Elia, Elea, and Ellia
Hello, I am looking for some information on the names Elia, Elea and Ellia. First, are these three names all pronounced the same? If not, what's the proper pronunciation of each. My husband has fond memories of a childhood friend who pronounced her name EL-ee-ah. He is convinced it's spelled Elia though I know of Elia as a male name pronounced differently (eel-ee-ya), as in Elia Kazan. Is there only one pronunciation of Elia? Is it possible to have Elia as a female name?From my research, it appears that Elia is typically a male name and has roots in Italian, Hebrew and possibly Greek. I have seen one website that claims it is both a female and male name from Italian origin. Can anyone confirm? Is there any origin from which it would be a female name. Does it have any roots in Spain or a Latin American country?It appears that Elea is a shortened form of Eleanor. How is it pronounced? I have seen Ellia as a name but cannot find any information regarding its origin or pronunciation. I have seen so much conflicting information out there that I'm very uncertain now as to gender and/or origin of these names. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks.
Avis
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Elia (eh-lee-ah) is a male Jewish Italian form of Eliyahu. There is Elio (eh-lee-oh) too.
Elia Kazan is prononced that way.It is possible that nowadays Elia is unisex.Elea I don't know. It would be eh-leh-ah to me.
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