Is Phoebe too F.R.I.E.N.Dly?

Girl Names
1

I really like the name [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f], however, my family loves the 90s sitcom perhaps a little too much for me to ever truly escape the association.

If it must play out like this I’ll need some help seeking out alternatives :upside_down_face:.

What I love: mythology, literary ties, meaning, stable popularity (not too common) and elegance.

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2

I don’t associate it with the show at all! I’ve never really watched it, though, so maybe that’s part of it.

[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] is one of my favorite names :slight_smile:

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I know there is a [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] on FRIEND’s but that is not what first comes to mind for me. If it’s trually unusable, how about [name_f]Lucille[/name_f], [name_f]Elaine[/name_f], Helen(a), [name_f]Roxana[/name_f], [name_f]Aurora[/name_f], or [name_f]Dawn[/name_f] which all mean “light” as well?

4

I’ve known lots of Phoebes so I don’t think it’s too tied to Friends. [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] is sweet!!

Some [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] alternatives…

[name_f]Imogen[/name_f]
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u]
[name_f]Freya[/name_f]
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosalie[/name_f]
[name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_f]Mina[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucy[/name_f]
[name_f]Esme[/name_f]
[name_f]Pearl[/name_f]
[name_u]Darcy[/name_u]
[name_f]Thea[/name_f]
[name_f]Juno[/name_f]
[name_f]Josephine[/name_f]

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5

[name_f]My[/name_f] name is [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] and I rarely get people making Friends references when they hear my name for the first time. It is normally along the lines of: ‘Oh, like [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] from Friends?’, so it’s not really an issue.

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6

I was literally thinking about another post that asked this a while ago like 10 minutes ago!

I’ve seen friends probably over 10 times in whole & I still don’t associate [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] with Friends at all. I think it’s because [name_u]Lisa[/name_u] Kudrow is so not a [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] to me.

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7

i mean when i hear Phoebe, i think of friends but that’s only because i love the show haha

and i mean it’s not a bad association though so i don’t think that should be a deal breaker.

8

I am a big fan of Friends, but I don’t really associate it with [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] from Friends. I’ve known a couple of Phoebe’s growing up, and I know that they don’t get a lot of Friends associations so it should be fine!

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9

[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] is a fairly mainstream name imo, and people are about as likely now to associate the name with [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] Bridgers as they are [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] from friends. The reaction I generally see to this name from people is very positive.

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10

Its super tied to Friends for me. I haven’t even watched much of the show. Of course I don’t know any real life Phoebes either.

12

Phoebe is such an ancient, classic name that is so much more than her Friends character, I think!

13

To most people, probably not, but if it runs in your family it could become a problem lol.

You might also like [name_f]Jocelyn[/name_f] or [name_f]Thea[/name_f]?

14

It never crosses my mind as a first association, but then again I’ve never seen a full episode and am not a massive fan of the series.

Some other suggestions:

[name_f]Ariadne[/name_f]
[name_f]Astrid[/name_f]
[name_f]Bronte[/name_f]
[name_f]Cassandra[/name_f]
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f]
[name_f]Eluned[/name_f]
[name_f]Evadne[/name_f]
[name_f]Fia[/name_f] / [name_f]Fiadh[/name_f]
[name_f]Flora[/name_f]
[name_f]Guinevere[/name_f]
[name_f]Heidi[/name_f]
[name_f]Iris[/name_f]
[name_f]Isolde[/name_f]
[name_f]Juno[/name_f] / [name_f]Junia[/name_f]
[name_f]Kerensa[/name_f]
[name_f]Laura[/name_f] (as in Petrarca’s muse)
[name_f]Maeve[/name_f]
[name_f]Muse[/name_f]
[name_f]Niamh[/name_f]
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]
[name_u]Pax[/name_u] (goddess of peace)
[name_f]Penelope[/name_f]
[name_f]Persephone[/name_f]
[name_f]Rhiannon[/name_f]
[name_f]Saga[/name_f]
[name_f]Stella[/name_f]
[name_f]Thalia[/name_f]
[name_f]Uma[/name_f]
[name_f]Vera[/name_f]
[name_f]Zenobia[/name_f]

15

Phoebe is definitely not too FRIENDS to me, it’s a lovely name! But if your family are huge fans then I guess you can expect some comments about it.

Thisbe fits! But it might be a little too uncommon for you? Flora, Thea or Iris would also be lovely options with many of the same positive attributes as Phoebe.

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16

I think it’s definitely usable. I know one! But I can see not wanting to doom your child to a life of family Friends-jokes :slight_smile:

So…following the 2-syllable ends with “e” Greek vibe:
[name_u]Zoe[/name_u]
[name_f]Chloe[/name_f]
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f]
[name_f]Xanthe[/name_f]

Departing from that formula, but woth kind of the same vibe:
Clio/Cleo
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u]
[name_f]Aoife[/name_f]
[name_f]Evie[/name_f]
[name_f]Ivy[/name_f]
Niamh/Neve
[name_f]Fiona[/name_f]
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Bia[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]

[name_f]Hope[/name_f] you like some of those suggestions!

17

I am a big fan of Friends, I’ve seen every episode multiple times. But I still don’t associate [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] with Friends.

It has had good steady usage and I know of real life Phoebes which probably helps. I like it! The Friends character is great imo so it’s not a bad association if someone were to think of it when coming across your [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f].

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  1. I would not share name choice with family beforehand as they may unwittingly and unecessarily talk you out of it due to their own associations.
  2. What they or you may not realize is that while that may be their current association with the name, once they meet YOUR [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] that will all fall away soon enough. [name_u]Trust[/name_u] me, my child is named after a famous person, and its not even what first comes to mind anymore, she’s her own person.
  3. Follow your heart, follow your dream, follow your gut, don’t worry about what anyone else has to say except the father (as its just as much his baby too obviously).

[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] is a darling name. Congrats