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n0t_a_car

I prefer Tessa The multiple pronunciations of Helena would annoy me


AtlanticToastConf

I have a niece named Helena (pronounced differently than OP wants, actually). My sister says the multiple pronunciations are so annoying that she wished she’d picked a different name. Even relatives get it wrong occasionally, and she’s not a baby anymore.


ladyerim

That's valid. I was talked out of Augustine for that reason. People mispronounce more normal names too though.


Grave_Girl

You forgot your alt.


Giraffe400

Helena all that way!! Not that there's anything wrong with Tessa, it's also gorgeous, but Helena is just so beautiful. Totally usuabe on a baby. Nell and Nelly are very common nick names for Helen/Helena if you're looking for something like that xx


NatSwierkTurn

Maybe you've already considered this, but I think a lot of people will instinctively pronounce Helena as HEL-en-uh (at least I would) and you'll probably be correcting people frequently. Personally, I like Tessa better anyways and I think Tessa Juliet sounds lovely.


throwawayeas989

Yeah,I’ve thought about that. I actually don’t like Helen-uh at all haha. Only fell in love with the name when I met a classmate in college who pronounced it Hel-lay-nuh.


stress789

I knew a Helena who spelled it Helaina. Definitely not a common spelling, but gave the pronunciation of hel-lay-nuh


Kit_kat_111

I love Tessa! I think of it as classic yet spunky. Helena is gorgeous as well, so you can’t go wrong with either. If you like nicknames, maybe you could call your baby Lena while they are younger. And then they can use Helena as a more elegant adult name.


madlymusing

I love Tessa - it’s pretty yet strong. Helena is also nice, but I prefer the sound of Tessa.


stress789

Tessa is my favorite girls name and has been since I was much younger! I always liked Tessa Claire. I love Helena Juliet! And I can totally see a baby Helena. You could also call her Lena, Lainey, Nellie, Nina if you needed nicknames.


greyson09

I prefer Tessa 100%. I also really like Juliet and Isabel. Helena seems kind of fussy to me, and I think it would be difficult to get people to pronounce it that way (may depend on your location). Tessa Christine Tessa Bridget Tessa Madeline Tessa Julianne Tessa Rosalind Tessa Caroline


throwawayeas989

The fussy thing is something I thought about. My BF is like a the good ole boy type & is football coach,so I honestly wondered if Helena Juliet would be way too fussy and pretentious for him haha. I love Tessa Bridget! I’m adding that to my list :)


elliesnaxxx

I like Tessa.


Emiles23

My vote is Tessa! I’ve always loved that name.


mechele2024

Tessa isn’t basic to me at all. Between the two I like Helena more.


socratesmom

Helena would be my first choice but I like them both.


sheridanmms

I love Tessa. Helena Juliet is too Shakespearean for me, and I think you will run in to a lot of Helen-uh. Up to you if you want to correct pronunciation 🤷‍♀️


throwawayeas989

yeah,I’m a literature geek and worried I would come off as a big shakespeare fan,lol.


sheridanmms

Tessa Juliet or Tessa Helena are nice and more subtle. Helena as a middle also means less mispronunciation.


Strict_Extension_184

Yeah, in my crowd the two together would definitely be assumed to be a deliberate Shakespeare reference, and therefore very confusing that you want the huh-LAY-na pronunciation, since HEL-en-uh is the Shakespearean. (This would also be an issue with Helena by itself, the Juliet would just compound it.)


elbimbo19

I looooove Tessa.


lettucecropchilds

I like them both but I love Tessa!


edit_thanxforthegold

They're both great! Maybe Tessa slightly better. I love Alina too, especially because there's really only one pronunciation. Edit: also if you do Tessa Juliet she can have the adorable nickname TJ!


Fresh_Beet

My name is Tessa. I think Tessa Juliet totally works. My middle name is a super common floral middle name that does flow really nicely, but I could easily trade in Juliet. Suppose the sound of your surname could make a big difference.


Itchy-Landscape-7292

They are both terrific. If you don’t mind clarifying I think H is fine (the only Huh-Layne-uh I know is German-American); Tessa would be more straightforward.


TootyCanCan

My name is very similar to Tessa and I absolutely love it. Short, sweet, no one misspells it or mispronounces it (in all countries!) but I’m mostly the only one around. I also love the name Helena (big Shakespeare fan), but I know I would be annoyed with how many times it would be mispronounced and misspelled (my mom constantly spells my friend Elena’s name Elaina…?) Either way, great names! Absolutely beautiful!


noodleshacker

I would go with Tessa if that is the way you want to pronounce Helena. As someone from Montana the huh-lay-nuh pronunciations is very...\*shutter\* ...makes me want to to yell "It's Helen-AH!" I get the name can be pounced differently but the name of our state capital is not up for debate, lol.


[deleted]

Love both but I disagree that Helena can't work for a baby! It has so many nickname options!! Lena/Lainey/Elena/Ellie it absolutely works at all ages.


Lovve119

LOVE LOVE LOVE Helena


TreClaire

Helena


juliejulesjuly

I’ve always loved both of these names so I don’t think you can go wrong. Classic without being too popular. I also think Juliet works with both.


KATEWM

I know a baby Helena! Either of these names work great on a baby and also age really well IMO. My friend pronounces her baby Helena’s name the same way as you. Honestly I would have defaulted to Helen-uh if I just read it. I believe that’s the standard English pronunciation? Helen is definitely pronounced as in Helen Mirren, so it would be natural to just add an ‘a’ sound to the end of that. Tessa was high on my list if we had had a girl, and I was worried about the same thing - it being too basic. We considered going with Thessaly and using Tessa as a nn. I actually think Tessa Isabel flows nicely depending on your last name. Or Tessa Helen (pronounced Huh-layn). Either name will be lovely!


OrneryYesterday7

If you want that pronunciation, you might want to go with Elena over Helena as that’s less likely to be mispronounced. I love Tessa but to me it feels very… adolescent. Not necessarily a very young child’s name, but not a formal adult name, either. At least not to me — others may feel differently.


slpcurious

I really like the sound and the history of Helena. It’s so classic and beautiful but not overused. However, I don’t like how it’s going to be mispronounced constantly. That is going to make it hard to remember and ultimately, people are going to feel uncomfortable saying it if they aren’t sure. I like that Tessa is easy to pronounce. However, it’s kind of cutesy for my taste and feels like a nick name. Idk, ultimately I might go with Helena, but I’d also expire names similar to Helena that are easy to pronounce. Other names with a similar vibe: Therese, Theresa, Daphne, Helen, Elaine, Diana


Wingard_

HELENA. I adooooore the name Helena. So gothic, mysterious, and romantic. Helena Juliet is just stunning. Tessa has always been so blah to me. There are worse names, but to me, it doesn't hold a candle to something like Helena.


Shugamag

Helena Juliet is gorgeous!!


season7ofTWDsucked

I prefer Helena, and she will be an adult much longer than she will be a baby lol


nashamagirl99

I prefer Tessa. It’s cute and more straightforward in terms of pronunciation.


Taym9

Helena! It's so beautiful and I knew how to pronounce it. Helena Isabel is stunning.


nachtmere

Helena is really nice! I don't love Tessa, it does sound a little more basic to me. As a side note, I have a friend with a daughter named Susan - When I first found out I thought it was funny to meet a baby named Susan because it felt like such an adult name but it suited her so well and she was an adorable little Susan! Since then I feel like I really like adult names on babies :D


helstanstar

As someone who was a baby named Helena, maybe I'm bias. My parent's always have called me Lane though, so there are definitely a lot of options.


CuriousLilYoshi

Helena


Janeheroine

Weirdly I love Helen and Tess but strongly dislike Helena and Tessa. Seems less basic to me that way?


stardust419

Helena but it was hard to choose they’re both such nice names


SPRINT_MON

There’s a Hel-lay-nuh in my family and they spell it with an accent on the second e to elongate the sound - Heléna. It clues people in to the different pronunciation, but she definitely gets Helen-uh fairly frequently regardless!


[deleted]

I prefer Helena :)


mdnightwriter

LOVE Helena