Adelia versus Antonia

I’m struggling between the two for baby girl due here in about 4 weeks. My SO is on board for either so I am the one making the final call and I can’t seem to decide

My pro/con list:

[name_f]Adelia[/name_f]

  • It’s beautiful and incredibly unpopular despite such familiar sounds
  • It’s a nature name without being a word name
  • [name_m]Will[/name_m] she be lost in a sea of Addies, Ellies, and Amelias?
  • Extremely feminine and on the verge of frou-frou without a less feminine nickname option (besides [name_u]Dell[/name_u] which I dislike) - Not something I’d usually concern myself with but I have a very over-the-top feminine name and it has never matched my personality

[name_f]Antonia[/name_f]

  • Strong and beautiful
  • Lots of good nicknames that I like - [name_f]Ana[/name_f], [name_f]Nia[/name_f], [name_f]Annie[/name_f] and [name_f]Toni[/name_f] - which also work if she happens to prefer a less feminine name
  • Definitely more popular than [name_f]Adelia[/name_f]
  • It’s a lot for a little girl and I don’t want her to have to rely on a nickname
  • Very similar to insanely popular boy names

So my question is which pros outweigh the cons? I’ve been through this a million times in my head and I’m hoping for some fresh perspective. Our combos are [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] [name_f]Frances[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] (honoring both great-grandparents) and [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] [name_f]Elise[/name_f] (honoring both grandmothers).

Both [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] and [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] are strong, beautiful options. I have [name_f]Odelia[/name_f] on my list and also struggle finding a nickname I really like! [name_f]Adele[/name_f], [name_f]Dee[/name_f], [name_u]Allie[/name_u], [name_f]Ada[/name_f], [name_f]Lia[/name_f], and [name_u]Leigh[/name_u] would work, but they might not be what you’re looking for.

Personally, I prefer [name_f]Adelia[/name_f], but for you I think I prefer [name_f]Antonia[/name_f]. I honestly think it would be fairly easy to wear, and it’s the sort of name that’s familiar without being common and that gets lots of compliments. The only name I think of when I see it is [name_m]Anthony[/name_m] (by extension [name_u]Tony[/name_u]), and to be honest I don’t quite understand how that would be a con anyway. Maybe I’m just not seeing it. [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] - I’ve never thought of this before, but I see what you mean about [name_f]Amelia[/name_f]! There’s a definite possibility it may get mistaken for that, though [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] has a very strong D sound.

As far as combos go, both yours are lovely. I marginally prefer [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] [name_f]Frances[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f], because I think [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] [name_f]Frances[/name_f] just kills it, but [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] [name_f]Elise[/name_f] is also beautiful. [Also, someone’s going to suggest this at some point, so I may as well - you could wait and see what suits her. I quite like this idea because it means you’re sort of naming her based on HER as well as your favourites.]

I definitely prefer [name_f]Antonia[/name_f], but both are beautiful.

I appreciate the feedback and wanted to touch on some of them:

The two names [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] are similar to in my mind are [name_m]Anthony[/name_m] and also [name_m]Antonio[/name_m], which are both ranked incredibly high in the top 1000. This is listed as a con because while I don’t want a name that is so feminine it has no alternative, I also don’t want a name that she shares with boys in her class or in the workplace. I know this doesn’t bother a lot of people (hence the amount of girls being named [name_u]Ryan[/name_u] and [name_u]Hayden[/name_u]) but it does bother me. I like gender specification for names and how it appears on rosters, documents, and applications. It’s a personal preference but one that I do value and [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] is likely to have an [name_m]Anthony[/name_m] and/or [name_m]Antonio[/name_m] in her life at some point. I don’t think it’s a huge problem which is why it’s still a top runner because she can go by [name_f]Annie[/name_f], [name_f]Ana[/name_f], [name_f]Nia[/name_f] etc and avoid a majority of these issues if she so desires.

Waiting to see what she looks like gives me severe anxiety because what if I still can’t decide and then she’s out in the world nameless? I am insanely indecisive and if she isn’t named before she’s born it’s likely she could go days/weeks without an official name and that’s not going to work for us.

Also wanted to mention that we have a son named [name_u]Emmett[/name_u] [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] if that helps any!

I also like both. I, personally, slightly prefer [name_f]Adelia[/name_f]! [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] has never been high on my favorites but I’ve always enjoyed it. With [name_u]Emmett[/name_u] I prefer [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] too. It’s not like either is bad though! You have two solid names.

I totally agree with you about using a legitimate girls’ name! I have a name that was originally a boys’ name but has become pretty popular as a girls’ name is the US & few other countries. I am extremely feminine & dislike the nicknames for my names which actually include [name_f]Annie[/name_f] & [name_f]Ann[/name_f]/[name_f]Ana[/name_f]. I don’t really think [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] needs a nickname but I love the idea of [name_f]Nia[/name_f]! I enjoy [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] a lot more than my name because it’s a legitimate feminine form of [name_m]Antonius[/name_m] ([name_m]Anthony[/name_m]).

I think it’s a good idea to wait until you see her! That’s what I personally plan to do when I have children to see what they look like! Good [name_m]Luck[/name_m]!

Are you in [name_u]America[/name_u]? I’m confused about the comments you made about [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] being much more popular. It’s true that [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] is just barely on the top 1000 and [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] is not, but both are fairly rare and [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] would be much more surprising with all of the Adels, Amelias, Adelines, and the other [name_f]Addy[/name_f] names. I would say [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] is trendy even if it is rare because it fits with a huge trend right now.

I’m not saying that [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] is a bad name or that you shouldn’t choose it over [name_f]Antonia[/name_f], but if popularity is an issue for you I think you are looking at it the wrong way.

Where I live in [name_u]America[/name_u], [name_m]Anthony[/name_m] is pronounced with a “TH” sound like “An-tho-nee” rather than like [name_m]Antony[/name_m].
So while [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] and [name_m]Anthony[/name_m] are related names, they don’t sound similar at all. Also unless you live in an area with a huge Hispanic or Italian influence, I don’t think it’s likely you’ll encounter a ton of [name_m]Antonios[/name_m]. I’ve never met one.
So with all that being said, I think [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] is a great choice!

I am in the US and I guess the way I see it is that [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] has been in the top 1000 in the past decade while [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] hasn’t surfaced since the 1920’s, so by that respect [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] is much more familiar and used. I say [name_m]Anthony[/name_m] also with a “th” sound and my concern with that is not the full name similarities but the nicknames - [name_u]Tony[/name_u] and [name_f]Toni[/name_f]. We do not live in an area with a large Latino or Italian community, but [name_m]Antonio[/name_m] is ranked #152 so that just adds to the probability of encountering a male [name_u]Tony[/name_u].

It appears [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] is the favorite so far and seems to be more refreshing than [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] to you all. I would never have classified [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] as trendy so that is throwing me off a bit. If naming her [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] is like tattooing “born in 2017” to her forehead then I am very turned off by it.

I think the reason people see [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] as trendy is because it has a lot of trendy components.
For example the [name_m]Ad[/name_m]- prefix is tied to [name_f]Ada[/name_f], [name_f]Adelaide[/name_f], [name_f]Adeline[/name_f], [name_f]Addalyn[/name_f], and [name_u]Addison[/name_u]. [name_f]Delia[/name_f] by itself is also an up-and-coming name. And [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] is so similar (as you’ve already pointed out) to [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], [name_f]Emilia[/name_f], and so forth. So while [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] itself is rare, it’s sounds and components just have such a familiar “Oh i’ve heard that before” vibe.

The top 1000 in the US can be tricky to apply to where you live since there is so much variation within each state. I think what might help you is looking up the SSA list for your specific state- they are easily accessible online and very helpful and eye-opening. There’s a chance [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] could be completely off the radar for your state- or maybe it’s in the top 20! It never hurts to find out and will provide you with a more accurate assessment of your immediate area.

[name_f]Adelia[/name_f] works better for all stages of life, I think. My aunt is called [name_f]Antonia[/name_f], and while it is an utterly beautiful name, she’s never liked being called [name_f]Toni[/name_f], which nearly everyone does.

They’re both gorgeous!

I love [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] because it reminds me of one of my favorite names ever, [name_f]Adele[/name_f], but I also love [name_f]Antonia[/name_f]. Are you afraid she’s going to get called [name_m]Anthony[/name_m] or [name_m]Antonio[/name_m] at some point in her life? Or just concerned that it’s so similar to a boys’ name and thus don’t feel like it stands on its own? Because I think that’s honestly not likely (the former, I mean), even with the similarities in the names. [name_m]Anthony[/name_m] and [name_m]Antonio[/name_m] are popular names, so they might approach [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] with [name_m]Antonio[/name_m] in mind (“oh, it’s emphasized like [name_m]Antonio[/name_m] is, with the middle syllable”), but I don’t think any one will accidentally think your daughter’s name is [name_m]Antonio[/name_m]?

I’m not sure where you’re at, but it looks like neither [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] OR [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] rank nationally, so I wouldn’t be concerned about the popularity of one over the other.

I love the nn [name_f]Annie[/name_f] for [name_f]Antonia[/name_f], but I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] [name_f]Della[/name_f] for [name_f]Adelia[/name_f]. [name_f]Addy[/name_f] is cute, too, but rather overdone. [name_f]Lia[/name_f] is also nice, and no more froufrou, imo, than [name_f]Nia[/name_f] is. :slight_smile:

I like [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] better with [name_u]Emmett[/name_u], and I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] the combo [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] [name_f]Elise[/name_f], so I think that one’s getting my vote, but a very special little girl in my life has a mama with the name [name_f]Antonia[/name_f], so it’s close to my heart, as well. They’re both lovely names. I don’t think you can go wrong, really.

Good luck!

[name_f]Adelia[/name_f] is my favourite, but [name_f]Antonia[/name_f] is also lovely.

I think we’ve settled on [name_f]Adelia[/name_f]! I think the lack of non-feminine nicknames outweighs the possibility of having a name that is so heavy it demands a nickname. [name_f]Adelia[/name_f] seems lighter and if she really wants a less a girly nickname she can always goes by [name_u]Dell[/name_u] or [name_f]Lia[/name_f]/[name_u]Lee[/name_u] (which aren’t my favorites but oh well). She could also pull from her middle names if she so desires and [name_f]Frances[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] leaves little to the nickname potential while [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] [name_f]Elise[/name_f] has plenty. I appreciate all of the kind words and suggestions!