Thea or Isobel?

[Cherryblossom200]

Hello everyone,

I have my boys name sorted - Joshua :) but I can't decide on the girls name yet (I find out the sex next week) Originally I loved Isobel and thought about having Thea as the second name so Isobel Thea but now I'm wondering if I prefer Thea as her first name?

Any thoughts on the name Thea?

xx

Thea is a beautiful name, soft and feminine. Would it be short for anything? Theodora? Isobel is also v pretty but very popular and your DD would likely be in a class with another 17 Isobels.

It would just be Thea not short for anything. I really like it on it's own..and like you say it's no where near as popular as Isobel.

Prefer Isobel.

Thea. Lovely and much more interesting than Isobel. Thea Isobel is pretty.

Thanks, I'm veering more towards Thea and I think you are right Thea Isobel works really well. Isobel is beautiful but I think far too popular and seems to be on most people's baby name list. I would rather something a bit more unusual but very feminine x

I much prefer Isobel. Thea is one of the fastest rising names in the UK charts (I think).

IF, IF it matters, in 2014 in England and Wales:

Isobel was no 89 among girl's names, given to 615 babies.
There are of course other versions: Isabel/Isabelle/Isabella etc. Each is counted separately.

Thea was no 121, given to 463 babies.

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-318125 For full list, go to girls name tables, table no 6.

So there isn't much in it at all then! Thanks for the info. Though I had only heard the name Thea for the first time last week...

I think if my baby is a girl I will just wait until she is born and make the decision then? I love both names :)

Personally I much prefer Isobel but waiting to see what she looks like is a good idea

They are both lovely names.

With regards to the statistics tables though I would also factor in how many babies are named Isabel, Isabelle and Isabella for example.

With that I think you might find the amount of girls named a variation of Isobel is much greater.

That said, Thea is climbing fast. I'm not surprised it's gorgeous.

(Just thought I'd mention it as I know someone who chose Finlay without realising how many Finleys, Finns, Finbars etc there were too)

Cherry both names are very nice. And, when you consider the population of the UK (c 60 million) a few hundred names is neither here nor there. If it were thousands, then I think that might be a bit different, but, as a general principle, if you like a name, use it!

However, agree with previous poster about considering all the different variations of a name, if popularity really matters to you.

As a footnote: Isobel/Isabel was popular a couple of generations ago here in Scotland. It's a Scottish classic, like James. It was often abbreviated to 'Isa' (Eye-sah) - I've met many elderly (70+) ladies with that name. It perhaps sounds a bit harsh to start with, but soon becomes associated with many really interesting people.

I think you would have to add together all the Isobels / Iasabellas and the 101 other versions of a very similar name, to get the true impact of how common Isobel has been recently though - that link only measures the one spelling.
I think Thea is becoming more popular (I can only think of 1 who is about 21 and 1 who is 10, but it's been asked about on here a lot lately), but nowhere near as frequently used as all the Issys.

I like Thea - but of course that's just personal opinion.

Oh gosh, does that sound patronising? I really do hope not. It's just that I remember my grandmother's generation with respect. I really do not know how they managed with tough lives (by modern standards) and still stayed as loving and caring as I remember my own Granny to have been.

By 'that', I meant my previous post of course.

One can be so busy typing on Mumsnet that one doesn't notice new postings!

Thea!
Every other kid I meet seems to be an isobel

I love the name Thea. Don't like Theadora though, so glad you don't plan to use it!

Thank you :) I think if I have a girl she will be named Thea...Isobel is justs far too popular. Middle name maybe Thea Rose (I know it's popular too but it goes beautifully with Thea) what do you think?

Thea Rose is lovely, I prefer Thea to Isobel/Isabelle etc and I don't know of any Thea's.

I love Thea. And both Thea Rose and Thea Isobel are lovely names :-)

Thea!

Thea is lovely

Isobel. I really dislike the name Thea and it seems very "in" at the moment (has come from nowhere). All I can hear are people shouting, "Fea"...

Isobel. Yes it's popular but it's a pretty name - I also love this spelling and much prefer it to Isabelle which seems more common. I don't get the love for Thea at all I'm afraid.

I really like Thea, but as someone has referred to a couple of posts above, do think about the local accent where you live.

I know 2 Theos, and they are called 'Feo' even by their parents. Personally I like Theo as a name but I completely discounted it because it would drive me crazy hearing it as 'Feo' everywhere we went. So if she would be 'Fea' to all her friends at school and it would annoy you, best to avoid.

Isobel is my favourite spelling, but bear in mind as it is incredibly popular name but the less common spelling she will have to put up with people spelling it wrong constantly.

I live in London but lucky to live in a nice area so shouldn't be a problem with the pronounciation. I do love Isobel too and think (if she turns out to be a girl) that I will just see what she looks like and make a decision then :)

I'm finding it so much easier with a boys name! Ha x