'We found perfect baby name but what our friends did left us torn'

'We found perfect baby name but what our friends did left us torn' After their friends named their newborn baby something very similar to their own favoured choice, an expectant couple are now 'torn' over their decision and need advice A man has sought advice on whether he and his wife are "overthinking" the name of their unborn baby - despite being convinced their final decision had been made. He took to Reddit to explain the parents-to-be had settled on Sophie - only to later find themselves "really torn" over the idea. "My wife and I found out we were having a little girl early in the pregnancy and, almost straight away, we fell in love with the name Sophie," he elaborated in a post. "[But] recently, some close friends had a baby girl and named her Sophia. Now I'm really torn." Although his wife "doesn't think it is an issue" due to the difference in pronunciations of Sophie and Sophia, the man admitted he is conflicted. "I can't shake the feeling that people might think we've copied them, even though we'd chosen Sophie months before their daughter was born," he continued. A Dilemma Over Popular Baby Names He then issued an appeal for advice in the Baby Names subreddit: "If you were in our shoes, would you still use Sophie? And if you were the parents of Sophia, would you think it was strange or feel like we'd copied you? "I'm genuinely after honest opinions because I think I might be overthinking it. Cheers!" Supporting the man, one Reddit user professed: "If it were a less common name I would have hesitation but anyone naming their baby Sophie/Sophia has to be okay with others using it." A second person added: "Every third female child under the age of five that I know is named Sophia or Sophie, honestly nobody has a claim to that name. It’s like saying you couldn’t name your girl Mary 50 years ago just because her cousin is named Maria. It’s fine, nobody will think twice about it." And a third concurred: "It’s a popular name. If Sophia's parents wanted something unique they should not have used a popular name. I would just use it and don’t care what they think. If they have a problem with it, they can talk with you and then they will have to live with the information that you decided on the name before." However, opposing the idea, another confessed: "Personally I would avoid the name just because it is so popular and having a friend name their baby that would be the nail in the coffin for me. Just to give a different opinion." Managing Friendship Dynamics and Baby Names Someone shared their thoughts: "I’m a chicken so I personally wouldn’t do it but if it matters that much to you, at least mention it to the people? It could be awkward if you’re close enough to these people and you end up spending lots of time together or birthdays/holidays together." And a third said: "I personally wouldn’t want my kid to have a name that similar to someone else that I see regularly unless there was a different reason for the name (example: if Sophie is a family name that you planned on using). "I don't know if a close friend of mine named their kid basically my kid’s name, I think I’d feel weird about it at first unless they said 'we’re naming her for xyz deceased family member' or something, but that could just be me." What would you do in this situation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!