I LOVE the nickname Josie, but I don’t know if we should name her Josefina (pronounced in Spanish) or Josephine (English).
My husband says that Josefina reminds him of his uncle. But I think it’s lovely and feminine. She will be raised in the US but she has family that is only Spanish speaking and a Spanish last name, so I’m trying for the Spanish name… though I want to call her Josie.
My question is- will that be confusing for her Growing up? Using one first sound in her official name and a different sound in her nickname?
I say, [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]. Her Spanish-speaking relatives could always call her [name_f]Josefina[/name_f]! Maybe a Hispanic mn? [name_u]Josie[/name_u] is adorable and I consider it for my own children so I may be biased. If your husband thinks it reminds him of his uncle… that would be an issue. Although people say you don’t think about those things after you have your baby, I don’t know. I picture [name_f]Josefina[/name_f] and [name_u]Josie[/name_u] very similar, so I wouldn’t worry about it. I adore both names! They equally represent strong and feminine young ladies. Good luck!!
I LOVE [name_f]Josefina[/name_f]. As someone who still resents that my Scandinavian ancestors had to anglicize their surnames when they emigrated, I love a strong connection to ancestry in naming! Also it would feel a little off to me to have a Spanish surname with the [name_f]English[/name_f] version of a first name, when there’s a well-known Spanish version. Josefina!!!
I love so many Spanish girl names, but I don’t adore [name_f]Josefina[/name_f]. I think it’s the “hose” sound I do love how ir looks, though, if that matters. This is rare instance where I think the [name_f]English[/name_f] spelling and pronunciation is prettier.
I do think it’s okay to have the two sides of the family pronounce her name differently. We’re an English-speaking household but live in a Spanish-speaking country; my [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] introduces himself as [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] to [name_f]English[/name_f] speakers and Sebastián to Spanish speakers. Not a big deal at all.
Josefina. I adore this spelling with Sofia too. TBH, I regret not naming my daughter the Latinized version of her name (I am not Spanish but Eastern European so we Latinize names as well). I do often call her the version of her name ending in “a” but I feel like it’s not really her name. Are you okay with the “J” being pronounced like “jose”rather than “hose?” I think most english speakers would default to that pronunciation. Go with Josefina, it’s beautiful!
It seems like you’re only considering [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] for the nickname-- if this is the case, I would definitely go with [name_f]Josefina[/name_f], as it’s the one you’re passionate about and is a lovely way to reflect your culture. (I might be biased, but [name_f]Josefina[/name_f] is prettier!!)
Either way (as a Latina myself), I’m guessing her name will be said in Spanish anyway by other family members, so I wouldn’t worry too much about her being confused by the different sounds! Plus there are tons of nicknames Hispanics use that have nothing to do with the og names lol I say go for [name_f]Josefina[/name_f] nn [name_u]Josie[/name_u]
I’d go with [name_f]Josefina[/name_f]! It gives her a link to her heritage and family and I think [name_u]Josie[/name_u] is a perfectly usable nickname with it! [name_m]Just[/name_m] think - [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] is popular, and [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] sounds completely different to it but is still used (also Amelia/Millie, Eleanor/Nell, Theresa/Tess)
I much prefer the sound of [name_f]Josefina[/name_f] to [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], it sounds more melodic to me! I don’t think [name_f]Josefina[/name_f] nn [name_u]Josie[/name_u] would be confusing at all
[name_f]Josefina[/name_f] it is. The DH agrees .
Now, just to check… my daughters name is [name_f]Valentina[/name_f] [name_f]Joy[/name_f] (Nina/Ninita/Nini). SO many of my favorite Spanish names end with -ina. Are we concerned about the rhyming of [name_f]Josefina[/name_f] and [name_f]Valentina[/name_f] if I know that I’m going to intentionally be calling them [name_f]Nina[/name_f] and [name_u]Josie[/name_u]? [name_u]Will[/name_u] family make fun behind my back?
[name_f]Glad[/name_f] you’re going with [name_f]Josefina[/name_f]!
I don’t think that the -ina ending is a a problem, especially with the nicknames, and family don’t tend to make fun other others behind their backs so I wouldn’t worry about that either!
I don’t think that would be any more confusing than other instances where sounds (especially vowel sounds) differ between the nickname and the full name.
[name_f]Valentina[/name_f] and [name_f]Josefina[/name_f] both have that lovely “ina” ending (we use a lot of the same names in Poland) that it is kind of hard to avoid haha! I think it’s fine because really, once your girls are older they will hardly be referred to as “sister and sister.” I think all those sibset pairings and rules are for name nerds! I know so many people whose kids have the taboo “all start with the same letters” or are totally different styles and it really doesn’t matter. Especially because this is THE name and I think you would always have a little regret if you didn’t use it simply because of a similar ending.
I like [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] more, but if you feel like [name_f]Josefina[/name_f] would reflect her heritage more, then that’s fine. [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is just as feminine and pretty and if you guys agree on that it would be good. But I do like [name_f]Josefina[/name_f]. I don’t see what’s masculine about it, lol.
But I think it’s lovely and feminine. She will be raised in the US but she has family that is only Spanish speaking and a Spanish last name, so I’m trying for the Spanish name… though I want to call her Josie.
I do love how ir looks, though, if that matters. This is rare instance where I think the [name_f]English[/name_f] spelling and pronunciation is prettier.
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