Re: Alana?
in reply to a message by Anya
I love it. Alan's a family name for me (my brother, who died of prematurity), so Alana's on my list of family names.
I only like it spelled Alana or Alaina (Alain being the French form of Alan). Alannah is a separate name to me, meaning "O child" in Irish; I like it, but it's not, strictly speaking, a feminine form of Alan--though one could use it for the Irish meaning and in honour of an Alan. Alanna just looks messy, and the N looks superfluous to me. Elana I intensely dislike, because you'd never spell Alan Elan.
Miranda
I only like it spelled Alana or Alaina (Alain being the French form of Alan). Alannah is a separate name to me, meaning "O child" in Irish; I like it, but it's not, strictly speaking, a feminine form of Alan--though one could use it for the Irish meaning and in honour of an Alan. Alanna just looks messy, and the N looks superfluous to me. Elana I intensely dislike, because you'd never spell Alan Elan.
Miranda