Similar Usage Stats: Sophia

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The main reason people are afraid to use popular names is because they don't want their child to be "one of many." Mom grew up as "Jennifer P." and would hate for her son or daughter to have to do the same. In actuality, popular names are getting used less. Last year, Sophia was only used for 1.1039% of baby girls. I thought we'd take a look at names with similar usage (percentage wise) to Sophia, so we can see how "popular" she really is. 

2005, Emma (2)

1995, Sarah (5)

1985, Megan (10)

1975, Stephanie (9)

1965, Donna (7)

1955, Sharon (15)

1945, Donna (17)

1935, Joyce (12)

1925, Elizabeth (10)

1915, Marie (11)

1905, Ethel (12)

1895, Bertha (11)

1885, Grace (14)

As you can see, starting in the 1980s, people started using top names less and less. During the 100 years before that, popularity of the top names were very high (Mary was used on almost seven percent of baby girls in 1885). Jennifer was given to four percent of girls at her peak, which means there were four times as many Jennifers born in 1974 than Sophias born in 2014. So don't worry. If you love a popular name, it's pretty safe to just go for it. 

Mamma Mia! The Names From the Movie

As you may or may not know, Mamma Mia! is my favorite movie. It's not because I share a name with the main character (though that's pretty cool), but instead because I love movie musicals. I thought I would analyze the characters and actors names today.

Sophia (Sophie)- A beautiful name of course, but WAY too overused.
Amanda- She is one of my favorite actresses, but her name is too plain. The "man" in there bothers me.
Donna- A good choice for a women that age, but it's personally not my style.
Meryl- I really like this name. It's not too feminine, but very stylish (Meryl Streep is my all time favorite actress).
Sam- Could they have picked more boring names for these men? Sam is so boring.
Pierce- Very interesting. I prefer Pierre, the French version, but I can see Pierce getting popular.
Harry- Again, a boring choice. I am surprised that this name isn't more popular today, considering our country's love for Harry Potter.
Colin: This name is okay. It reminds me of a colon.
Bill- I get why they used this form of William, but I prefer Will or especially Liam.
Stellan: This is a really cool name. I wouldn't use it, but it sounds like stellar, which is completly awesome!
Sky: Eww. I hate this name for a boy. I hate it for a girl too, but especially for a guy.
Dominic: This is an amazing name. It sounds cool and modern, but not flashy.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Look forward to more movie character name analyses!