See the results of this poll: Is Sophia too popular to be used?
Respondents: 64 (This poll is closed)
- It’s lovely, but just too popular. : 30 (47%)
- Popularity doesn’t matter, it’s beautiful! : 29 (45%)
- I just don’t like it.: 5 (8%)
If you truly love a name, popularity should not be an issue.
I voted “It’s lovely, but it’s just too popular” based on my experiences growing up with a fairly popular name. (I find the popularity only occasionally annoying now, and I think many others who disliked their popular name growing up probably end up feeling the same way by their mid-20s.) However, if [name]Sophia[/name] is your absolute favorite name in the world (or close), I don’t think popularity matters quite as much. I’d go with a more unusual middle though; that way she has the option to go by something less popular if she likes.
You could always check the popularity for your state to see how it compares to national popularity. I’ll be honest though, I’ve never really liked that method because it means nothing if you ever have to move. I think you should use it if you’re absolutely in love with it and go with a more offbeat middle.
I don’t like the name much itself, so the popularity of it is just extremely annoying to me now.
I’ve also noticed that names lose it’s specialty when they’re used often, which is now starting to make me few names differently.
However, I stand by “If you love the name, popularity shouldn’t deter you from it. Use it!”.
So I say you should use it. You’ve loved it for ever, and it’s a nice enough name. Go for it.
I love [name]Sophia[/name]! I wish it was not number 1 but I would definitely still use it!
[name]Lovely[/name], just too popular
For me personally, it’s too popular. But I also don’t love the name. It’s nice, I just love other names a lot more. There is a reason it’s popular - it’s a beautiful name! I’d rather give my daughter a popular but classic name over a somewhat less popular but trendy/made up name any day 
I [name]ADORE[/name] [name]Sofia[/name], but like you - the popularity is throwing me off. Popularity outside the top 20 or so doesn;t really bother me, but I don;t think i coud do a top 10 name, muchless THE name from last year.
[name]Sophia[/name] is pretty, but it is waaay to popular for my taste.
I think names lose most of their appeal when they are popular. For example: I know at least ten [name]Julias[/name] (one of the top names of my generation in my country). Not once have a thought “what a pretty name”. I just think “of course your name is [name]Julia[/name], what else would it be”. [name]Even[/name] pretty names become just “a name” when too popular. These are the names you don’t even think about when hearing them. “Okay, [name]Julia[/name]” that’s what people think not “Oh, [name]Julia[/name], what a pretty name!”.
But if that doesn’t bother you, go for it, it’s a nice name.
We changed our… okay I changed our first born’s name from [name]Sophia[/name] due to popularity. I sent you a PM!
I really love [name]Sophia[/name]!
My answer is complicated, though, lol. As much as I adore it (and it has gone on and off my list for years), I think I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s just too popular for me. If popularity’s not going to bother you, I think you really have to love it. Popularity doesn’t bother me in the slightest, and if I really love a name (like [name]Isabelle[/name] or [name]Olivia[/name]!), I would totally use it. I love [name]Isabelle[/name] and [name]Olivia[/name] despite their popularity. But when I love [name]Sophia[/name], lovely as it is, its popularity just detracts from it for me. I don’t love it enough to love it despite hearing [name]Sophia[/name] everywhere I go and having to hear my child share the name with so many people. The popularity puts me off of it. For [name]Isabelle[/name] and [name]Olivia[/name], though? It could be the number 1 name and I’m fairly sure I’d use it anyway. I would be gutted, but I’d still use them, because I adore them. So I guess it depends on where you stand on [name]Sophia[/name]. [name]Do[/name] you love it enough to use it, even though it’s number one? I don’t, but it is undeniably gorgeous and timeless and stunning, and your daughter would be so lucky to have it as a name. If you love it enough, I say absolutely use it, it’s a great name.
If statistics worry you, though (although I’m sure statistics vary for [name]Canada[/name]–do you have statistics for your area yet?), I can give you the breakdown… There were 21,695 Sophias born in the US last year, which averages out to about 434 per state. Most states have around 67 counties in it (believe me, haha, I’ve done the statistics for quite a few people, it’s usually around 67 counties), which averages out to about 6.5 Sophias per county. And then there’s generally about 19-20 public school districts (this excludes Catholic schools, other [name]Christian[/name], but non-Catholic, schools, and private-but-nonreligious schools–not to mention home schooled kids and kids in charter schools) per county, so that averages out to about 1 [name]Sophia[/name] per every three school districts for the year of 2011. Of course, there will be Sophias in other grades and such, but that’s the general layout. I did it for my state (PA), and it averages out to 13 Sophias per county, so there’ll be 1 [name]Sophia[/name] in a little more than half the school districts in my county, but the average is that even with all the Sophias, it’s not very likely that there will be more than one [name]Sophia[/name] in each class, much less 3 or 7 or 15, like a lot of Berries like to complain about. I don’t know if the ratio is different in [name]Canada[/name]–it’s something you’d have to check out on your own.
Good luck!
Go for [name]Sophia[/name] is you really love it:) I have a really popular name for my age, and I haven’t really seen it as an issue.
[QUOTE=ashthedreamer;1489572] If popularity’s not going to bother you, I think you really have to love it. Popularity doesn’t bother me in the slightest, and if I really love a name …So I guess it depends on where you stand on [name]Sophia[/name]. [name]Do[/name] you love it enough to use it, even though it’s number one? QUOTE]
What [name]Ash[/name] says!
Basically ask yourself this: [name]How[/name] do you feel if you imagine the name [name]Sophia[/name] is not an option? [name]Do[/name] you feel really upset? Disappointed? Could other names measure up? Make up a list of other names you like. If you imagine a daughter called [name]Sophia[/name] how do you feel? Now imagine a daughter with another name you like. Now imagine you are taking her to mother and baby group and 2 other babies are called [name]Sophia[/name]- how do you feel? Now pretend her name is one of your other names. [name]Imagine[/name] she starts school and there is another [name]Sophia[/name] in her class and she has to go by [name]Sophia[/name] LN Initial, how do you feel about that scenario? What about your other name/s? This will guide you as to whether the popularity is too great and spoils the name or whether it just makes your heart sing anyway.
[name]Brooke[/name] is not a super common name, yet there are 2 in her grade at school. The name DH wanted was [name]Sarah[/name]- which was #1 in our city the year [name]Brooke[/name] was born- I refused to use it due to the popularity. Guess what? [name]Brooke[/name] has never met a [name]Sarah[/name] her age, ever!