until I threatened to call her manager! Crazy, huh?

Anyway, there really isn't a right or wrong way to spell a name. What matters is that you gave your child a name with love!

How clever of you!! That was SO smart! Spell it in a way that will make people pronounce it the way you want it pronounced. I LOVE IT! I have a unique name and I can't stand for people to say it wrong so I shortened it. Then I gave my son the most common name in the world just to spare him that problem. I wish I'd thought to do what you did. NO, your baby girl's name is not misspelled. It's perfect. Good for you! And for the ladies who can't find personalized items for themselves or their babies with unique names or unique spellings of names, visit www.whatchuneed.com. The company was started for people with unique names and unique spellings of not-so-unique names. :)

I spelled my daughter's name differently from the norm too. Her name is Nayomi and it is traditionally spelled Naomi. However, when we showed my mil the name Naomi in a baby book, she tried to pronounce it Neomi, so we spelled it how it's supposed to sound. lol Deeana is a beautiful name.

Mazel Tov (congratulations) on your daughter.

You can spell a name any way you want and pronounce it any way you want. I'm not sure I understand how you want it to sound. (Dee-ana or Die-ana?) Would Dianna work? Anyway, you can always correct a person's pronunciation...

You can spell a name anyway you want to, but do not assume that people will pronounce it as you want it. A kind correction to mispronounciation is always appreciated. I am a substitute teacher at the middle school level, and see all kinds of different spellings. But when I take roll, I have less than 5 minutes to get thru the whole class and I call out what I think each name sounds like. Most people will do that....

You can spell the name ANY WAY YOU WANT TO.

My kids names are insaine lol I wont ever be able to find them anything but at least it is like our family unique! We love their names and thats all that matters I really like the way you spelt it but hey thats me!

you have had tons of responses - but i have to add my two cents. the great thing about a name is that YOU decide. my son's name is adan, like a million other kids right now (we didn't realize the "aidan" craze until after he was here, of course), but thank god we spelled it differently so that he will be at least a bit unique. you do whatever you want.

I personally know two people with the name Deeana, ironic as it may seem one is caucasion and the other hispanic. I like the idea, especially since many times a spanish name is often "translated" into english and not pronounced the way it was intended so you drawing it out like that is awesome. My name is C. and it has always been pronounced c-u-h-c-i-l-y-a rather than the spanish version

I also speak Spanish, S.. The phonetically English version of "Diana" would be "Deanna". I have friends with this name and English speakers will have an easier time spelling it correctly and it will sound like your Spanish "Diana". Hope that helps. =)

Hi,
My niece is DeAnn, so I am sure you could say DeAnna- and that way it would be said as you wish.
best,k

Updated

Hi,
My niece is DeAnn, so I am sure you could say DeAnna- and that way it would be said as you wish.
best,k

My aunt is Diana and pronounces it Dye-anna.

According to the birth certificate policy, whatever you write on that line is the baby's name, and however you spell it is their legal name, and the correct spelling. If it doesn't happen to be a common spelling, you may not get hits on the web, but it isn't misspelled. Just no-one else happens to have it posted. I personally know of at least 3 other people named Deeana; they must just not be on the web.... It also may be that the combo with Leah isn't posted. Either way, if thats what you chose, it isn't misspelled. :-)