I quite possibly have a list for Josephine!

Girl Names
1

I would love your thoughts on these–sometimes I think they’re great, and sometimes I think they’re all just rubbish. But I’ve come up with a short list, and I like most of them a lot. I’d like to hear what others think.

[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Cosima[/name] (too singsongy? I suppose it depends on how you say [name]Cosima[/name]…)
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Edith[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Felicity[/name] (too long?)
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ivy[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Leona[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Lucia[/name] (I pronounce this the Italian way, loo-CHEE-ah)
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Tzofia[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zinnia[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zoe[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zofia[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zosia[/name] (ZOH-shah)

[name]Edith[/name], [name]Cosima[/name], [name]Felicity[/name], [name]Lucia[/name], [name]Zinnia[/name], and [name]Zoe[/name] are just names I’ve loved for quite a while now and can’t see using up front, but I’d love to fit them in as a middle.

I like the blend of French and Hebrew with [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Tzofia[/name]–I’m not Hebrew, but my best friend was a French Jew (she passed away Dec. 2010), and I think it’s quite a fitting way to honor her, and it still gives me room to use a second middle to honor one of my own family members. I’m just not sure if people would think it very weird to use such a Hebrew name if I’m not, and if it would be too much of a hassle (would people just assume it was [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Sophia[/name]?). [name]Tzofia[/name] wouldn’t be considered cultural appropriation like [name]Cohen[/name], would it? Any Jewish Berries out there? From my limited knowledge of Hebrew/Jewish culture, I didn’t think it would be, but I wanted to be sure. The last thing I would want to do was offend any Jews, especially since [name]Millie[/name]'s faith and ancestry and culture meant so much to her. Lastly, how would it be pronounced? I feel like I have a general idea, but I don’t want to butcher it. :slight_smile:

Thanks, Berries!

2

[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Cosima[/name]- I think the double 3-syllable thing is a little much, though I do love [name]Cosima[/name]. [name]Josephina[/name] [name]Cora[/name] would be super pretty, though.
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Edith[/name]- I’ve never liked [name]Edith[/name], though the pair is nice.
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Felicity[/name]- Yeah, I think this might be too long, unfortunately.
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ivy[/name]- Gorgeous, plain and simple.
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Leona[/name]- I think the -phine [name]Le[/name]- is too much E.
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Lucia[/name]- Same as [name]Cosima[/name].
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Tzofia[/name]- What a sweet way to honor your friend! It’s lovely, though personally I’d go for [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Eve[/name].
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zinnia[/name]- It’s nice, but [name]Zinnia[/name] makes me think of pasta even though I know it’s a flower (I don’t know why… Because of ziti, maybe?)
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zoe[/name]- Very nice!
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zofia[/name]- Nice but not amazing.
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zosia[/name]- I [name]ADORE[/name] [name]Zosia[/name]! Very pretty!

In summary, I love the idea of honoring your friend but would use a name that is only one or two syllables.

Other Hebrew middles for [name]Josephine[/name]:
[name]Aya[/name]
[name]Ayla[/name]
[name]Ayelet[/name]
[name]Dalia[/name]
[name]Deborah[/name]
[name]Eden[/name]
[name]Elyse[/name]
[name]Elza[/name]
[name]Hannah[/name]
[name]Leah[/name]
[name]Lior[/name] ([name]Josephine[/name] [name]Lior[/name]? Wouldn’t that be darling?)
[name]Micah[/name]
[name]Rachel[/name]
[name]Ruth[/name]
[name]Sarah[/name]
[name]Sarai[/name]
[name]Shiloh[/name]
[name]Tira[/name]
[name]Tova[/name]
[name]Yona[/name]
[name]Zelia[/name]

3

Thanks, @namelover77! I actually had considered [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Lior[/name], but I was having troubles figuring out which family name I could pair with it, since the emphasis is on the last syllable, and I thought something like [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Lior[/name] [name]Grace[/name] or [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Lior[/name] [name]Kate[/name] would sound quite abrupt. Besides, much as I love the idea of [name]Lior[/name] on a girl, the fact that [name]Lior[/name]‘s the unisex/masculine form puts me off slightly. I’d much rather use [name]Liora[/name] or [name]Eliora[/name], despite the fact that I really loved just [name]Lior[/name] before I found out it was a boys’ name too. I sort of like [name]Zelia[/name] (ZEEL-ya? [name]ZEL[/name]-ya?), but I feel like I like some of the other “Z” names on my list more than [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zelia[/name]. It is really gorgeous, though!

I think I’m probably going to end up dropping [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Cosima[/name]. I like the idea of having [name]Cosima[/name] somewhere on my list, but something about it with [name]Josephine[/name] just isn’t working for me. [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Eve[/name] is lovely, but I feel like I probably shouldn’t go there, haha. I already have [name]Eva[/name], [name]Evangeline[/name], and [name]Eve[/name] all on my list already–with no family significance with the [name]Evie[/name] names, I feel like it might be a bit of [name]Eve[/name]/[name]Evie[/name]/[name]Eva[/name] overload, haha.

Anyone else?

4

To be quite honest, it feels like many of your middle names share a lot of the same sounds with [name]Josephine[/name] - which you may like, but I am not a fan of. I like both names to have distinct sounds, it feels better to me. [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ruth[/name] has a nice ring, and each has its own distinct sounds, where as [name]Josephine[/name] Zophia, to me, has far to many similar sounds (s/z, ph, long O, and long e sounds). [name]Just[/name] my opinion.

5

On paper, [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zosia[/name] looks lovely, but it doesn’t sound right.

[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ivy[/name] is gorgeous. My cousin is at college with a girl who is [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ivy[/name], I met her once (at my cousin’s 21st), and I commented on how much I liked her name.

6

I think you’re probably right. Sometimes I like it, and sometimes I don’t. But I’ve always liked [name]Sophia[/name] and [name]Josephine[/name] paired together, so it doesn’t surprise me that this time around I’m really loving [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Tzofia[/name] and [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zofia[/name].

I am considering [name]Ruth[/name] as a second middle (it’s a family name), but I wouldn’t do just [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ruth[/name]. I had a nightmare once about a [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ruth[/name], and I still have really strong negative feelings to just those two names alone, but I do love the idea of something like [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zosia[/name] [name]Ruth[/name] or [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Tzofia[/name]/[name]Zofia[/name] [name]Ruth[/name]…

7

I like [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ivy[/name], [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Felicity[/name] and [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Edith[/name] best!

8

Thanks, ladies! I think I’ve managed to eliminate [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Cosima[/name], [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Edith[/name], [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Lucia[/name], and [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zoe[/name], and I’m thinking of letting [name]Felicity[/name] and [name]Zofia[/name] (but not [name]Tzofia[/name]!) go, too. I’m still tossing around the other options, though… I’m leaning toward potentially using [name]Ruth[/name] or [name]Rue[/name] as the second middle–whichever works best. I like [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zinnia[/name] [name]Rue[/name], but I like [name]Ruth[/name] better with [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Tzofia[/name]…

9

[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Cosima[/name] - glad you eliminated; too much O and the wrong rhythm
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Edith[/name] - darn, I actually quite like this one
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Felicity[/name] - bit long, yeah
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ivy[/name] - not bad at all
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Leona[/name] - would you consider [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Lenore[/name] instead?
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Lucia[/name] - doesn’t work for me, what about [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Linnea[/name]?
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Tzofia[/name] - because it’s an honor name, it works for me
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zinnia[/name] - I could fall in love with [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zinnia[/name] [name]Ruth[/name]!
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zoe[/name] - too much O
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zofia[/name] - too much O
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zosia[/name] - too much O

10

I like [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ivy[/name].

11

I think you need 3 syllables to keep it in balance and make it flow (depending on your last name). I like [name]Josephina[/name] [name]Lucia[/name], [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Allegra[/name], [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Amara[/name], [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Aletta[/name].

Honestly, I think Josaphina goes better with your choices (except Tzophia, [name]Leona[/name] and [name]Felicity[/name]) as they stress the first syllable (immediately after the stressed ‘phine’ from [name]Josephine[/name]). An unstressed syllable (‘a’ ending [name]Josephina[/name]) creates some flow.

12

I also like [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ivy[/name] because a short, simple mn looks nice with a longer fn imo.

13

Hmm? You pronounce [name]Josephine[/name] like jo-seh-FEEN? I say it [name]JO[/name]-seh-feen. I thought everyone did. So [name]JO[/name]-seh-feen ZIN-ee-ah, [name]JO[/name]-seh-feen feh-LISS-it-ee, etc…

For what it’s worth, the surname is 2 syllables, and the second middle will likely be only 1 syllable ([name]Ruth[/name], [name]Rue[/name], [name]Claire[/name], [name]Kate[/name], [name]Jane[/name], [name]Pearl[/name], [name]June[/name], etc.).

14

I like [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Edith[/name], [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ivy[/name], [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zinnia[/name], and [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Zosia[/name] best (the repeating long O doesn’t bother me).

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Edited for privacy.

16

Erm, I’m actually not sure what the most common pronunciation of [name]Cosima[/name] is. I’ve been saying CO-sih-mah. Which is probably wrong, haha. The one site I usually go to for pronunciations says it’s generally co-SEE-mah or KAH-sih-mah. I’m rather partial to a mix of the two, though, lol.

[name]Josephine[/name]? Harsh? Maybe it’s because it sounds so soft and lyrical in French, but I don’t think of [name]Josephine[/name] as harsh at all. Maybe that’s why I had liked it paired with so many “Z” names. I usually wouldn’t go for something with so many similar sounds, but I do really like it with all the Z/Tz names.

As for [name]Millie[/name]–I’m not sure about [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Millie[/name]. It’s cute, but meh. It doesn’t really do anything for me. I considered her actual FN, [name]Amelie[/name], but something about [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Amelie[/name] seemed off, too. I remember when she came to [name]America[/name] to visit (her grandmother, ironically, is from the very same area I grew up in, and it was a present to her grandmother several years ago), she was so excited about being “[name]Amelia[/name]” in [name]America[/name], so I had thought about [name]Amelia[/name], too (which also happens to be my great-grandmother’s mn, so I thought that would be a nice touch), but I’m not sure about [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Amelia[/name], either. The last time [name]Josephine[/name] was on my list, I had opted for [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Emilia[/name], but I just don’t love it this time around. It just doesn’t seem right.

Erm, her grandfather’s nn for her was [name]Fleurette[/name], so I generally just like the idea of [name]Fleur[/name] as a second middle, but that makes it harder to honor family, since most of my family names are only one syllable. Something like [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Grace[/name] [name]Fleur[/name] doesn’t work as well, imo.

I just can’t get behind [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ruth[/name]! That nightmare was stinkin’ awful. It’s probably been half a decade and I still can’t get those images out of my head, lol. And [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Tzofia[/name] [name]Ruth[/name] doesn’t sound that bad to me–is it truly awful? Besides, my little sister’s “name” in Spanish is [name]Sofia[/name], [name]Ruth[/name] is her MN, and she has a [name]Christmas[/name] name (which [name]Josephine[/name] could be classified, as well), so I sort of like that every name in the combo could honor [name]Tallie[/name], as well.

And nah, it’s fine. I said I was having trouble with [name]Josephine[/name]. :slight_smile: It seems like I always do. :confused: Either it’s too long with the long [name]Josephine[/name] and my 8-letter surname, it overpowers the classic [name]Josephine[/name], or something. I’m not convinced the “Z” names (or [name]Tzofia[/name]) are really that bad, but I do realize it’s not to everyone’s taste. I still really like [name]Zinnia[/name], [name]Zosia[/name], and [name]Zofia[/name]/[name]Tzofia[/name]. I’m not sure where I stand on [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ivy[/name]–part of me really loves it, while another part feels like it’s unusable to me, for various reasons.

What would you pair with [name]Josephine[/name]? I searched through every single girls’ name on the Nameberry database, and this is what I was left with, but I’m certainly open to ideas. :slight_smile:

17

after reading all the comments I want to suggest [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Eliora[/name] [name]Ruth[/name], [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Eliora[/name] [name]Kate[/name], or [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Eliora[/name] [name]Grace[/name]. I really like [name]Josephine[/name] and [name]Eliora[/name] togeather. Nothing on your list really stood out to me sound wise, but I really liked the meaning [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Tzofia[/name] has to you so that would be my favorite off your list I guess.

19

Edited for privacy.

20

[name]Love[/name] [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ivy[/name]!!! Beautiful, simple, classic! And I know it wasn’t on your list, but I do really like [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ruth[/name]!!! Very pretty!!!

21

O.K. Sorry!! [name]Just[/name] read your above post, that you do not care for [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Ruth[/name]… hmmm, well here are some I considered:
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Joy[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Violet[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Faith[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Lily[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Teresa[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name] [name]Marie[/name] (I know you are not a huge [name]Marie[/name] [name]Fan[/name], but I love it paired with [name]Josephine[/name])

What about [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Augusta[/name] :wink: I quite like the ring to that, but I will admit, I have a recent love of [name]Augusta[/name]!!
As for the sound of [name]Josephine[/name], I do get what Saracita is saying to a degree… while I do not think it is “Harsh” I do find it more… “Formal”…KWIM? I still love it though!!