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Baby names

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Sylvie or Sylvia. Opinions please.

29 replies

freer · 27/09/2014 10:35

Any opinions on these names, please. Also which do you prefer?

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flowerygirl · 28/09/2014 14:08

I have a one year old called Sylvie :) Love the name still as much as when she was born! A lot of people misspell it Silvie, which isn't even a name in my opinion!

Sophronia · 28/09/2014 12:01

Sylvie. I also like it spelled Silvie.

NadiaWadia · 27/09/2014 16:54

Sylvia/Silvia is lovely, classic and due for a revival. Sylvie sounds very pretty, but I have heard, like Squoosh says, it is considered old-fashioned and a middle-aged name in France. You don't have to go with the flow!

ravenAK · 27/09/2014 16:21

I always think -ia endings have more clout, somehow. -ie sounds a bit girly AND a bit dated for my taste.

Probably just because I'm from the 70s, when everyone was Julie/Mandy/Debbie etc!

I do rather like Silvia.

Sundaedelight · 27/09/2014 16:12

Sylvia with nn Sylvie. Lovely name.

ralinax294 · 27/09/2014 16:09

Go for Sylvia wih nn Sylvie.

squoosh · 27/09/2014 15:18

Isn't Sylvie considered very dated in France, and is viewed the way we see Brenda here? That puts me off it.

ThursdayLast · 27/09/2014 15:06

Both lovely.
Agree with PP suggesting Sylvia as name then Sylvie as nn.
Much of a muchness to me

minkah · 27/09/2014 15:00

Sylvie is beautiful and distinctive.

Sylvia is dated, now, unfortunately, not in a good way.

RyleeStorm33 · 27/09/2014 14:55

Sylvie=awsome
Sylvia=a 70 year old
Prefer sylvie lolSmile

WittyUsername102 · 27/09/2014 14:51

If it's spelled like that, then Sylvie. But if you're considering any spelling, I like Silvia.

Benchmark · 27/09/2014 14:34

I prefer Sylvia, it's my mums name. Lots of people call her Sylvie which she likes, but to me it's a nn. I think Sylvia on a little girl now would be adorable.

squoosh · 27/09/2014 13:57

Sylvie is nice but a bit limp.

Sylvia is strong, feminine, unfrilly and pleasingly retro without making me think of some downtrodden scullery maid.

TipseyTorvey · 27/09/2014 12:11

Having said both outloud a few times now I think I prefer Sylvie as it sounds more relaxed. Sylvia sounds (to me) like a character from Downton, not that that makes it bad, just a bit old school.

Only1scoop · 27/09/2014 12:11

Sylvie

Muskey · 27/09/2014 12:11

I like sylvie better than Sylvia which is odd my rl name ends in an a but sometimes can end in an e. I go mad when people call me the e version.

spiderlight · 27/09/2014 12:09

Argh! That should say that I prefer Sylvie!

spiderlight · 27/09/2014 12:08

Sylvia. Sylvia is somebody's 60-year-old Auntie who smokes Woodbines and wears a headscarf over her curlers.

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 27/09/2014 12:07

Sylvie is nice. Don't like Sylvia.

EllenJanesthickerknickers · 27/09/2014 12:03

It's funny, but I much prefer Julia to Julie, but I prefer Sylvie to Sylvia. Confused

The ie ending is French and the ia ending is Italian, and the UK used to prefer the more classical ia ending but moved on to French sounding versions in the sixties. Which is why Julie sounds like a 40 - 50 year old, but somehow Sylvie doesn't.

TheFallenMadonna · 27/09/2014 11:46

Oh, I like Sylvia more...

BabCNesbitt · 27/09/2014 11:44

Our v cool next door neighbours, both writers, in a swank part of NYC (not a boast, stealth or otherwise - we were very lucky and had subsidised academic housing!) had a daughter called Sylvia. She reckoned it was due for a revival and told me she knew of several baby Sylvias. Mind you, Americans and their baby name choices...

BananaToast · 27/09/2014 11:35

Sylvia = granny.
Sylvie = awesome.

KatieKaye · 27/09/2014 11:35

I love both of them.
THe advantage of Sylvia is that you can also use Sylvie and get the best of both worlds!

Montsti · 27/09/2014 11:32

Much prefer Sylvie. Sylvia sounds dated to my ears whereas Sylvie is more chic and funky IMO. Amazing how one letter can change so much ??