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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Sophia, Sofia or Sophie (:

63 replies

Skandichick · 05/04/2014 13:19

Probably THE most boring baby name question, but which do you prefer? Need to make a final decision now.
Tia! Cake

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Original poster
Skandichick · 05/04/2014 21:04

Arrrg, it is really 50/50 isn't it! No wonder we are having a hard time to choose between them. Sofia is out for us now at least one step forward

I don't mind if Sophie is common. I think Sophia is more 'up and coming'.

Could I ask you people picture a Sophie v. A Sophia?

If I just try to get 'a feel' for the names the I think:
Sophie: bubbly, uncomplicated, 'popular', easy going
Sophia: has slightly more of 'an edge', smart, confident but not frivolous Smile

OP posts:
cityangel · 05/04/2014 20:56

you won't need to worry about blending in with any variants of this name there are 4 in our class - your daughter will be known as Soph/fi... plus last initial

Countrywalks · 05/04/2014 20:44

Love both but would chose Sophia . Perfect.

Petal7 · 05/04/2014 20:42

Definitely Sophie.

picnicbasketcase · 05/04/2014 20:42

In order of preference

Sophia
Sophie
Sofia

JimmyCorkhill · 05/04/2014 20:41

Just wanted to stand up for Sofia the 1st on the Disney channel. She's NOT irritating. She maintains her friendships/kindness in a snooty royal world and is a great character. So there Smile

Sophie or Sophia are lovely btw. I would choose Sophie but only because I like the simplest version of names.

HRHQueenMe · 05/04/2014 20:30

Sofia, Sofie and Sofi are also the Scandinavian spellings, see the lovely Swedish Sofia on Masterchef at the moment, they are even pronouncing it correctly, So fii a.

Orangeisthenewbanana · 05/04/2014 19:48

Sophia

LizLemonOut · 05/04/2014 19:26

Sofia is the Arabic spelling.

I prefer Sophia, you could nn Sophie then best of both worlds

ShoeWhore · 05/04/2014 17:29

I think Sophia sounds stronger than Sophie.

My own name ends in ia and I much prefer it to the rather more popular ie ending.

seasalt · 05/04/2014 17:24

Sophie

cottonwoolmum · 05/04/2014 17:20

Sophia. Because you can shorten it to Sophie. Im(completelyrandom)o, names that end in ie sound like shortened names, whereas ia sounds like a proper name.

And it is my all time favourite girls' name in the world. It works in all of the variants you've suggested. Love it!

Rtfairy · 05/04/2014 17:14

Sophie

florascotia · 05/04/2014 15:50

Sophia (from the Greek word for wisdom) was used in England from around 1700. It was made popular by the Hanoverian kings and their courtiers.

Then, it was usually pronounced So-FYE-ah by British English-speakers, with the diminutive Sophy (SO-fee). (Though in the Hanoverians' homeland, Germany, it was said 'So-FEE-ah.)

It is often said that Hollywood actress Sophia Loren made the Italian 'So-FEE-ah' pronunciation popular in the 1950s and 1960s in Britain. It's stayed that way, on the whole.

In spite of Sophia Loren, the usual Italian and original Greek spelling was and is 'Sofia'. The same spelling (along with the pronunciation So-FEE-ah) is used in many other European nations.

CountessOfRule · 05/04/2014 15:19

I don't think it sounds foreign, but it's possibly posher and less popular. Do those factors matter?

Original poster
Skandichick · 05/04/2014 14:59

Really useful comments, thank you!

Still have to choose between Sophia v. Sophie.

Does Sophia sound a bit 'foreign' then? Nothing wr mong with that but we are from the continent and I'd quite like for us to blend in name wise.

OP posts:
Mrsindecision · 05/04/2014 14:51

Fwiw, Sophie is actually the French spelling.

wigglesrock · 05/04/2014 14:37

I have a Sofia (she's 8), she gets Fia occasionally. I chose the Sofia spelling because I'm not a fan of Sophie, it's also meant that there's been no Soph shortening.

looki · 05/04/2014 14:35

I have a bit of a fondness for Sofie. I'm sure that it's an incorrect spelling so I'd stick to Sophie.

CremeEggThief · 05/04/2014 14:32

Sophia is best.

MadameJosephine · 05/04/2014 14:28

I vote Sophia, much prefer it to Sophie. Not keen on the Sofia spelling, just makes me think of the city so unless she was conceived there I wouldn't spell it that way

Nocomet · 05/04/2014 14:28

Agree totally Sophie is the proper English name
Sophia if you must.
Sofia needs links to a part of Europe that doesn't consider f a misspelling of ph.

Also why so many Isabel(le)s, we are not in France or Itally we don't need the extra le.

HollyBen · 05/04/2014 14:25

Sophia for me. I don't mind the Sofia spelling. Sophie is a bit overdone now I think

FreeLikeABird · 05/04/2014 14:21

Sophie

3DcAndMe · 05/04/2014 14:14

They are all lovely

I had Sophie on my list for dd so I will go with that