A man has asked for advice on whether he and his wife are "overthinking" the name of their unborn baby, after close friends named their newborn daughter Sophia. The couple had settled on Sophie for their own baby girl but now feel conflicted.
Couple Torn Over Name Choice
Writing on Reddit, the man explained that he and his wife had "fallen in love" with the name Sophie almost immediately after learning they were expecting a girl. However, when some close friends had a baby girl and named her Sophia, he became "really torn".
His wife "doesn't think it is an issue" because of the difference in pronunciation between Sophie and Sophia, but the man admitted he cannot shake the feeling that people might think they copied their friends, even though they had chosen the name months earlier.
Reddit Users Share Mixed Opinions
In a post to the Baby Names subreddit, he asked: "If you were in our shoes, would you still use Sophie? And if you were the parents of Sophia, would you think it was strange or feel like we'd copied you?"
One Reddit user supported the couple, saying: "If it were a less common name I would have hesitation but anyone naming their baby Sophie/Sophia has to be okay with others using it." Another added: "Every third female child under the age of five that I know is named Sophia or Sophie, honestly nobody has a claim to that name."
A third user said: "It's a popular name. If Sophia's parents wanted something unique they should not have used a popular name. I would just use it and don't care what they think."
Some Advise Caution
However, one person offered a different perspective: "Personally I would avoid the name just because it is so popular and having a friend name their baby that would be the nail in the coffin for me."
Another suggested mentioning it to the friends: "I'm a chicken so I personally wouldn't do it but if it matters that much to you, at least mention it to the people? It could be awkward if you're close enough to these people and you end up spending lots of time together."
One user noted they would feel weird unless there was a different reason for the name, such as a family name. The man concluded: "I'm genuinely after honest opinions because I think I might be overthinking it. Cheers!"
