Baby name help!! - Lyra & Sophie

[SJayne401]

My DD is 3 weeks old and we named her Lyra as my partner loves the name. She is our second child, our sons called Harry and I knew he was going to be a Harry before he was born and had no doubts at all.

I had some reservations on the name but my partner loves it so we registered her but since I’ve been quite emotional about it, I feel like I avoid saying her name and refer to her as baby or baby sister. I keep going to call her Sophie which was on our list and my partner likes it not loves it. He is open to change if it is bothering me so much.
My issue is I can’t tell what’s serious doubt, hormones or just needing more time to connect the name with her. I initially thought needing more time to connect the name but the more I think the more I feel unsure on it and now I’m massively overthinking.
Someone also made some comments and said it sounds very similar to Laura and that’s a negative for me. There are a few other things putting me off.

Any advice on what to do and the name choices? We need to consider changing asap if we are so people don’t get too used to it and for our sons sake.
I feel like I held off fully making an announcement on her when we decided the name, maybe that tells me something.
Also worried about people’s reaction to us changing at this point x

I absolutely love Lyra and would have used it but my son has an L name so it felt too close.
What are your doubts about it?
Has she got a middle name, could you add Sophie as a middle? Or even Sophie first, Lyra middle. Sophie is nice too and a classic but I just have a soft spot for Lyra. Honestly though both are lovely names and either is a good choice.

I wouldn’t worry about peoples reaction if you do decide to change it, no one will give it much thought. Just try and clear you head and sit down with your dh to talk about it properly.

How are you doing otherwise? I know that PND can often manifest itself in name regret. Maybe speak to your health visitor if it’s really getting you down xx

Lyra is beautiful and nothing like Laura.

Give it another month or two.

@SJayne401
I'm sad you're struggling... did you consider baby blues or postnatal anxiety as cause for your concern? Could you talk to somebody? Baby blues usually last for two weeks. Do you have difficulty sleeping, are you irritable, are you sad or angry?
I like both names. Does your baby have a middle name? You can add Sophie to Lyra, so it became Lyra Sophie.

I think they're both lovely names but I prefer Lyra, especially with your son being called Harry (there must be thousands of sibling pairs called Harry and Sophie - Harry and Lyra is much more individual)

Agree with the idea of adding Sophie as a middle name but, at the end of the day, if you can't get over wanting Sophie as the first name, you should change it while she's still a baby as long as your husband is okay with it.

Thank you everyone for the replies.

Feeling fine otherwise, sleeping fine, out and about etc I’m only emotional or feel sad trying to make a decision on this. I am an over thinker and I feel like I’m putting a lot of pressure on ensuring it’s the perfect name. I never thought I’d have a daughter and I just don’t want any regrets and feel guilty about how much my DH loves the name and I’m now so unsure.
some reactions have put me off, a not so pleasant Auntie to baby called Laura making the name connection and similarities, having to spell it and sound it for people etc. I went down the rabbit hole of googling and found lots of negative opinions - written looks like Lycra, the leer-ah, lie-ra pronunciation confusion, didn’t know it was an aerial hoop. I think you can find negative associations with most names though. it’s quite trendy maybe 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think the comments made by said Auntie have tipped me over the edge a bit x

I much prefer Lyra to Sophie, and it sounds nothing like Laura. I’ve never heard it pronounced Leer - ah, it’s Lie-rah isn’t it? And I don’t think most people would make the association with an aerial hoop, I don’t even know what that is.

I like both names but prefer Lyra.

I think there was journalist Lyra Something, that pronounced her name as Leer-a in Northen Ireland... at least reporters said Leer-a.

I only associate it with Lyra from the Philip Pullman books which I think is a great association! All those others wouldn’t cross my mind and it sounds nothing like Laura. You can find negative associations with any names on the internet. But those you’ve mentioned with Lyra aren’t even particularly negative!

I know a Lyra very well and it's a beautiful name. Never heard of anyone mispronouncing it as Lee-ra or mistaking it for Laura and it's well known enough as a name that it wouldn't be mispronounced. Those negative associations you googled are pretty silly reasons not to name her it.

That said if you really don't like it then change it but don't do it because of what your aunt said. Sophie is pleasant but rather forgettable.

I actually prefer Sophie as there’s so many Lyra’s atm
i think it goes better with Harry too

I love Lyra - a beautiful name. I know a lovely little girl with the name and she’s never (as far as I know) had any issues with it. Sophie is also beautiful- I voted for Sophie as it’s one of my personal favourites, but I certainly have nothing bad to say about Lyra, both are lovely names, it’s just more about which you personally like best.

Lyra is very pretty, but I must admit I prefer Sophie.

I'm very biased in this as our second child is Lyra 😊 We absolutely love her name but I think you should be led by your gut on this one. Do you think you might get used to it? We found both our kids' names felt odd initially, but after a while it felt normal and now we can't imagine them as anything else. X

And just to add in 3 years we've never had anyone mistake her name for Laura, or any other name for that matter!

I really like the name Lyra, it was on our list, but I think you prefer the name Sophie. You will also find criticism of Sophie though so I'd prepare yourself for that, as you say any name can be criticised. I would try calling her that for a week or two before making any official changes then make a decision. But I will say I kept going to call our baby Freya when she was born, nothing like her name and wasn't even on our list so no idea where that came from. Post partum is a bit crazy! Hope you manage to sort it.

I would tell said auntie it is after the Lyra in the Pulman books. Though really to me, it is like auntie Joan claiming a Jane is named after her. Lyra is nothing to do with Laura.

Though if you really prefer Sophie, it is also nice. Not so lyrical and a lot plainer though.

I have one and the only person who has ever commented on the pronunciation was a Cypriot Greek colleague who pointed out they wouldn't use the dipthong (combined vowel sound) in Greek (so it'd be Leera or Lehra in Greek).

But as Philip Pullman basically made it up as a name I don't think that's really relevant outside of Greek speaking contexts.

The aerial hoop thing is new to me but it is also a constellation, a My Little Pony, a sofa and a posh brand of pencil!

Tell rude auntie to butt out.

And congratulations on your baby 😀

Congratulations on your baby. I don't like Lyra but I love Sophie.
Lyra is from Greek mythology and was used before Philip Pullman's character, e.g. Lyra McKee.

I love Lyra , I know a sweet little one.

Also , Phillip Pullman didn't make it up , it's from Greek Mythology.

It might be a good idea to really test the name Sophie and see how you feel after someone outside of your immediate family calls her it. If you still really like it, I would change her name.

I named my son a very common name on the way home from the hospital when he was 3 days old and feel exactly the same as you. I thought I was just being a bit silly as I really liked the name so we registered his name when he was a week and a half old. I felt like it was a mistake. Afterwards, my husband refused to contemplate changing his name, but even if he agreed, I wouldn’t know what to change it to! The other 2 names I liked don’t suit him (I tried calling him them) and I just don’t know which other name fits.

I’ve taken him to a mother and baby class for the last 2 weeks and I noticed this week that my son’s name was the only name the class teacher couldn’t remember. I’m sure it’s because I don’t say it with much confidence.

Probably not very helpful, but I’ve decided I’m going to just get used to his name, and quickly!

Also, I chose Lyra. You loved it once, and may not think Sophie fits once you practice calling her it. Hope I’ve helped in some way?!

I agree of course that the word was in existence pre Dark Materials (it means "lyre") but Pullman is on record as saying he chose it as it sounded like "liar" and the character is of course a very accomplished fibber! I think it was very rarely used as a name pre 1995.

Although I think for its recent popularity we can also thank Ed Sheeran, Sophie Dahl, Dr Chris etc.