Eileen is another one of those names that I once found terribly old and dull. For some reason lately, though, it is sounding fresh and lovely to me. I have no idea why my opinion has changed. Possibly because I've also come to love
Kathleen as an alternative to the super popular
Catherine?
Kathleen and
Eileen do have a similar feel. I think I prefer
Eileen to
Aileen and I do pronounce them the same. My husband's grandmother was named
Aline. I think it's beautiful but everyone seems to pronounce it differently. They say the A about three different ways. I once asked her son which was the proper pronunciation. He laughed and said he didn't think she knew herself.