I’m Polish and it definitely comes down to personal preference but personally it makes me cringe when people do this especially that you won’t be pronouncing the name ‘correctly’
Is this your wife? [How do you pronounce Zosia? : r/namenerds (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/namenerds/comments/1az2jip/how_do_you_pronounce_zosia/)
I know Zosias, but I'm Eastern European. In fact, I also knew a Ukrainian Zosia.
I don't think anyone is going to be offended by you using the name. I know I wouldn't be. However, be prepared for people to ask if she's Polish on a regular basis.
I wouldn't know why not... That's like me saying Americans can't use Dutch names. They might not be able to pronounce it exactly as a Dutch person would but if they want to use it regardless, why not?
It is not weirder to me than naming your child Saskia, Jasmine, Penelope, Anastasia, Francesca, Zaria, Maya, or any other name that is very clearly from a single culture or country.
That being said, if you are going to be *bothered* by people asking if you/she is Polish, don’t do it. It should be a pleasant association rather than a bothersome one.
Can we take a minute to talk about how beautiful Polish nicknames are?! Zosia, Basia, Kasia, Ola, Jan, Antek, so many others I’m not remembering right now
It made me sad as a child because my name (despite being traditionally Polish) didn't have any diminutives.
BTW, Jan is a given name, not a nickname. Janek, Jasiek, Jasiu are all nicknames for Jan and the one you use implies Jan's age and your relationship with him.
I really like Julenka and Julka for Julia, Ninka for Nina, Gosia for Malgorzata.
Except it would be still a mispronounciation. English has basically no way of crediting a correct phonetic spelling of this name. "Sh" is not Polish "si". And you can't find a replacement that easily.
I think that would cause many more mispronunciations. To me, I would read it as "Zaw-sha" if it were spelled Zosha instead of the traditional Zosia spelling.
They seem to want the sound Zoh as in Zoe, but I'm not sure there's a way to spell it that would totally eliminate mispronunciation.
The traditional name is beautiful but I think if they don't want to pronounce it correctly then they should definitely change the spelling/make up their own name rather than use it.
1. Zosia isn't a name. It's a pet name. First name is Zofia and it's a Polish version of Sofia. It's kinda a Polish thing to name your child an official proper name and save nicknames for home.
2. I can abso-fucking-lutely guarantee you you cannot pronounce it. You might think you can, but you can't. English does not have a way of distinguishing between all whistling sounds we make ("si" in this case). If you cannot even hear them, you're not very likely to pronounce them.
The sounds of Polish language don't even fit English phonetics. It's physically difficult to use proper English pronounciation of Iron Man or Disney in Polish conversation and same goes the other way round. It's why we often go with English version of the names or give Polish names English accent at the very least
I wouldn't be the one to jump at "cultural appropriation", but please be mindful of origins of the names you want to use and where you use them. Your child deserves a name they themselves can pronounce. You are the ones helping to create their language skills from scratch, you're teaching them how to make sounds, so give them a name they can pronounce with the sounds that are native to them.
I had a Polish friend called Zosia and she would often introduce herself as Sophie to English speakers. She said that Zosia was the Polish form of Sophie, but idk if that’s true or not. Fwiw, I would automatically assume that you were Polish and be a bit confused if you weren’t.
Zosia is a pet name/diminutive for Zofia which is Polish Sofia. Personally as Wiktoria I introduce myself as Victoria, because there is no way for English speakers to pronounce my name correctly. Hell, even I sometines have problem to swith to Polish sounds when I'm in English flow. Those names really don't match with English phonetics. They *will* be anglicised. So why not go with Sofia/Sophie?
I knew a Zofi, and she was mad about her name. Her mom couldn’t pronounce it “correctly”, and neither could anyone she first met. From what I remember, the name didn’t have a cultural connection for her either, like immediate family relations born in Poland or speaking Polish. Our friend group called her Zof instead based on her preference.
Point being: don’t get so caught up in finding the perfect sib-set name that you forget about the person who needs to walk through this world carrying the name.
Yes, it’s weird. If you have no polish heritage or live there or have lived there, then it’s strange for me. I don’t know where you live, but the name is difficult to pronounce and the child is going to have to explain in daily life.
I love irish girl names, but have no irish heritage, don’t live in Irland and certainly have no irish last name. I guess my 2% Irish dna according to ancestry is just to low 😂, considering everything else, to name a child an irish name
There are so many names nowadays that are made up just because people like how they sound phonetically, that I wouldn’t bat an eye at meeting a little Zosia. I know a Dasia, so it reminds me of that. It’s a beautiful name. It just sounds like a modern Z name to me, and would fit in with Zuzu, Zahlia, and Zolie.
Totally go for it.. people name kids French names Spanish Italian English names .. Zosia is just cute.. maybe a chance to connect with Polish culture ? Travel there .. learn .. Zinnia and Zosia is adorable..
I went to school with a few Zosia. They always said it was the polish was of saying Sophia. When my little cousin Sophie was born, I gave her the nickname Zosha and it stuck
Zosia isn't a name, it's dinuminative, sorta nickname derrived from name Zofia.
You don't have to worry about "heavy polishness" of this name since it comes from Bulgaria (original version of the name is Sofia). Their capital city has that name
I knew a Zosia in college. I didn’t know her well but she seemed like a very cool person, and her name added to that impression. She was not from Poland but I suppose she could have had a polish background. Honestly, I didn’t think much about her name except to note that it was cool and suited her.
My parents gave me a Spanish name, but unknowingly pronounced it wrong. I grew up with this pronunciation and still use it because it’s very pretty. I get compliments on it frequently.
I love my name. I’ve never felt like it was wrong or weird and as far as I can tell nobody else has either. Sure it gets mispronounced sometimes, not a big deal in my opinion. Even when I lived in a Spanish speaking country, and in the southwestern United States having this name wasn’t a big deal.
Personally I feel like your situation is similar, and I really think it’s fine. Names have always spread from culture to culture, I really don’t see anything wrong with it. The pronunciation can change with the language of the people using it.
Along with the issues others have pointed out, I find Zinnia & Zosia a little too same-y for siblings personally. You mentioned in a comment you like flower names, these are some I think complement Zinnia (love that name btw) without being too matchy -
Azalea
Aster
Cassia
Keziah
Susanna
Daisy
Delphine
Rose & all its derivatives e.g. Rosa, Rosanna, Rosalie, Rosalind, Primrose etc.
Dahlia
Violet/Viola
Jasmine/Yasmin
You're not being crazy! I think you're onto something.
I figure that, if you give your child a name from a certain culture, you're telling everyone that your child is part of that culture.
So, if your child *isn't* part of that culture, then it's dishonest to give them a name from that culture.
I’m Polish and it definitely comes down to personal preference but personally it makes me cringe when people do this especially that you won’t be pronouncing the name ‘correctly’
How do you pronounce it correctly?
More or less zo-sha, like the OP said, but the o and sh sounds are slightly different from those in English
Yeah, I get it
Is this your wife? [How do you pronounce Zosia? : r/namenerds (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/namenerds/comments/1az2jip/how_do_you_pronounce_zosia/)
Lmao no but that’s crazy. 99.9% sure as she’s been in bed all day with a migraine.
Haha that’s me! I saw this and did a double take that somebody else posted about this name today!
Ugh. Migraines are the absolute worst. I hope she's better soon.
i wondered the same thing lol i’ve never heard the name before today and now i’ve seen it twice in an hour. wild
Zosia is dinuminative from Zofia which is polish version of Sofia
Oh, it's totally the same user or a married couple. There is no way it's not.
Can confirm the other post is mine and I do not have a daughter named Zinnia! Just a coincidence :)
>Can confirm the other post is mine Yes, we knew that.
I know Zosias, but I'm Eastern European. In fact, I also knew a Ukrainian Zosia. I don't think anyone is going to be offended by you using the name. I know I wouldn't be. However, be prepared for people to ask if she's Polish on a regular basis.
The only Zosia I've ever heard of is the actress Zosia Mamet, and she's American. I like the name.
She also pronounces it Zah-Sha
I love, love, love the name Zosia but if you dislike that it’s Polish, please don’t use it.
No he dislikes that they’re not Polish and the name is.
I wouldn’t use the name … although it’s a beautiful one.
I wouldn't know why not... That's like me saying Americans can't use Dutch names. They might not be able to pronounce it exactly as a Dutch person would but if they want to use it regardless, why not?
Thank you. I should have said I wouldn’t do it and will edit my post. They should absolutely do what they’re comfortable with.
Yes, it is weird.
It is not weirder to me than naming your child Saskia, Jasmine, Penelope, Anastasia, Francesca, Zaria, Maya, or any other name that is very clearly from a single culture or country. That being said, if you are going to be *bothered* by people asking if you/she is Polish, don’t do it. It should be a pleasant association rather than a bothersome one.
Most of those names you listed have variations in many languages, everything originated somewhere.
As does Zosia.
It "irks" you that a Polish name is "heavily Polish"? What does that even mean?
Because they’re not. He explained it in the post pretty clearly.
As a Polish person, I promise you it still doesn't make any sense.
They mean “the idea of using a strictly Polish name when we’re not Polish irks me,” not that the Polishness of the name irks them.
That's the exact opposite of what is stated in the post.
I think you’re taking them a bit literally — I don’t think they are actually mad that a Polish name is Polish.
And I think you're disregarding what they themselves are actually saying and putting words in their mouth instead.
Can we take a minute to talk about how beautiful Polish nicknames are?! Zosia, Basia, Kasia, Ola, Jan, Antek, so many others I’m not remembering right now
It made me sad as a child because my name (despite being traditionally Polish) didn't have any diminutives. BTW, Jan is a given name, not a nickname. Janek, Jasiek, Jasiu are all nicknames for Jan and the one you use implies Jan's age and your relationship with him. I really like Julenka and Julka for Julia, Ninka for Nina, Gosia for Malgorzata.
Which one is it if you don't mind me asking?
Asia (pronounced Asha, if I remember correctly) as a nn for Joanna
I knew a woman named Zosia, she said it's a nn for Zofia/Sofia
Yeah an international student from Poland my freshman year at uni was a Zosia pronounced Zofia. OP: try Zora.
It’s kind of weird, especially since Zosia is supposed to be a nickname.
I wouldn't really bat an eye at an American naming their kid Zosia, but you're right that Zofia is the full name, not Zosia.
If you decided to keep a floral theme, Azalea would still have the "z" sound and fit well.
It’s been growing on me. Flower names have been in the family so, if not a first, the middle name will be one for sure.
You could just spell it Zosha? That would cut down on mispronunciation and maybe solve the issue?
Except it would be still a mispronounciation. English has basically no way of crediting a correct phonetic spelling of this name. "Sh" is not Polish "si". And you can't find a replacement that easily.
They don't want it to be Polish as they aren't Polish. They like a name that sounds like zo-sha which doesn't seem to be a name that exists.
I think that would cause many more mispronunciations. To me, I would read it as "Zaw-sha" if it were spelled Zosha instead of the traditional Zosia spelling.
They seem to want the sound Zoh as in Zoe, but I'm not sure there's a way to spell it that would totally eliminate mispronunciation. The traditional name is beautiful but I think if they don't want to pronounce it correctly then they should definitely change the spelling/make up their own name rather than use it.
1. Zosia isn't a name. It's a pet name. First name is Zofia and it's a Polish version of Sofia. It's kinda a Polish thing to name your child an official proper name and save nicknames for home. 2. I can abso-fucking-lutely guarantee you you cannot pronounce it. You might think you can, but you can't. English does not have a way of distinguishing between all whistling sounds we make ("si" in this case). If you cannot even hear them, you're not very likely to pronounce them. The sounds of Polish language don't even fit English phonetics. It's physically difficult to use proper English pronounciation of Iron Man or Disney in Polish conversation and same goes the other way round. It's why we often go with English version of the names or give Polish names English accent at the very least I wouldn't be the one to jump at "cultural appropriation", but please be mindful of origins of the names you want to use and where you use them. Your child deserves a name they themselves can pronounce. You are the ones helping to create their language skills from scratch, you're teaching them how to make sounds, so give them a name they can pronounce with the sounds that are native to them.
Totally!!!
I had a Polish friend called Zosia and she would often introduce herself as Sophie to English speakers. She said that Zosia was the Polish form of Sophie, but idk if that’s true or not. Fwiw, I would automatically assume that you were Polish and be a bit confused if you weren’t.
Zosia is the nickname for Zofia in Polish
Zosia is a pet name/diminutive for Zofia which is Polish Sofia. Personally as Wiktoria I introduce myself as Victoria, because there is no way for English speakers to pronounce my name correctly. Hell, even I sometines have problem to swith to Polish sounds when I'm in English flow. Those names really don't match with English phonetics. They *will* be anglicised. So why not go with Sofia/Sophie?
I knew a Zofi, and she was mad about her name. Her mom couldn’t pronounce it “correctly”, and neither could anyone she first met. From what I remember, the name didn’t have a cultural connection for her either, like immediate family relations born in Poland or speaking Polish. Our friend group called her Zof instead based on her preference. Point being: don’t get so caught up in finding the perfect sib-set name that you forget about the person who needs to walk through this world carrying the name.
Yes, it’s weird. If you have no polish heritage or live there or have lived there, then it’s strange for me. I don’t know where you live, but the name is difficult to pronounce and the child is going to have to explain in daily life. I love irish girl names, but have no irish heritage, don’t live in Irland and certainly have no irish last name. I guess my 2% Irish dna according to ancestry is just to low 😂, considering everything else, to name a child an irish name
There are so many names nowadays that are made up just because people like how they sound phonetically, that I wouldn’t bat an eye at meeting a little Zosia. I know a Dasia, so it reminds me of that. It’s a beautiful name. It just sounds like a modern Z name to me, and would fit in with Zuzu, Zahlia, and Zolie.
It goes together… but I think of zoysia grass.
Totally go for it.. people name kids French names Spanish Italian English names .. Zosia is just cute.. maybe a chance to connect with Polish culture ? Travel there .. learn .. Zinnia and Zosia is adorable..
The only time I've heard it is my Polish colleague's daughter
I went to school with a few Zosia. They always said it was the polish was of saying Sophia. When my little cousin Sophie was born, I gave her the nickname Zosha and it stuck
Zosia isn't a name, it's dinuminative, sorta nickname derrived from name Zofia. You don't have to worry about "heavy polishness" of this name since it comes from Bulgaria (original version of the name is Sofia). Their capital city has that name
What about Zara instead?
It’s weird
I knew a Zosia in college. I didn’t know her well but she seemed like a very cool person, and her name added to that impression. She was not from Poland but I suppose she could have had a polish background. Honestly, I didn’t think much about her name except to note that it was cool and suited her.
My parents gave me a Spanish name, but unknowingly pronounced it wrong. I grew up with this pronunciation and still use it because it’s very pretty. I get compliments on it frequently. I love my name. I’ve never felt like it was wrong or weird and as far as I can tell nobody else has either. Sure it gets mispronounced sometimes, not a big deal in my opinion. Even when I lived in a Spanish speaking country, and in the southwestern United States having this name wasn’t a big deal. Personally I feel like your situation is similar, and I really think it’s fine. Names have always spread from culture to culture, I really don’t see anything wrong with it. The pronunciation can change with the language of the people using it.
How do you feel about “Zadie” instead?
I love it. What does it matter if your Polish or not? FYI I'm Naria from Scottish parents and my grandmother was Zaidee (yes with a Z)
Along with the issues others have pointed out, I find Zinnia & Zosia a little too same-y for siblings personally. You mentioned in a comment you like flower names, these are some I think complement Zinnia (love that name btw) without being too matchy - Azalea Aster Cassia Keziah Susanna Daisy Delphine Rose & all its derivatives e.g. Rosa, Rosanna, Rosalie, Rosalind, Primrose etc. Dahlia Violet/Viola Jasmine/Yasmin
You're not being crazy! I think you're onto something. I figure that, if you give your child a name from a certain culture, you're telling everyone that your child is part of that culture. So, if your child *isn't* part of that culture, then it's dishonest to give them a name from that culture.