[name_f]Do[/name_f] you think [name_f]Sappho[/name_f] is usable?
[name_f]Sappho[/name_f] was an ancient Greek lyric poet who lived in the 7th century BC. She was commonly considered to be one of the greatest lyric poets (for example, [name_m]Plato[/name_m] and [name_m]Horace[/name_m] praised her highly), which is an incredibly impressive achievement for a woman living at that time in history! Her poetry celebrates love of both sexes, but her name has now become synonymous with lesbianism (Lesbos was the island where she was from and “sapphic” has come to mean “lesbian”).
This doesn’t bother me in the slightest - in fact, I see her as a strong, pioneering woman and a great feminist namesake for a little girl. However, I was hoping to get some feedback on other people’s opinions on this. FYI [name_f]Sappho[/name_f] would be a middle name only, since we already have a [name_f]Juno[/name_f].
I think [name_f]Sappho[/name_f] is excellent middle name material ^^
I love the sound, and I’m really attracted to girls names ending in -o. (I see we have that in common :P)
I would be surprised to meet someone with the middle name [name_f]Sappho[/name_f], but I wouldn’t think it’s a poor choice, just a very bold one.
I [name_u]Love[/name_u] It! Its a wonderful name with such rich history. If you weren’t quite brave enough to use it, or the o ending was a little too much with [name_f]Juno[/name_f], you could always go for a longer name like [name_f]Sapphire[/name_f] or [name_f]Sapphira[/name_f] and shorten it as a nn.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] as a side note, adding an o to the end of seemingly normal names to make nicknames has become quite popular. I know a little boy [name_m]Joseph[/name_m] and his nn is Sepho. If you really want to use it, get creative!
Thanks for all the positive responses! I had a quick google for other threads like this elsewhere and all the responses seemed to be unanimously “[name_m]DON[/name_m]'T [name_f]DO[/name_f] IT!!”, hence the question. But I’m glad to see you all disagree
@dearest, yes, I have a huge weakness for girls’ names in -o!
I love [name_f]Sappho[/name_f], it’s pretty close to making it into my signature! If you didn’t have a [name_f]Juno[/name_f] I’d vouch for it as a FN. But as a pan/bi-romantic person, maybe I’m biased. Pun intended.
Using your signature names, I like…
[name_f]Paloma[/name_f] [name_f]Sappho[/name_f]
[name_f]Arabella[/name_f] [name_f]Sappho[/name_f]
[name_f]Eve[/name_f] [name_f]Sappho[/name_f]
[name_f]Helena[/name_f] [name_f]Sappho[/name_f]
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f] [name_f]Sappho[/name_f]
@amberdaydream [name_f]Helena[/name_f] [name_f]Sappho[/name_f] is the combo I’m currently considering!
I love [name_f]Helena[/name_f] (especially for nn [name_f]Nell[/name_f]) but am struggling with an interesting combo for it. [name_f]Madelief[/name_f] has been vetoed by DH and is a little too long and too close to [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] anyway, and my other favourite combos ([name_f]Helena[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] and [name_f]Helena[/name_f] [name_f]Violet[/name_f]) are lacking a bit of spark - my hypothetical [name_f]Nell[/name_f] would be a sister to [name_f]Juno[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] and [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] or [name_u]Rex[/name_u] [name_m]Bartholomew[/name_m], which I think are a bit more adventurous. WDYT: is [name_f]Helena[/name_f] [name_f]Sappho[/name_f] the one?
I love [name_f]Sappho[/name_f], it has a great sound and the fact that she was a famous female poet is very appealing. I personally wouldn’t use it because of the lesbian associations, but obviously if that’s not something that concerns you than there’s no reason you shouldn’t use it.
[name_f]Helena[/name_f] [name_f]Sappho[/name_f] is such a Classical (in the [name_m]Greco[/name_m]-[name_m]Roman[/name_m] sense!) name! I think it’s great - I’m a sucker for literary names (see: [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f], [name_f]Imogen[/name_f], [name_u]Dorian[/name_u], [name_u]Arden[/name_u], [name_m]Wystan[/name_m], [name_m]Audun[/name_m], [name_f]Clarissa[/name_f], [name_f]Sybil[/name_f], [name_f]Cecily[/name_f], [name_u]Walker[/name_u], [name_u]Emerson[/name_u], and [name_u]Jude[/name_u] in my sig!) but it’s out there enough that you’re wise to put it in the middle position. I think it’s key to pair it with a much more classic (in the non-[name_m]Greco[/name_m]-[name_m]Roman[/name_m] sense) name to ground it enough that it doesn’t float away! [name_f]Helena[/name_f] fits the bill to me and is super pretty.
I think [name_f]Sappho[/name_f] is a great name. It could definitely work as a middle for [name_f]Juno[/name_f]'s sister. Most people won’t know the history behind the name anyway and if the lesbian thing doesn’t bother you, I say go for it.
One of my favourite names is [name_f]Medea[/name_f]. Because of the whole killing her kids thing, I can understand why nobody uses it. [name_f]Sappho[/name_f] though, totally not the same thing!
@carysmarie fair enough, I realise it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. At least your objection is aesthetic rather than ideological.
Thanks everyone for your responses! I’m going to go with [name_f]Helena[/name_f] [name_f]Sappho[/name_f] - the more I think about it the more I love it
[name_f]Helena[/name_f] [name_f]Sappho[/name_f] is perfect! Awesome pick ^^
[name_f]Helena[/name_f] is just right with [name_f]Sappho[/name_f]. Recognisably ancient and still very familiar. She has the right kind of feel to pull off [name_f]Sappho[/name_f].
