Sisters: Fiona & Sophia

0alainarenee0

We are expecting our 2nd daughter in January.  Our first DD's name is Fiona.  This time around, finding a name my husband and I both like has been nearly impossible. The only name we both can agree on is Sophia, however we have reservations.

Besides being ridiculously popular at the very tippy top of the 100 baby girl names list, it also seems a little too close to Fiona.  We would spell her name with a PH (Sophia) and her nickname would be Soph or Sophie. I know there is plenty of time, but when we ask our daughter to say the name Sophia, she says Fia, which is waaaay too close to Fiona's nickname (Fi). If we ask her to say Sophie,  she says it perfectly however.

Anyways, sorry so long. Just curious on what you all think!

Do you think Sophia is too close to Fiona?

Naming wish list if you feel like adding alternative options:
-ends in "a"
-5-7 letters long
-can be shortened for nickname
-2-3 syllables 
-middle name will be James after her grandpa 

Thanks in advance!

thatcma

I like Sophia. I personally don't mind that it's technically popular because it isn't a name I have actually heard very much. I think it goes well with James as the MN and Fiona as a sibling.

bbiutmcph

It's a bit matchy but truthfully if you want another a ending name it's gonna be somewhat matchy anyhow. Suggesting...

Dahlia
Nadia
Audra
Bianca
Tahlia
Eliza
Helena
Elena

gonetothesea

I don't think they're too matchy. But I agree that Sophia is very popular, so she most likely won't be the only one in her class. (I realize some are a little bit longer than your guidelines, but I thought they were pretty, so I threw them in anyway!)

Other suggestions:

Magnolia
Morgana
Sabrina
Helena
Cosima
Carolina
Brenna
Ophelia

kmvisioli

What about just using Sophie as the full name? It gets a little less matchy and a little further from being the #1 name. Aside from that idea, I think they're a little matchy but fine together, especially if you tend to call them by nicknames anyway.

KyleeWaller

I personally would not to Fiona and Sophia together, as they both give off the same vibe to me.

Other "A" names I like that I think are a bit less matchy (Many are shorter than you requested, but I bolded the ones that totally met your wish list requests)

Sylvia "Sylvie" James
Ava James (Doesn't really have a NN, but I thought it went well with James)
Rhea "Ray" James
Aria "Ari" James
Andrea "Andi" James
Ella "Elle" or "Ellie" James
Anna "Annie" James
Danica "Dani" James
Samantha "Sam" or "Sami" James
Cynthia "Cindy" James
Hanna "Hanni" James