If You Like Sophia, Then You'll Love...

Sophia Loren

When I love a name that's sometimes just a little too popular for me I always wrack my mind trying to come with something similar, whether it be in style, sound, meaning, etc. So I decided to make a few posts detailing what I would choose if I wanted an alternative to one of these popular names! Enjoy, and tell me what you think of my choices.

Now, when I think of Sophia I think feminine, classic, and elegant, and I believe these names deliver that same feeling.


Carina - This lovely Latin name is one I've been really liking lately. It has all the sounds that should make it popular, yet it hasn't graced the US name charts since 2010. Coming from the Latin cara, which means "dear" or "beloved", Carina is also the name of a 4th Century Saint and Martyr, giving it Catholic appeal. When talking about the star Carina, which was originally apart of the constellation Argo Navis, the ship of Jason from Greek Mythology, it comes from a different Latin source, one that means "keel".

Amaia - Amaia, the Basque form of the Spanish Amaya, means "the end", and was used as far back as the 1870s, when it was used by author Francisco Navarro-Villoslada. Other theories about its meaning abound, with one theorizing it comes from the village of Amaya. The village gets its name from the Indo-European am or ma, meaning "mother". It has only appeared on the US charts one year, 2018, when it was ranked #767, making it a beautiful but unusual choice.

Simone - Sleek and sexy Simone is simply the feminine form of Simon, used in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Portugal, giving it that coveted Pan-European flair. Simon comes from the Hebrew name Shi'mon, meaning "He has heard", and is the name of several important Biblical figures, including the man who carried the cross for Jesus and the Apostle Simon, who was given the name Peter by Jesus. It brings to mind the lovely Simone Signoret, and taps into any old Hollywood glamour that drew people to Sophia, and currently sits at #732.

Flora - Youthful Flora is blooming in the UK and France, but last appeared in the US in 1972. Flora is derived from the Latin flos, meaning, you guessed it, "flower". In Roman mythology she is a fertility Goddess of flowers and Spring and is married to Favonious, also known as the wind God Zephyr, and is a companion to Hercules. There are statues of her in Rome, Valencia, and even Szczecin in Poland, and she has always been a popular subject among artists, most notably in the painting "Primavera" by Botticelli.

Bianca - This Italian cognate of Blanche, meaning "white", was used by Shakespeare twice, once in "The Taming of the Shrew", and the other in "Othello". It's been used since at least the 13th-century in Italy, gracing many an aristocrat, from Bianca Lancia, mistress to Frederick II, to the Holy Roman Empress Bianca Maria Sforza. More recently it's been featured in two soap operas, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and as a vampire in Anne Rice's "Vampire Chronicles". In 2018 it sat comfortably at #403.