Friend is pregnant and wants same name for her baby...should i pick another one?

misnyybears · January 2010

My close friend is pregnant and due to have a girl by mid February and I am due to have a girl in June. She has been very indecisive with the names but was sure that the final decision would probably be Isabella. I recently spoke to her and she told me she has decided to pick Sofia as the baby's name, the one I really want for my baby. I told her that was a name I liked for a girl too but I didn't make a big deal about it, after all, her baby arrives first than mine. My husband wants to keep it Sofia but I feel weird about it, however, we can't seem to agree in another name since we were liking Sofia so much. What to do?

lynsey851 · February 2010

Hmmmm, tough one...I probably wouldnt name my baby the same name as a close friend. And honestly, like pp said, Sofia/Sophia is like the top 3 name used now-a-days, so I would maybe think about using a different name all together (if you are worried about popularity at all) Maybe you and your friend could talk about it and you could let her know how you're feeling? There are sooo many names out there! But if your heart is set on it, than I would say to be open wiht your friend.

LMS05 · February 2010

I wouldn't use it, but that's just me.

stevenandbrittany · February 2010

IMO I would not use the name. I have a thing about using names that are already in the family or names that close friends have chosen. A name should be unique to the individual. I know there are tons of popular/common names, but I think there is somethign to be said when kids who know eachother share the same name- and it was intended (known before hand).

I know it seems like at this point you and your DH can only agree on this ONE particular name, but another name will come across your way that you will be 'wow'd' by. You just have to be open to the possibility.

Good luck

robinsokj · February 2010

I wouldnt use it because I am assuming these girls will see each other a lot. If it was a friend that lived across the country sure, but not in this situation

sunrei · February 2010

I wouldn't want to use it but that's just me.

Temp984666312503071 · February 2010

I was due within 2 weeks of a good friend (who lives a few miles away) and we both had the same girl name. Neither of us gave it an ounce of thought. In the end, I had a girl and she had a boy. But even if we had both had girls we figured it would just be easier on the playground - one name and they both come running .

I think we generally give this stuff WAY too much thought. Name your baby what you want to name them. It will be okay!

PhilsWife07 · February 2010

Ditto. Sophia is super popular. I wouldn't worry about it as I'm sure your friend's Sophia isn't the only one she'll ever run across.

FemmeNat01 · February 2010

I wouldn't use it. Sorry!

Under.the.Rose · February 2010

I'd feel strange using the same name as a close friend, so I would choose something else.

GulfCoaster · February 2010

When you combine the spellings Sofia and Sophia, this name was the most popular of 2008.

https://www.namenerds.com/uucn/pop.html --> check out the 2008 lists for boys and girls. They take the SSA list and re-group it by spelling to give a more accurate picture of a name's popularity. These are the top 10 when all alternate spellings are included: Sophia, Isabella, Emily, Madison, Olivia, Emma, Ava, Abigail, Hailey, Madeline.

So, since it's such a popular name, I'd still consider using it. Your friend's daughter will share her name with many little girls, so I don't see the problem with her sharing a name with your daughter.

sar17 · February 2010

I'd still use it and tell her you plan to use that name also. maybe she'll change it if she's that indecisive or maybe she won't but at least she won't be surprised when it happens.

niki731 · February 2010

LMS05:
I wouldn't use it, but that's just me.

This plus I think every 3rd girl these days are named Sophie/Sophia...

ac_in_dc · February 2010

GulfCoaster:
When you combine the spellings Sofia and Sophia, this name was the most popular of 2008.

https://www.namenerds.com/uucn/pop.html --> check out the 2008 lists for boys and girls. They take the SSA list and re-group it by spelling to give a more accurate picture of a name's popularity. These are the top 10 when all alternate spellings are included: Sophia, Isabella, Emily, Madison, Olivia, Emma, Ava, Abigail, Hailey, Madeline.

So, since it's such a popular name, I'd still consider using it. Your friend's daughter will share her name with many little girls, so I don't see the problem with her sharing a name with your daughter.

This.

kate&dan · February 2010

My best friend and I were due to have our babies three weeks apart. We both liked the same boy name. I ended up having a girl and she had a boy so it didn't matter in the end. If we had both had boys I think one of us just would have changed our name choice.

MSC03 · February 2010

Keep it Sophia. I mean, it's not your sister, it's your friend. No one is going to get mixed up on the family tree.

megjr8 · February 2010

My SIL and I are in this battle right now. I'd get a backup ready and try to attach yourself to that one too. I'm not one that likes to share names.. lol