Sophia if I’m named Sophie?!

[EnfysB]

Hi! We are expecting our 2nd child and aren’t find out the gender until birth but want to shortlist names for each possibility.

My husband is really keen on the name Sophia for a girl but my name is Sophie and I’m just not sure I can get on board with it! I’m worried people will think I named the baby after myself but I’m also struggling for another name I like… what are peoples thoughts? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Elizabeth. Always Elizabeth if you’re stuck.

I think rather than accept it as the 'norm' when it's down the male line, we should also be considering that to be 'strange'

Just think of a name for your child, it's not as if there is a shortage of them.

But she wouldn't be. Boys who are named after their father are given the same name, not a very slight variation. Naming the baby Sophie Jr. would be the slightly less weird option in this case (but only slightly...).

I’m a firm believer in what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. Whether or not an individual considers naming children for their parents is a good or bad thing is irrelevant, it is an age-old custom. With much emphasis on honouring the patriarchy.

@ZoyaTheDestroyer

Many sons have been named for their fathers with diminutives. Henry may have a Harry, John has a Jack etc even fathers to daughters (Nigel has a Nigella etc) not to mention babies being given names with the same meaning as grandparents (Pearl to honour a Margaret) or just a reference (Annabel as reference to a beloved Anne). it is very common to go down the route of naming children with family names or some variation thereof. It seems that babies are named after all kinds of relatives with the notable exception of mothers, it would be a refreshing change if more were imo.

I suspect @Nicebloomers that if you saw Henry and Harry's or John and Jack's birth certificates the overwhelming likelihood is that they both have the full form as a legal given name and the younger is simply known by the diminutive to avoid confusion in everyday life, or to avoid using the clunky suffix 'Jr'. I don't think the example of Nigel and Nigella is a helpful comparison to the OP's situation as neither is a unisex name.

I think it would be weird sorry. Maybe as a middle name?

Fiona is similar sounding to Sophia....or Lucia

@ZoyaTheDestroyer there are 2 examples just in my close family of a Francis with son Frank (just Frank on the birth certificate) and John with a Jack. Named for father, but without being a Jr. I’m quite sure my family is not an anomaly.

You slightly missed my point about Nigel/Nigella. I think it’s important to recognise that naming after mothers isn’t really a thing due to patriarchal Ideas that it would be vain and vanity should be actively discouraged in women. That women are lesser or unworthy. Many women still give their children the father’s surname even if it isn’t the same as their own. If they don’t it is questioned, even mocked. It is generally considered ok to name a daughter after a father but not a mother (ie Nigella) I don’t like to speak for the OP but it could be a reason why she’s asking the question in the first place. Does it seem vain to essentially name her child after herself? My response is yes, of course you can name your child after yourself as it is widely acceptable to name both sons and daughters after fathers. I have never come across a man questioning if it’s vain to name a child after himself.

I think the examples in your family, both of the patronymic name traditions and the use of the diminutive form, are actually pretty unusual in the UK tbh @Nicebloomers but if it's the norm for your family then of course that will colour your view.

I don't think I've missed your Nigella / Nigel point at all, although your expansion is very muddled. My initial point, to which you responded and by which I stand, was that when boys are named after their fathers they are usually given the same name, not a related but variant form. If you wish to apply the same tradition to a mother and a daughter then the same should apply here. Sophia is not a diminutive form of Sophie. Nigella is not a diminutive form of Nigel; it is the feminine form of the name. One might reasonably imagine that if Nigella had been a boy then she might have been named Nigel.

My Sophie is never Soph

Well the late Queen was named after her mother!

There are quite a few examples in my family tree, and my husband's, when daughters were called after their mothers. And one case I could find where there are three generations grandmother/mother/daughter with the same name. All examples date to the 18th and 19th centuries.

I suspect it was more common years ago when larger families were more common and people tended to choose from a smaller pool of names.

@ZoyaTheDestroyer I suppose it boils down to if an individual thinks Sophie and Sophia are essentially the same name, which I do. We shall have to agree to disagree.

@Fifthtimelucky there’s some amusing names in my family tree that Its a relief weren’t passed down through generations. Bertha and Beulah (sisters) are stand-outs for me. One branch had 3 sons all with the same name due to infant mortality. Very sad. I had overlooked the perennial historical favourite of Mary. I suppose I think of it as a naming for the Virgin Mary above a naming for a mother etc. but I could be wrong.

Is it any different to a Mary and Miriam mother and daughter, or Marie and Maria, or William and Liam for a father and son?

It seems a bit unimaginative but I wouldn't think anything if both names were Elizabeth or Margaret, or Ellen and Helena.

Men may have been doing it for years but it's still pretty stupid to give your child the same name as you.

There was a man on tv the other day who said he had the same name as his dad and his son! He also said his nephew had the same name.

Is it an ego trip for men?

@Nicebloomers that makes sense of your position, thank you - I consider them to be distinct names.

@JimNast Did you mean to put Margaret and Elizabeth together? They are completely distinct names. I would find all of your other examples quite odd choices, tbh.

@ZoyaTheDestroyer , No I meant DM &DD both called Elizabeth, or both called Margaret. The Ellen and Helena skewed the sentence.

I don't see anything wrong with reusing the parent's name. Glad mine didn't because DM's name wasn't popular for long but both grandmothers names were timeless.

It works better with neutral, classic names IMO.

Wayne Rooney's DF is called Wayne Rooney. Robson Green's DF was called Robson Green.

I know someone called Emma who has a daughter named Emily

Nancy & Ruth Sophia

Nancy & Edith Sophia

Nancy & Lilian Sophia

Nancy & Ellen Sophia

Nancy & Ida Sophia

Nancy & Dorothy Sophia

Nancy & Josephine (Josie) Sophia

Nancy & Evelyn Sophia

Nancy & Charlotte Sophia

I have heard of families where all the daughters have mum's initial but IMHO this is too close. What is it you like about the name (apart it being similar to yours)? Another name that means wisdom?

Zofia would change the initial? Zafia, Zafiya?

Maybe use Sophia as her middle name.

I personally don’t see it as a problem but I’m following with interest - my name is Julia but ever since I heard it in a film as a child, my favourite name for a girl has been Juliet as I find it so elegant and romantic sounding 🤣 Pure coincidence it’s close to my name, but it looks like a lot of people would think it would be narcissistic if I’d used it. Luckily I had a boy! (NOT named Julian 🤣)

Funnily enough though 2 of the men in my family gave their sons the exact same name as themselves and 1 gave his son the diminutive version of his name but no one has ever commented on any of them as far as I know …. why is it as women we always concern ourselves with this type of thing? 🤔

I think Jenny goes nicely with Nancy. Both no longer very popular and derived from other names ( Nancy from Ann and Agnes and Jenny from Jennifer and Genevieve) so with the same vibes.

Zombie thread

Why not have Sophia as her middle name and give her a first name of her own.

I know a Gemma with a daughter Emma. I think it’s weird. There’s a gazillion other names to choose from.

How about Claudia instead?

Nancy and Claudia.

I also like Nancy and Delilah.