Dear Swistle, Is Josie too close of a sibling name for Sophie? What about Zoey with Sophie? Too similar? I like names that end in the long-e sound (ie, y) but don’t want to end up with names that sound too similar.
They’re too close for my own personal taste—but it’s easy to think of tons of families I know who have used two names that are closer than I’d like, and it isn’t the sort of thing that is causing shock-waves throughout our community.
It’s not just matching endings but also a matching dominant vowel sound: both pairings of names include a matching OH-EE. Calling one of those names from a distance, I think you’re going to get both kids answering.
Sophie and Zoey are even closer than Sophie and Josie, because S and Z are very similar: S is the unvoiced version of the sound, and Z is the voiced one. So then it’s more like two and a half points of overlap: half a point for the first sound, then the OH, and then the EE—and with the same number of syllables in the same order. Well, and if you’re saying Josie JO-see instead of JO-zee, then that matches an S sound with Sophie, though in a different part of the name.
But lots of people LOVE similar sibling names and do it on purpose! There are people who have an Ella and an Emma! A Noah and an Owen! A James and a Jane! An Emily and an Amelia! So if you love the names, and you love them together, and you won’t be bothered by other people’s occasional confusion, then I don’t think there’s anything wrong with going ahead with it. They ARE different names, they just SOUND similar.
Twitter poll [closed; see results below]:
Twitter poll [closed; see results below]:
I know a sibling set that goes by the nicknames Sophie and Josie. It sounded normal when I first met them and it has only grown on me over time. To me it is much better then something like Larry and Garry since the endings are different–fee and see.
We have cousins named Josie, Sophie and the baby is Olive. I always thought they should have called her Livvy just to complete the set. Maybe after the first two that really would have been too close.
I’m not sure if I would pick it either but I don’t think it’s necessarily a deal breaker. There are also so many great girls names that end in an e sound without the “o” in the middle:
Amelie
Aubrey
Avery
Callie
Darcy
Edie
Elsie
Emmie/Emme
Ivy
Junie
Lily
Lucy
Maisie/Macy
Molly
Natalie
Rosalie
Tilley
I have nephews named Jake, Zach, and Luke – similar but not alike. It works well. If you’re worried about them being too close, could you keep the long e ending and just pick a different dominant sound?
Katie
Abby
Avery
Gracie
Riley
Lily
Ellie
Lucy
Ruby
Ivy
Evie (Ee-ee)
I think Josie is doable, but Zoey is suuuper close and I don’t l think I’d use it.
What about Daphne?
Or with Sophie, perhaps Winnie?
If you don’t mind them sharing a first initial, there’s Sylvie.
Josie and Zoey seem very, very close to Sophie.
Best wishes!
Zoey does seem especially close, but I don’t think either combination is terrible. I agree with swistle that maybe the long O plus long E is a little too similar, but there are plenty of other sweet names that end in EE. Molly, Maisie, Holly, Darcy, Lily…
It’s not my cup of tea either; I had that problem with 2 of my favorite boy names. Turns out one’s a family name on DH’s side and the rhyming one the name of that a-hole who assaulted DH, so it was “easy” to pick the first.
BUT, it can definitely be done and I’ve even heard that in some cultures its the preferred way to name sibs. like how all King Alfred the Great’s sibs’ names started very similarly. I think Josie is a bit more distinct than Zoey with Sophie, especially to my hearing impaired self. It’s what appeals to your ears, though, of course, not mine.
I have a cousin that named three of her girls super similar names. It was something we commented on privately and thought was kinda weird when they were born but, now that they are older, think nothing of it. I think any issues that arise from it (calling one and having both think you are talking to them/the other, etc) will become less of an issue as they get older.
I have always been a fan of the Donald Duck comics and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. And so, in my family, when my niece Ella was followed by my cousins Emma and Owen, I was sad we didn’t have an Enya to complete the alphabet run, even though it would make Emma and Ella sound even more alike.
I have no problem with Sophie and Josie, but I agree Zoe is Too Close.
Honestly, I think both are fine. It’s not like they rhyme or exact same ending (Isabelle and Annabelle or Ashley and Ainsley).
Also, I say Jo-see vs Jo-Zee so maybe that’s why I don’t think it’s all that similar to Zoey.
I think Josie works better than Zoey with Sophie, but neither combination would bother me at all. My one-syllable given name differs from that of my brother (seventeen months younger) by single vowel sound. It was never an issue, except when someone would occasionally ask if my parents did it on purpose. (No, they chose a name they liked for me and then named my brother after a relative who died shortly before his birth.) When my sister arrived several years later, these questions stopped, although her name was also one syllable and pretty similar in style and sound.
I have two kids out of four with names that are incredibly close. I didn’t plan it that way but we ended up with nicknames that are similar. (Like if you had named the kids Jameson and Josephine and they ended up calling themselves Jamie and Joey). Overall it isn’t a huge issue that keeps me up at night but I might not do it again.
I underestimated how many people just wouldn’t bother to learn their names (I can never tell them apart! Oh, I can never remember who is who!!), which they don’t do to my other two kids who are arguably more alike in looks. Also, I just am always saying the wrong name! I correct myself or get muddled or stop in the middle of sentences with a blank. I do this with all of my kids – sometimes I call my son my husband’s name or my brother’s name or whatever but I particularly do it to these two. My mother did the same thing to her children and our names re nothing alike so it may be unrelated but I’m not sure… My kids aren’t offended and find it hilarious. They like their names and couldn’t care less how alike/unalike they are to their siblings.
Do you like Evie, Gracie or Chloe?
Mom would start with her sisters before she got to us, lol. Debbie! Nita! Rebecca! Elisabeth! Mike! Whoever you are!
Sophie and Edie
Sophie and Aubrey
Carly
Darcy
Ellery
Hadley
Ruby
Sydney
I have a friend with boys called Owen and Noah and I trip over them CONSTANTLY when I see them. But she doesn’t see a similarity and is happy with them (and doesn’t trip them up) so I guess it’s totally subjective?