Elsie-Mae or Sofia-Something?

Papergirl1968 · 2023-03-22T09:46:27+00:00

Asking on behalf of Dd, 18, who is 34 weeks pregnant. She has been keen on Elsie-Mae for a long time, but recently has been considering Sofia-Something instead. Not Sofia-Mae as that is similar to the name of a friend she's recently fallen out with. I know hyphenated names aren't popular with everyone and I strongly suspect that on a day to day basis baby will just be called by the first name, but does anyone have any thoughts about Elsie v Sofia, or suggestions for Sofia-what?

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TennisWithDeborah · 31/03/2023 20:34

At 18, my choice for a girl would have been Abigail because a friend of mine had a friend with that name and I thought it was ace. I still like it, and the nn Abby.

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Papergirl1968 · 31/03/2023 20:20

MashedUpPotatoes · 31/03/2023 18:25

Mine would have been Heaven-Leigh after Virginia Andrews titular character 😬

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Love it! 😂

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MashedUpPotatoes · 31/03/2023 18:25

Papergirl1968 · 29/03/2023 10:28

Dd2 loves those programmes, pettysquable! I think the problem is that if I'd had a baby at 18 is probably have called her Rafaella or something equally hideous after a character in a Danielle Steel book. And regretted it later on. She definitely has her own opinions though so I can only suggest and gently advise.
We've just discovered dd2 has Welsh and Irish heritage so we're looking there for inspiration too. Most of them don't really go with our very English surname though.
You're right, Fairycupcakes, I wouldn't have chosen for dd2 to get pregnant at 18 but I strongly feel everything happens for a reason and this baby will bring some such needed joy to us after a very turbulent few years.

Mine would have been Heaven-Leigh after Virginia Andrews titular character 😬

Notreadyformenopause · 31/03/2023 11:01

My Gran had a friend called Elsie-May.
If she was still around she'd be about 120 now!

DuchessOfSausage · 31/03/2023 10:35

Rue is awful, it means bitterly regret, and is french for street, like in Rue Morgue.

NortieTortie · 29/03/2023 12:29

Sofia Rue 'surname'
Elsie Mia 'surname'

Rose as a first name is lovely and underused if your dds do think it would be a nice tribute, just a thought.

mumonherphone · 29/03/2023 11:19

I like elsie and sofia as first names with mae as a middle name, no hyphen, but it's up to your daughter

Other suggestions:

Elsie June
Elsie Kate
Elsie Olive
Sofia Grace
Sofia Belle
Sofia Lily

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Papergirl1968 · 29/03/2023 10:28

Dd2 loves those programmes, pettysquable! I think the problem is that if I'd had a baby at 18 is probably have called her Rafaella or something equally hideous after a character in a Danielle Steel book. And regretted it later on. She definitely has her own opinions though so I can only suggest and gently advise.
We've just discovered dd2 has Welsh and Irish heritage so we're looking there for inspiration too. Most of them don't really go with our very English surname though.
You're right, Fairycupcakes, I wouldn't have chosen for dd2 to get pregnant at 18 but I strongly feel everything happens for a reason and this baby will bring some such needed joy to us after a very turbulent few years.

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pettysquabbles · 29/03/2023 09:32

Elsie-Mae sounds like someone frmo Love Island or TOWIE

EyesOnThePies · 29/03/2023 09:26

Elsie is lovely!

Sofia Joy?

SVRT19674 · 29/03/2023 09:21

l love Sofia, it´s my daughters second name. Elsie Mae sounds to me like a servant´s name, as in Polly put the kettle on, Sukey take it off again. So definitively Sofia.

Zola1 · 29/03/2023 08:16

Another vote for not hyphenating.. had my daughter 13 years ago when I was 18, and -May was just really hitting its stride. She is x May rather than with a hyphen and it means she just gets her first name in school etc, and I now, as an adult, hate her middle name. My niece is X-Lea and my sister hateeees it now.
Give her the separate names then she can choose. Elsie-Mae cute for a baby but imagine it on her work ID badge as an adult.

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 29/03/2023 08:04

I like both Sophia and Elsie but please encourage her not to hyphenate. Sophia Elsie and Elsie Sophia are both nice options for first and middle name.

alotoftutus · 28/03/2023 21:28

I would drop the hyphen and definitely not use Mae. Elsie and Sofia (I prefer Sophia spelling) are both lovely.

I love Sophia Annie
Sophia Annabelle
Sophia Isabelle

I'd personally go for Sophia over Elsie

Jemimapinotduck · 28/03/2023 21:17

I think Sofia Elsie (no hyphen) as in first and second name sound lovely

fairycupcakes · 28/03/2023 13:16

@Papergirl1968 Oh bless you all. It sounds like this baby is something you all really need and she’s going to be such a special addition after your circumstances.

Like many I’m not a fan of hyphenated names but this is your DDs baby and if that’s what she wants then she should do that.

Much prefer Sofia to Elsie.

Sofia-Joy
Sofia-Hope
Sofia-Claire
Sofia-Alice
Sofia-Lily
would be my suggestion for her. Wishing her the best x

hattie43 · 28/03/2023 12:06

Sofia Lee sounds like soft cheese .
I'd ditch the hyphened double name and choose a nice name on its own

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Papergirl1968 · 28/03/2023 11:57

Had been trying to avoid anything similar because DD1 would accuse her of copying, I mean, but if both of them would accept it as paying tribute not copying, Rose actually goes well with both Elsie and Sofia. Although perhaps Elsie-Rose and Ella-Rose are too alike. We could perhaps get away with Elsie Rose without a hyphen.

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Papergirl1968 · 28/03/2023 11:52

That's not a bad idea, PM. DD2 had been trying to avoid anything too similar to Ella-Rose but I like the idea of paying tribute to her in that way.

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PMAmostofthetime · 28/03/2023 02:12

How would Dd1 feel if maybe Dd2 said that she would like to honour her Niece by calling her Sofia Rose so they both shared a middle name? Could bring them together.

Another way could be Elsie Rae so they have they have the same initials.

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 22/03/2023 22:44

My DD is Sofia Rose. Rose is after my nan.

Somanycats · 22/03/2023 22:41

Elsie May was my Nan's names so I love it for that reason, but have to say there are more imaginative middle names out there nowadays. How about
Elsie Marie
Elsie Pearl
Elsie Julia
Elsie Louise
Elsie Wren
Elsie Suzanne

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Papergirl1968 · 22/03/2023 22:34

I take the point about hyphenated names. I know one young woman in her 20s whose mother was insistent she use both nanes, but now she's grown up she has started to use the second name only, whereas I tend to refer to dd1's child as just Ella rather than Ella-Rose. I also used to be friends with an Anne Marie as first and middle names who went just by Anne and was very glad her father had talked her mother out of Anne-Marie.
I wonder if there are some regional variations in the popularity of names as I don't know of any Elsies round here (Midlands) while Sophia/Sofia is a little more popular but still not one of the top names.
Adopters can't change first names so I only had the chance to change a middle name each for my dds. I'm starting to realise what a huge responsibility naming a child is but I can only guide dd. She did initially want to spell Elsie as Elyse till I pointed out the poor kid would go through life not only having to spell it out but also correcting the pronunciation of it as people would think it was Elise.

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ouchmyteeth · 22/03/2023 22:03

Ahh I don’t think hyphen names are that bad! Posters can be a bit harsh on here for any naming trend that is basically ‘more popular among working-class than people than middle-class’ it’s often literally the only reason some names are declared as ‘dreadful’

That said, IME people who give their kids hyphen names can have trouble convincing everyone else to use the full name. I knew a little girl named Evie-Rose and her mum gave up trying to remind the nursery workers who immediately dropped it to just ‘Evie’, the same happened at school and she’s generally just known as Evie now. Ditto a few teens I’ve known with hyphen names, most people don’t even realise as everyone just uses the first name!

StillWantingADog · 22/03/2023 21:46

Ditch the hyphen- very naff especially May/mae/rose/grace.
Sofia or Elsie with a nice middle name are lovely.