DH and I are expecting our second in [name_u]November[/name_u]. We both love our choice for a boy name, but I keep wavering on our top girl name pick, [name_f]Thea[/name_f], and I can’t tell if I’m just overthinking it.
[name_f]My[/name_f] main worry is pronunciation issues. I think most people (in the US at least) pronounce it “Thee-uh”, which is the pronunciation we planned to use, but I know some say “Tay-uh” or “Tee-uh”. I also worry it will be easy to mishear, especially on the phone. Easy pronunciation and spelling are some of our main criteria when picking names for our kids. I didn’t notice these “issues” when we originally settled on the name [name_f]Thea[/name_f], which is why I’m unsure if I’m overthinking or not.
[name_f]My[/name_f] other wavering thought isn’t as big of a deal, but my DH and I really like “old-fashioned” names, and I’m not sure [name_f]Thea[/name_f] is quite as vintage as we’d like. Our daughter’s name is [name_f]Ada[/name_f], and we love her name! [name_f]Thea[/name_f] doesn’t seem quite as vintage as [name_f]Ada[/name_f] to me, and we’re not really interested in [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] or [name_f]Theodora[/name_f] as a full name (we also like short names because our last name is long).
I really loved [name_f]Thea[/name_f] when we settled on it, but since then I’ve offered a few other suggestions to my DH recently (Eliza, [name_f]Edith[/name_f], Nina), and he was meh on all of them. I haven’t really raised my concerns with him yet because I’ve been waiting to see if my concerns pass. We do also find out the gender in 2 weeks, so there’s a chance this won’t even be an issue if we’re having a boy.
What do you think Berries? Am I overthinking it or do you see the same possible “issues”?
[name_f]Ada[/name_f] & [name_f]Thea[/name_f] sound perfectly paired. They’re both vintage and trendy, imo
As for pronunciation, I know loads of Thea’s and I’ve never heard anyone pronounce it Tay-a by accident. The popularity of [name_u]Theo[/name_u] helps I think!
Overall I think [name_f]Thea[/name_f] is a perfect choice, and you don’t have anything to be too worried about
I think [name_f]Ada[/name_f] and [name_f]Thea[/name_f] are adorable together and definitely both have the vintage vibe. I know a [name_f]Thea[/name_f] (just Thea) and I’ve never heard her say that she has issues with her name as far as spelling/pronunciation. I think in the US, 99% of the time, people are going to default to the correct pronunciation. Like @hannahwren said, people know [name_u]Theo[/name_u] and names like [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f], [name_f]Theodora[/name_f], and [name_f]Theodosia[/name_f] are all gaining popularity as well.
I see the issue, I heard many people pronouncing it Tay-uh ,I agree that it’s very easy to mishear especially on the phone and I personally don’t think that it matches very well with [name_f]Ada[/name_f] , but if you really love it ,you should definitely go for it
[name_f]Thea[/name_f] is an aboslutely lovely name and I think the most popular pronunciation is the one you want. I’ve also met two Theas and no one had trouble with it
I think [name_f]Ada[/name_f] and [name_f]Thea[/name_f] are absolutely perfect together! I’d predict that almost everyone in the US would say [name_f]Thea[/name_f] the way you want- it’s like [name_u]Theo[/name_u].
I do think you’re overthinking it a little although I do understand that, I did exactly the same when naming my children.
I think [name_f]Ada[/name_f] and [name_f]Thea[/name_f] are absolutely perfect together. I adore both names and think they complement each other just beautifully. [name_f]Ada[/name_f] may feel slightly more vintage than [name_f]Thea[/name_f] but [name_f]Thea[/name_f] absolutely gives me vintage vibes as well.
Pronunciation-wise, I can’t imagine you’ll have many issues - I think most people in English-speaking countries pronounce it thee-uh.
Thank you, everyone! I so appreciate the feedback. I’m going to try not to worry about it for now at least. Seeing all the wonderful comments about [name_f]Thea[/name_f] definitely helps me remember how much I loved it when we settled on it
I think it’s a perfect match with Ada!! Almost more vintage imo.
I think since most names are a combination of sounds used in everyday life, they may be hard to hear at different times. [name_f]My[/name_f] real name (not Bea) has me running every time I hear a long A sound! I think this would actually be less of a problem with [name_f]Thea[/name_f] than you’d imagine, and if need be you or she can always spell it out.
There is a reason you loved this name from the start!!
