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[Opinions] Leia
What do you think of Leia? Do you think it will be popular?I also posted on the name facts board about it, maybe you could answer my question there. I would like to know how exactly it was invented by George Lucas. Did he ever tell anyone? I also wonder about Anakin and Padmé.
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I once taught a girl names Leia. I think her family was polish and it was just their native form of Leah. I always thought it was very pretty and it was nice that it had an identity outside of “invented by George Lucas”. Like others have commented, I think Padmé is a variation of Padma and I refuse to believe that Anakin wasn’t inspired by Annakin.
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I love Leia. As far as I know it's Hebrew, George Lucas didn't invent it any more than he invented Luke. I like Padma because it reminds me of Padme without being 100% Star Wars.
Anakin is good too, still very Star Wars but Anakin/Annakin was originally just a normal surname, and surnames get changed into first names all the time.
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I like Leia, but I'd never use it, as all I can think of upon hearing the name is Leia Organa. Aside from Star Wars, though, think it's pretty.I would never use Anakin, as I associate it with Anakin Skywalker, but also Vader, so I wouldn't want to give a child the name. I also think it sounds harsh.Padmé is pretty, but, like the other two, I could never use it due to association with Padmé Amidala.
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Leia is lovely but very tied to the character. As others have mentioned, it is a form of Leah. It will probably never bee super popular, but it is familiar, and I can see it working in real life.I don't know precisely how he created the name Anakin, but it sound like Anna-Ken, so he could have mushed too names together or may have just been experimenting with sounds.
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I prefer Lea or Lia.
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It’s ok. It’s not my style but it looks pretty and sounds nice. I always think of Star Wars when I see it though.
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Surely Padme is just that - the lotus flower? Lucas probably didn't expect many Buddhists among his viewers!And, I looked up Anakin and was relieved to find this on BtN: Lucas may have based it on the surname of his friend and fellow director Ken Annakin.I'd always suspected that he'd played with the spelling, and therefore the pronunciation, of an over-the-counter aspirin: Anacin in the US, but Anadin where I live.
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He said in an interview that it wasn't based on the surname of his friend. No idea how he came up with it. It's kind of odd to me that no one has ever asked him. Is Padmé also an English term for the lotus flower? English is not my first language. I know that the Indian Padma exists. But it makes sense that he would name her after the lotus flower.
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No, it isn't: but the om mani padme hum mantra is pretty well known world-wide. And anyone wanting a flower name for a daughter might like the idea of 'lotus' but be deterred because it ends in -us rather than -a! I'm not familiar with the character, but if the name fits, then that is surely evidence.Lucas might not have consciously sat down and played with the spelling of his friends' names until he found one he liked; but that doesn't prevent his subconscious mind from coming up with Anakin based on a familiar name. He may well not even realise it had happened.
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As far as I know, etymologically speaking, Leia is basically a variant of Leah. There are a few characters / actors in the first Star Ward with English accents, and they actually pronounce Leia as LEE-ə; whereas everyone else pronounces it the same as Léa.That said, I've always thought the name is quite pretty, but very much tied to the character. Not that the character is bad, by any means; the association is just a strong one.Edit: returning to the etymology of Star Wars names, I wouldn't doubt it if Padmé were at all related to the Indian name Padma.

This message was edited 7/29/2020, 6:06 AM

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It's alright, I go back an forth on this name (and Leah). It's not that unusual here.
I also like it spelled like Leja or Leya.
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I like Leia, and it’s my friends’ daughter’s name. I don’t think it will ever be outrageously popular but it’s certainly a familiar presence.I imagine Lucas came up with his fantasy names the same way most people do: playing around with syllables until something felt right.
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I prefer Leah
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