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Don’t like either of them, but I prefer Eileen.

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Name Addict (guest) :)

The provided pronunciations for Aileen use a long-I instead of a long-A sound. But, like you, I instinctively read it as AY-leen; so this ambiguity is the reason I think Eileen would be a better / easier name to have.

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That, and... the only famous Aileen I can think of is Aileen Wurnos.

I prefer Eileen, although I don’t like it. In the UK it’s pronounced EYE-leen rather than eye-LEEN.

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Aileen just reminds me of Aileen Wuornos.

I would honestly say these the same way, like "eye-leen".

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Eileen is a bit more down to earth, more workaday. It seems a bit more downtrodden, yet I am drawn to it more. Like Eileen isn't very fancy, but solid. Eileen is tough.

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Aileen seems a bit more shrill. That "Ai" in the beginning is kind of cold.

I think both are unnecessarily complicated for such short names. If I had to choose, it would be Aileen (pronounced eye-LEEN), but I prefer the simpler variants such as Alene, Aline, Ilene, Alina, Ilena, Elena, Ilana, etc.

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I think Alina is particularly beautiful.

I had an aunt Eileen, pron. EYEleen, and a friend Aileen, pron. AYleen; I also knew a woman, mother of a friend, whose name was Aileen but she pronounced it EYEleen. Her family had a tradition of using A initials ... I think I prefer EYEleen, but actually I don't much like either name.

Eileen

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Aileen reminds me of Wournos.

Eileen