[name_m]Hi[/name_m] everyone,
my husband and I had a hard time agreeing on a name for our now one-year-old daughter. We have VERY different tastes in names, to say the least. I love ancient Greek names, while he likes very down-to-earth, ‘normal’ (his words) names. It was a very difficult, frustrating process, but we finally agreed on [name_f]Sophie[/name_f]. I love the name (and it suits her), but as you guys know, it is very popular (along with [name_f]Sophia[/name_f]), which is why it was never on my list. But actually, I hadn’t come across that many girls named [name_f]Sophie[/name_f], so I thought ‘how bad can it be’. Well, it now seems to me that everyone is either named [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] or [name_f]Sophia[/name_f]. On the playground, I hesitate to say my sweet girl’s name out loud, because I think that people will just roll their eyes at yet another [name_f]Sophie[/name_f]. I contemplated using a nickname, but then again, I don’t like nicknames and would like to use my daughter’s full name. I always come back from the playground feeling depressed and like I failed my daughter. Please help!
I’m sure no one at the playground is judging you for having a child with a common name! [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] is popular for good reason, it’s a beautiful name. I hope this helps reassure you, it sounds like you’re feeling a lot of anxiety.
It’s perfectly all right to have a common name! [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] is very pretty and is popular for good reason; I’m sure no one’s looking down on your for it. If you love the name and it suits your daughter, there is nothing more to say. There is absolutely no need to feel guilty about giving your daughter a common name; all it means is that other parents saw the appeal!
If it’s a common name, then nobody is judging you for using it cause they love it! YOU DID NOT FAIL YOUR DAUGHTER!!! If you want, you can use her middle name or S and her middle intial.
Good luck and always remember you did not fail your daughter!
I’m sorry you feel this way!
If it helps, I have a very common name for my birth year and it never bothered me in the slightest sharing my name with others in the school.
My daughter has a very uncommon name (in the low #500s when she was born) and she shares her name with another girl in her very small preschool class of around 15-20 children.
Sophie is a lovely classic name that still feels fresh and beautiful, I’m sure she’ll be thankful that you put so much thought and effort into choosing a great name you both love, no matter where it falls on the charts.
Is there a middle name you’d rather use? If not, she’ll be fine. I had a few people with my name in every class and it was okay 
Honestly, I doubt most people aren’t thinking about it that way.
I, for one, absolutely adore [name_f]Sophie[/name_f]. It’s so sweet and spunky, and it perfectly bridges that gap between your style and your husband’s! [name_f]Sophia[/name_f]/Sophie became popular for a reason, you know. It just means you picked a great name that most everyone loves. If anything, most people are likely charmed to hear you call out [name_f]Sophie[/name_f]'s name at a playground!
And allow me to echo exactly what @katinka said because I 100% agree:
Hey there, I’m really sorry you’re feeling this way. For what it’s worth, I absolutely love your daughter’s name. It’s soft yet strong and smart; a little serious yet friendly, lively, and approachable; and it has a wonderful meaning. Overall, I see [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] as a lovely, distinguished name that deserves every bit of its popularity. As @almostactually said, it’s popular for very good reason! There’s always the option of using your daughter’s middle name or a nickname, if you’d feel more comfortable with that. But if you just need a little reassurance that [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] is the right name for your girl? As you said, it suits her. And it’s a great name–one I’m guessing she’ll glad to have when she’s old enough to think about these things! No guarantees, of course, but isn’t that true with every name? I hope you can find some peace in knowing that you carefully chose a name you loved for the baby you love, and that your choice is every bit as beautiful now as it was then 
It is a beautiful, classic name. I don’t think you should feel bad at all.
[name_f]My[/name_f] niece, [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], is currently 4 years old. I had a classmate in my graduate program for 2 whole years, named [name_f]Sophie[/name_f]. When I talked to her, I said [name_f]Sophie[/name_f], but when I was emailing or texting her, I wrote [name_f]Sophia[/name_f]… And it wasn’t an auto-correct thing, it was muscle-memory and I rarely caught myself before sending. I felt bad and would apologize. She said it happens all the time, which I can understand, so I eventually stopped apologizing…
I think both are beautiful names, but I would 100% regret giving my child a common name (not that this would happen, I’m a soon-to-be single mother by choice, so I don’t have to consult with anyone).
But, with that being said, I do NOT think that you failed your daughter, at all!! If it really bothers her, as she gets older, she is an individual and she can go by her middle name, or honestly any name she wants!
In my opinion, the most important thing to teach her is to be confident and thoughtful. If something (anything) bothers her, it’s ok to express that and it’s ok to change it.
The whole playground thing, I thought you were going to say that you were afraid to say her name because other kids would look up if they had the same name. No one’s judging you, I promise, but other kids or adults turning in response to the name is very likely 
are you in the US? I only ask because in a country with parents who are often bent on choosing a “unique” name for their child (I’m guilty!) you could see it as refreshing that you didn’t go out of your way to find something rare and instead went with a gorgeous classic both parents loved
Sophie/Sophia is a common name because it is so lovely. It is sweet and sophisticated at the same time! So I don’t know how you can think you’ve failed her by giving her such a lovely name. [name_u]Trust[/name_u] me, no one is judging you for giving her the name [name_f]Sophie[/name_f]. I’m wondering if you’re having feelings of regret because, as you stated, you prefer more unusual names and you regret letting DH grind you down (as it were) to more conventional names? I know how frustrating that can be and I went through a period of resenting DH for dismissing a name for being too unconventional.
I chose DS1 name because I thought not many little boys would have it. I checked in the national statistics of the year he was born and his name was higher up on the list than I had anticipated as it had become very popular that year (top 35), and there were a good handful of them born in our area. So now I’m worried he will be going to school with a load of boys with his name. But once contemplating it, it didn’t bother me that much. He love his name and it really suits it. And I still love it as much as the day we decided upon it!
If it makes you feel any better, all the 0-4 year olds I’ve come across at my kid’s baby clubs and nursery are all [name_f]Sophia[/name_f]’s as oppose to [name_f]Sophie[/name_f]’s. [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] seems more common in the older girls (my niece is a [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] and she is 8 and amazing!)
Just think, [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] suits her. She’ll be able to get keyrings with her name on. It’s sweet and stylish
I hope it may help you feel better to hear that I have a name that was in the top 10 in my birth year, and I wouldn’t change it and don’t wish my parents had chosen differently.
[name_f]Sophie[/name_f] is a beautiful name with such a positive meaning (wisdom!).
I hope the feedback you get here will help you feel more at ease with your choice.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply and for your warm, reassuring comments! I was feeling pretty down yesterday (after another run-in with two other [name_f]Sophie[/name_f]/a/s), but after reading through all of your comments, I feel so much better! As some of you have said, there is so much pressure to chose a unique name (not just in the US I think). Now that I have read through your comments, I’ve come to realize that part of what’s worrying me is what other people think of my/our name choice. It shouldn’t matter at all, but to some extent, I think an unusual name is also seen as a way to distinguish oneself form everybody else, not so much as the bearer of the name, but also as the parent. It seems that most people with common names don’t mind that much at all and I hope this will be the case for [name_f]Sophie[/name_f]. Thank you also to everyone who wrote what you like about the name [name_f]Sophie[/name_f], your comments made me smile and resonated so much with me, as I also feel it is a classy and happy name with a wonderful meaning. And thank you to the commenter who picked up on the fact that it is a nice middle ground between my husband’s and my taste. And yes, maybe I am a little resentful because I feel that my husband made the whole process so difficult by rejecting so many of my suggestions! But in the end, we found a wonderful name for our little girl and I hope she will like it as much as we do (but as one commenter said, you never know with any name). Thank you all so, so much!!
Why don’t you want a nn? [name_f]Saffa[/name_f] is a nn i love.
I agree… I don’t think anyone is judging you. Names are popular because a lot of people like them! Your daughters name is beautiful and im sure it suits her well. I didn’t think my sons name was common when we picked it, but it seems to be now. That doesn’t change anything for me, I still love his name & wouldn’t ever change it.
That’s amazing to hear! 
I think it’s extremely insightful and honest of you to recognise this. It absolutely is a big part of naming a child — not necessarily for everyone, but it’s certainly a strong (I would say increasingly strong) consideration for parents today.
But, as is so often the case, other people are generally less invested in these things than we think they are, so preoccupied are they with their own thoughts, plans and issues.
The best thing about a truly classic name like [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] is that it allows the bearer to distinguish herself from others based on her merits — her sense of humour, her intelligence, her bravery, her kindness, etc. — rather than having any pressure or expectations put upon her by a statement-making name.
Not maligning statement-making names in any way, but there’s an undeniable freedom in being given a name that is so versatile, that a girl can really make her own.
As a [name_f]Sophie[/name_f], I really love my name! It was relatively popular among my demographic the year I was born, so I met a bunch when I got to high school and college. I got a big kick out of it the first time I had to go by [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] K.
And even though I am someone who prefers uncommon names, I still wouldn’t change mine! I feel very connected to the name [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] and love it despite its popularity. I did give my parents some grief when I was in high school because my sister has the more unique name of the two of us, but I identify so strongly with [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] that I can’t imagine being anything else. I think your daughter will come to feel the same way (even if she criticizes you as a teenager! 
)
@sophiekihm I was tempted to tag you in this! 