What are your opinions on the name Safiya?

[Willowson]

Hello,

Safiya is the top contender for our baby girl.

What do you think?

Thanks :)

Oh Henry is a heavy name, i knew a dour Henry once and it must be because he was weighed down by his name. Must have been cos of all those kings.

Sounds ridiculous doesnt it?

I really like it too. Very pretty name.

MN really does exist in its own bubble sometimes. Where do some of you live? Chipping Norton? (As an aside DH and me went to chipping norton on holiday. Wow. It was like something out of the league of gentleman. I mean it was beautiful like all of the Cotswolds but we were the only brown faces that we saw for DAYS. Felt sooo weird. Then we saw another ethnic couple and got really excited. 'Look. Black people!!')

You realise that vast swathes of the U.K. are almost exclusively white Brits?!?

I like the name

Lovely name! I think she may have trouble with people confusing it with "Sophia" though.

I don't but only because in my language/culture it is a very old name normally associated with old ladies but not in a retro good way if that makes sense BUT with everything, if you love it - go for it! X

I would go for the double ff - Saffiya. I have known a few girls with this name over the years and it's lovely. Alhthough they have a variety of spellings - Safiya, Suffiyah, Safiyah...

Love it, beautiful name

Lovely name and I think it's perfectly well known and not confusing

Where do some of you live

I'm an Arabic speaker who's lived in the Middle East for 40 years with her Arab Muslim familiy and I base my opinion on that.

To suggest people (children) are 'weighed down by a name is pretty bonkers. Especially one as common place

The name is generally associated with the older generation and dead relatives. It's very rarely used in its own right and people do ask if it's Sofiyah or Safiyah.

Whether people accept this or not doesn't bother me at all.

I've seen the name a lot, although never actually heard it said aloud. How is it pronounced? I always read it as SAFF-ee-ah, but realise I'm probably way off the mark!

Its a beautiful name I love it. I get annoyed with the snootiness on mumsnet especially regarding names from other cultures. Not everyone wants to call their child Emma or Jane.

Maybe that is true where you are perky...I know at least 10 Safiyas under the age of 15 (various spellings)

Is it Saf-e-ah or Saph-i-uh?

Lots of scope for confusion

It's nice though!

Gorgeous name!

I wasn't really aware of this name before, but it's lovely. I like Sophia, but I think Safiya is even nicer! I suppose because it sounds a bit like 'sapphire' as well, so that's another nice association.

"...My UKIP loving neighbour would have a frigging field day with it like she did when she heard the name of my youngest DD."

Well, causing consternation to people proudly voicing similarly prejudiced opinions is reason alone to love the name!
(Sadly, such attitudes toward certain names far too often indicate deeper attitudes about the cultures commonly using those same names...).

Sorry, OP.

Safiya is a gorgeous name. I've only heard it pronounced Saf-EE-a, but Saf-eye-a is nice, too.

Can't see why it should cause any more pronunciation issues than Helena/ Hel-AYN-a?

Or any more spelling issues than Katharine/ Katherine/ Catharine/ Catherine variations?

Oh, and congratulations on your baby girl, whatever name you decide upon

Beautiful name OP - please call your little girl Safiyah!

I live near Chipping Norton and I know lots of girls with Arabic names used to teach in NW London

People on here are a bit thick when it comes to names from different cultures.

Safiya is pretty. I would expect to pronounce it Saf-EE-ah (unless corrected).

OP, how will it be pronounced?

I think it's beautiful.

Beautiful name

I think it's really pretty (especially if pronounced saf-ee-ya)