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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To completely change it?

87 replies

BoogieBox · 23/01/2025 08:15

I thought I was having a boy from my first scan, so promised my mum I would name him Joseph (Joe) after my grandad. Well, after my scan it's clear I'm having a girl...would I be unreasonable to call her Jovie or Jovey instead? Is it even a name?

OP posts:
Pieceofpurplesky · 23/01/2025 17:20

Jovita? Jovana?

Rowen32 · 23/01/2025 17:19

I wouldn't like Jovey at all, reminds me of juvie as in detention centre but there's lots of gorgeous and unusual names with Jo in them..
Joseph isn't unusual so wouldn't have matched your son's name anyway so maybe don't worry about that..

Orangefield · 23/01/2025 17:12

Jovie is a name, I can't believe so many people are saying it isn't. I do prefer this spelling (the same as the movie character). I think it's lovely.
Would you consider Joni (pronounced Joanie like the singer Joni Mitchell) or Joely (like the actress Joely Richardson?)

Namechangetry · 23/01/2025 17:05

BoogieBox · 23/01/2025 15:42

I need to honour my Grandad, I promised, and this will be her last GC, so I don't have a choice
So what is the consensus??
Jovey or not, or should I go on the baby name thread?

Edited

  1. You don't give your childs name choice away because you promised, you're not in primary school.

  2. you do have a choice, it is literally your choice what to call your child

  3. you're already not calling your child Joseph so you're already not doing what you said so you might as well choose whatever name you like

  4. Jovey isn't a name

lilythesheep · 23/01/2025 17:04

BoogieBox · 23/01/2025 16:50

@MayaPinion @lilythesheep
I literally don't like Josephine! Awfully old fashioned IMO. No, I want an unusual name to match my son

But Joseph is not unusual and is quite old fashioned.

shinebrightlikeanemerald · 23/01/2025 17:00

Jovi is better than Jovey

Hardlyworking · 23/01/2025 17:00

BoogieBox · 23/01/2025 15:40

What are you on about??!!😂it never crossed mine or anyone else's mind!

Show quote history

Oh if it didn't cross your mind then obviously crossed no-ones 😂 😂

You are not the world.

Pleasegodgotosleep · 23/01/2025 16:57

She'll spend her whole time correcting & spelling that as people will assume it's Joey. What about -

Joelle
Joni
Josie
Jodie
Jocelyn
Jolie
Joy
Jojo

PersephonesPomegranate · 23/01/2025 16:55

BoogieBox · 23/01/2025 16:50

@MayaPinion @lilythesheep
I literally don't like Josephine! Awfully old fashioned IMO. No, I want an unusual name to match my son

But Jovey is nothing like Joseph, so how is it honouring your grandad? You may as well choose any unusual name you fancy and claim it's in honour of your grandad.

BarbaraHoward · 23/01/2025 16:55

BoogieBox · 23/01/2025 15:42

I need to honour my Grandad, I promised, and this will be her last GC, so I don't have a choice
So what is the consensus??
Jovey or not, or should I go on the baby name thread?

Edited

Do you want to honour him or do you feel obliged?

If you don't want to, that's fine. Just say "What a shame it's not a little boy, I was going to name him Joseph." and choose whatever girls' name you like - you could use Josephine/Josie/Jo as a middle name.

Turbo4 · 23/01/2025 16:52

i Have always loved the name Joanie. Worked with a girl years ago and the name always stuck with me.

Original poster
BoogieBox · 23/01/2025 16:50

@MayaPinion @lilythesheep
I literally don't like Josephine! Awfully old fashioned IMO. No, I want an unusual name to match my son

OP posts:
MayaPinion · 23/01/2025 16:01

Josephine is a beautiful name that will take the owner anywhere. Jovie and Josie are decent nicknames.

lilythesheep · 23/01/2025 15:55

Not Jovey. It doesn’t even sound like Joseph, and it is isn’t a real name so is going to lead to a lifetime of people asking her to repeat it and spell it, or assuming she said “Joey”.

I’d go for Joanna, Josephine, or Josie, and you could always use Jo or Joey as an abbreviation if you prefer those.

Josephine is literally the female version of Joseph if you want to keep it as close as possible. (Jo in Little Women is actually Josephine March).

caramac04 · 23/01/2025 15:54

I really like Jovey although Josephine is a favourite of mine. I have a Joseph so couldn’t have Josephine obviously.

PinkSkiesAtNight · 23/01/2025 15:44

Jovey - not.

But what about Joey? As Little Women? I love that for a girl's name.

Original poster
BoogieBox · 23/01/2025 15:42

I need to honour my Grandad, I promised, and this will be her last GC, so I don't have a choice
So what is the consensus??
Jovey or not, or should I go on the baby name thread?

OP posts:
Original poster
BoogieBox · 23/01/2025 15:40

Hardlyworking · 23/01/2025 09:16

Everyone will assume she is a witness. Definitely wouldn't use jovey or jovie

Edited

What are you on about??!!😂it never crossed mine or anyone else's mind!

OP posts:
MadKittenWoman · 23/01/2025 10:02

Ameliepoulainandthephotobooth · 23/01/2025 08:21

@shinebrightlikeanemerald Josette is beautiful.

I have an Aunt Josette in France.

lilythesheep · 23/01/2025 09:46

Joseph is a classic name.
So for the female equivalent, why not Jo (with Joanna or Josephine on the birth certificate?

Or Josie is lovely too.

But I agree that you don’t need to find a female version of Joseph just because you said you would call a boy Joseph. If you actually want to call her something completely different I don’t think you should feel you’re going back on your promise (which was about what you’d call a boy)

Snugglemonkey · 23/01/2025 09:40

Hardlyworking · 23/01/2025 09:16

Everyone will assume she is a witness. Definitely wouldn't use jovey or jovie

Edited

This would not cross my mind.

Gumbuyahpark · 23/01/2025 09:39

It’s not something I would choose and it doesn’t really link to Joseph for me but it’s not my child.
I didn’t know it was from Elf, I assumed you were a big Bon Jovi fan 🤷‍♀️

Not what you asked, but did you have other girls names you liked? It’s just that you made the promise to your mum to name the baby Joe/Joseph after your grandfather when you thought you were having a boy. You know now you aren’t having a boy so you should not feel obligated to stick with that promise - it was made under false assumptions. If you still want to stick with honoring Joseph go for it but if you had favourite girl names I wouldn’t rule them out.

DaringLion · 23/01/2025 09:39

BoogieBox · 23/01/2025 08:55

Jovey was a character in the film Elf
I really like it!!

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I thought that as soon as I read it .Love that film

babasaclover · 23/01/2025 09:27

Ameliepoulainandthephotobooth · 23/01/2025 08:20

I would go for Joanna or Josie or Joni.

Where has Jovey come from?

It's the ladies name in the film elf. I love it

Cattery · 23/01/2025 09:20

BoogieBox · 23/01/2025 08:55

Jovey was a character in the film Elf
I really like it!!

Show quote history

Agree! I love it ❤️

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