I am American with a British husband and we just named our new uk-born baby daughter [name]Portia[/name].
We know it’s rare, but assumed it was recognised enough to work on both sides of the pond as we are both entirely familiar with it. We like the elegance of it and the [name]Shakespeare[/name] reference (my husband was totally wowed by [name]Portia[/name] in the merchant of [name]Venice[/name] when he read it in school!).
I have been surprised at the number of people who have asked how to spell it, which spooked me at first like they’d never heard of it! Also we have had a couple of jokey porsche car comments (one from a ten year old to be fair).
Those of you who like the name, would you find the apparent rarity of the name a positive, or a frustration due to the need for some explanation to some people?
I think more people would be familiar with it than not, especially with the occasional celebrity like [name]Portia[/name] de [name]Rossi[/name] keeping it relevant in the public consciousness. Sure it might be a little troublesome to explain the rich history of the name to people who first think of the car, but unlike, say, [name]Mercedes[/name] or [name]Bentley[/name], [name]Portia[/name] is a different word than [name]Porsche[/name], which should help; if you love it, it’s worth it.
I do love the name. I find the meaning cute, not negative, and [name]Portia[/name] from The Merchant of [name]Venice[/name] is one of my favorite [name]Shakespeare[/name] heroines (although almost all the characters in the play are a bit problematic if you delve much into it) - intelligent, witty, resourceful, and proactive.
I can understand people asking for the spelling of it … After all, some people do name their daughters [name]Porsche[/name] spelled like the car.
That said, I had the same reaction to [name]Portia[/name] as your husband when I first read Merchant of [name]Venice[/name]. It is a great name that I am sure will serve your daughter well.
I really like the name [name]Portia[/name]! It sounds elegant and I love the [name]Shakespeare[/name] reference. I have a rare name that it seems should still be familiar to people but many have not heard of it or do not know how to spell it. This has never bothered me though and any confusion that occurs usually leads to a nice conversation about the meaning behind the name. I think your daughter will love her name!
I think [name]Portia[/name] is gorgeous! It’s so elegant, and I’m a sucker for any kind of [name]Shakespeare[/name] name. It’s unfortunate that people will inevitably bring up the car, but hey, it’s a good excuse to introduce people to your daughter’s awesome literary namesake.
Pretty sure everyone has heard of it but nowadays with kids named Emmersyn and M’Kynnzee you can’t assume. I always ask the spelling and I breathe a sigh of relief when it’s the correct one. I’d be thrilled to meet a [name]Portia[/name] instead of a [name]Porsche[/name]
I love it! I actually added it to my list a few days ago. I think it’s very recognizable (especially because of [name]Portia[/name] de [name]Rossi[/name]) but I’ve never known a [name]Portia[/name], so it’s the perfect amount of unique. I can understand the spelling questions simply because some people do spell it [name]Porsche[/name] like the car, like someone above me said. But I would think it’s worth it. You gave your daughter a really classy, respectable name, and now people will be even more familiar with it because of you.
I think it’s a familiar name. It has American pop culture references ala [name]Portia[/name] [name]Di[/name] [name]Rossi[/name] ([name]Ellen[/name]'s girlfriend) and the young daughter of one of the Real Housewife reality stars.
I think that I would ask for spelling clarification, not cause it’s unfamiliar but because who knows if the name was chosen for the car or the [name]Shakespeare[/name] reference? With the popularity of [name]Bentley[/name], the Porcshe spelling (or any unique spelling) wouldn’t surprise me at all.