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Baby names

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Original poster

Marina or Sophie?

108 replies

Leopardspot · 22/05/2022 22:48

Would love your thoughts on Marina or Sophie as a sibling for Alice and Henry. Thank you!

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Useranon1 · 27/05/2022 09:13

A Bridgeton fan by any chance OP?

CambsAlways · 27/05/2022 07:55

Marina is awful, forever connected to boats

FlamingoDust · 26/05/2022 20:19

Marina

duckie3 · 25/05/2022 16:48

Marina :)

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 25/05/2022 16:47

Marina has gorgeous Shakespearean elegance imo. Sophie is nice enough but perhaps feels a bit overused at the moment with all the Sophia's/Sofia's now too.

I can understand why you are hesitating as from a popularity use point of view Sophie (Sophia/Sofia) fits better with Alice and especially Henry (Harry). But I don't think Marina looks too odd with them as a sibset as all 3 are fairly well used internationally (and have similar aristocratic/royal links to boot!), it's just in the UK that Marina is underused.

Sconebutterjamcream · 25/05/2022 14:07

Sophie is very pretty and goes well with your other DC's names.

Marina makes me think of Last of the summer wine and boats.

How about Marianna? Still the connection with the sea and plenty of pet names there to choose from.

Purpleavocado · 25/05/2022 14:06

I prefer Sophia to Sophie. Marina gives me boat vibes, how about Mariella or Marianna?

SpringIntoChaos · 25/05/2022 13:58

Might be showing my age here...but my first thought on hearing the name Marina is 'Last of the Summer Wine' 🥰

Not sure if this is quite the vibe you were going for though OP 😱

Marina or Sophie?
Enko · 25/05/2022 13:52

Marina is beautiful and said easily. Sophie is dull and unimaginative

sleepyhoglet · 25/05/2022 13:50

Not Marina. Maria or Martha perhaps

PrincessesRUs · 25/05/2022 13:49

Sophie, to me, is about the most boring name there is. You might as well call the child girl.

Workawayxx · 25/05/2022 13:47

Marina for me but both lovely names. I'd wait till she is born and see which feels right.

MsTSwift · 25/05/2022 13:46

In our area it’s the Eve names. Was there a law passed that every other female child was to be called a variant of Eve? Terribly confusing each Dd has at least 3 Eve / Evie friends.

pinklavenders · 25/05/2022 09:02

I remember some of my friends growing up hating having a common name that they had to share with others. Being known as Big, Little, Whatever Sarah or having to add a surname initial was a pain.

I'd much rather have a beautiful unusual but memorable name!

nappiesandcontracts · 25/05/2022 08:37

Yes definitely agree variety nowadays. When I was at school (90s) almost every girl was called Laura/Emma/Rachel/Katie/Amy whereas nowadays there's barely any repetition at DD's nursery, even with the popular names. Which means an unusual name would stand out less I think.

MsTSwift · 25/05/2022 07:20

well my “lived experience” and others is getting teased with a dull common middle class name. Little shits are going to find something sadly! Also think things have changed on the name front there is far more variety these days at my dds school there are all sorts.

pixie5121 · 24/05/2022 23:23

This reply has been withdrawn

Withdrawn at poster's request.

MsTSwift · 24/05/2022 19:41

My 70 something mothers middle name of Alice was seen as quite out there and daring - now look!

VeryQuaintIrene · 24/05/2022 17:45

This conversation is so fascinating to me (a Sophie of a mid-60s vintage). When my mum named me, it was a really unusual name and, as someone said above, it was damned as a Victorian servant's name, so she gave me a very boring middle name in case the burden of Sophie was too much for me. And now, here we are - bland, overused, too popular etc.!

balalake · 24/05/2022 17:39

Marina.

Probably because so many women called Sophie I have met or known of have been bland.

Original poster
Leopardspot · 24/05/2022 14:24

Thank you everyone.. Good to hear some opinions even if there's no clear consensus!

@VintageGibbon i love Beatrice but couldn't persuade my husband. He's agreed on it as a possible middle name..

OP posts:
VintageGibbon · 24/05/2022 11:07

I love the name Sophia (more so than Sophie.) I know it's overused right now but it's no beautiful.

Not so keen on Marina. Just makes me think of fish.

Like PP suggestion of Marnie.

Alice and Henry are also classic names, so work very well with Sophie.

Other classic names:
Clara or Klara
Emma
Emily
Amelia/Emilia
Susannah
Beatrice

user1477391263 · 24/05/2022 11:06

Because you'd get smart arsed kids asking you if they can put their boat in you and other silly questions, which can be of a sexual nature.

I know two Marinas (it's a bicultural name that "works" where I live) and both of them like their names. Sophies get "Soapy Sophie" "Sofa" "So Fat Sophie" etc etc. My (very normal) name got silly comments from annoying boys too, as did all of my friends' names at some point. There literally isn't a name on the planet that you can't make fun of if you really want to.

CoralBells · 24/05/2022 11:02

pinklavenders · 24/05/2022 10:24

I live in the UK, where kids get teased for having 'strange' names.

Certainly not in the parts of the UK where I've lived. People tend to be open minded and respectful.

I was going to say the same. My kids are in a South London comp and there are all sorts of names that don't get teased for

Lightningrain · 24/05/2022 10:51

I really like Marina but not keen on Sophie. It seems very 80’s to me.

I also love Serena which is a similar sound.