I hated my name. Sophia Grace. Absolutely despised it. It’s not even that I thought my name was ugly, but when you grow up knowing approximately 5,000 other Sophias, the name does tend to get repetitive and a bit, well, basic. It all started on the first day of preschool, when I walked in with my cute Alice in Wonderland top from Target, blue jeans, pink converse, and a name tag with Sophia spelled out in green marker. As I walked around the room, I noticed that my reading skills were extremely advanced for a four-year-old. I could read all of the girl’s name tags!
After closer consideration, I realized that most of the girls’ name tags were familiar to me because they displayed the same six letters that I’d learned to write: SOPHIA. This was just the beginning of a lifetime of being just one of many Sophias in a single classroom. As a child, I was very independent and determined to be “different,” so the thought of being just another Sophia made me sick to my stomach everyday. It also infuriated my mom, who took pride in naming me and claims that she “didn’t know a single Sophia” when I was born.Â
I also hated the way my name sounded once you added my middle name. Sophia Grace. I hated how feminine and girly it sounded. Five-year-old me made it my life goal to be the exact opposite of that. The more tomboy and sporty, the better. I think both my mom and I reached our breaking point in 2011 when a young British girl went viral almost overnight and landed a spot on the Ellen show. The tea party loving princess in a frilly pink dress with ruffles and a tiara quickly became a household name. That name, of course, was none other than Sophia Grace.
After a long childhood of hating my name, my perception was finally changed by none other than the beloved indie/bedroom-pop music phenomenon of the late 2010s. I heard the song “Sofia” by Clairo for the first time. In an instant, a lifetime of hatred vanished and the name Sophia suddenly became one of the prettiest words ever. Clairo’s “Sofia” was a quintessential part of the middle school girl experience in 2019. The fact that one of the most popular songs of the year was named after me just filled me with pride. The lyric, “Sofia know that you and I, shouldn’t feel like a crime,” deeply resonated with me. Why should I feel like having the name Sophia is a crime, just because so many other girls have that name? Even if the name is basic, why should that be a bad thing? Wanting to be different from other girls was a mentality I’m sure we all grew up with, and I’m proud of our generation for dismantling this misogynistic, hateful way of thinking. Other girls are awesome. I love being like other girls, celebrating each other’s achievements, and sharing the same experiences throughout girlhood, and now, womanhood. I think it’s a blessing to be associated with some of the incredible women I’ve met that share my name.Â
My love for my name was finally confirmed when my mom told me the story on how she chose my name. When she was in high school, she read Victor Villasenor’s Rain of Gold, a story of two families that immigrate from Mexico to the United States and the many hardships they face. When she read it, she fell in love with Sophia, the hardworking eldest daughter of the family and vowed that one day, she would name her daughter that. Upon learning this, it made perfect sense that I’d be named after a book character. My love for reading and knowledge was almost like an inheritance from my mom when she named me. I love my name. Sophia Grace. Absolutely adore it.